I love a good sugar cookie, especially one that actually tastes good, and doesn’t spread all over the place when baking. I’ve shared recipes for my go-to sugar cookie recipe and my black cocoa sugar cookies, so today I am sharing with you my matcha sugar cookie recipe. It tastes amazing AND doesn’t spread when baking. I love matcha. It’s earthy, with a hint of sweetness and umami flavor. Really though, it’s hard to explain what makes matcha so appealing and tasty, but it is. My matcha sugar cookies are earthy, just sweet enough, with a hint of almond to compliment the green tea.
When making these cookies, I thought, what better way to highlight a green cookie than with a Halloween theme decoration. So, I went with a witchy cauldron cookie with glowy green potion bubbles with some sugar eyeballs, bones and sprinkles.
Now, if you’ve been to my blog before, you know that royal icing cookie decorating is not my strongest skill nor am I overly patient with the process. So for these cookies, I kept it easy. You will need:
a cauldron cookie cutter
15 second royal icing – black, white and bright green
a scribe tool or a toothpick
#1 and #2 piping tips
piping bags
I wanted to give the cauldrons a used, beat up look just to kind of make them look old and witchy. I outlined the cauldron shape on the cookie with royal icing. Then I gave the cauldron some “feet” to stand on. I filled in the outlines right away with black royal icing, leaving some areas more sparse than others. This will give the icing an uneven look when they’re completely filled in with icing. If you want a more solid look not-so-banged-up look, flood the cookie evenly and wiggle it back and forth on your work surface to even out the icing.
While the black was drying, I made icing eyeballs and bones with white royal icing. You can buy both sugar bones and eyeballs at the craft store during Halloween if you want to keep things simple. To make them yourself, pipe different small sized rounds on a parchment paper. You want to keep them small but varying in size. Let them dry completely, then use an edible marker or gel food color to paint the black centers. To make the bones, use a #1 tip to pipe a “Y” shape, then pipe an upside down “V” on the bottom of the Y.
For the potion bubbles, I used a #2 piping tip and piped various sized dots along the top area of the cookie. Be sure the dots do not touch otherwise they will run together. Wait for the dots to crust over and dry a bit, then add a second layer. Repeat this step 2 or 3 more times. While the dots are still wet, place the eyeballs and the bones, then the sprinkles. Let the cookies dry completely before storing and packaging.
If you make these matcha sugar cookies or use this decorated cauldron tutorial, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.
Enjoy!
Ash xx
For more decorated cookie recipes, check out these posts:
Black Cocoa Sugar Cookies + Decorated Pumpkins Tutorial
Tutorial: Speckled Egg Cookies
Matcha Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (312g) all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons matcha tea
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 batch prepared royal icing
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until thoroughly combined.
- Add the egg, followed by the vanilla and almond extracts beating until just combined.
- Scrape down the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour and beat until just combined.
- Turn the dough out onto a work surface sprinkled lightly with confectioner's sugar. Pat the dough into a disc shape.
- Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the chilled dough on a work surface that has been sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. Sprinkle the top of the dough and the rolling pin lightly with confectioner's sugar to prevent any sticking.
- Roll out the dough to 1/8-3/8" thick, depending on your preference, rotating the dough as you roll to prevent the dough from sticking.
- Cut out desired shapes and place the cookies 2" apart on the cookie sheets.
- Place the cookie sheets into the refrigerator for 20-30 minutes to chill.
- Bake the cookies for 17-20 minutes. Rotate the cookie sheets, halfway through baking. You're looking for the cookies to be soft when touched in the center, but fully cooked. Baking the cookies longer will result in a crispier cookie while baking them to just cooked will keep them soft.
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes, before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
