Matcha & Chocolate Shortbread

Hmmm… how long I have not made chocolate? Maybe 1 or 2 year!

I like making chocolate when I am free from everything: washing dish, cooking a meal, cleaning the house, doing my hobbies, etc. For me, the making of chocolate is like an art, so it deserves time, attention and you have to let yourself go with it!

Usually when I am at home, I like doing a lot of things, Paolo and his mom always ask why I cannot just do nothing and relax!! I’m kind of hyper!!!
I have been thinking so many times to make chocolate and last week I told myself that If I don’t make it now maybe I have to wait till next year and yesss I do not have enough patience to wait so long!




When I saw this recipe, I just oh….I gotta make it as we like shortbread but I have some doubts because it’s green tea shortbread. Not everyone like matcha green tea and Paolo is one of them as he seldom chooses green tea cake or green tea ice cream.




I was quite sure that he would have liked it because he’s mad about shortbread and chocolate!

Recipe adapted from “ Couture Chocolate”

185 g. all-purpose flour

125 g. unsalted butter, cut in cubes, at room temperature

60 g. caster sugar

1 ½ tsp matcha (green tea powder) plus extra for dusting

300 g. tempered dark chocolate to coat

Shortbread

1. Sift flour and matcha powder together.

2. Put all the ingredients, except the tempered chocolate, into a bowl and mix unitl the ingredients come together in a dough.

3. Remove from the bowl. Roll the dough to ¼ inch thick on a lightly flour surface.

4. Cut into 1 ½ inch squares and transfer to a baking sheet and leave to rest for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

5.Preheat the oven to 160° C.

6. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly golden.

7. Leave to cool on the rack and dip in the tempered dark chocolate and dust with matcha powder.

Tempering chocolate.

1. Place 2/3 of the chopped chocolate into a double-boiler or over a bain-marie (water bath). Do not boil the water, as it may scald the chocolate.

2. Stir regularly until the chocolate has completely melted and reaches 45-50° C.

3. Gradually add the remaining chocolate, stir vigorously and continue to stir until all of the chocolate has fully melted and the chocolate cools and thickens to 32° C –keep checking using a thermometer. If the temperature drops below this, simply warm it up over the bain-marie again.

It’s very tasty and it’s also a good idea for Christmas gift.

Enjoy cooking and baking ^O^

Chocolate sugar cookies

One of my closest friends came to visit me 2 weeks ago , so I took the chance to bring him for a city tour on Saturday afternoon; walking along the streets I found that there were already all the lightful Christmas decorations, and for sure I could not miss to show him the famous Christmas market.

I like going there although I seldom buy stuff there, but I love the atmosphere and the passion in this fest: the stalls, people walking from one stall to another and the murmuring of chit-chatting. One thing I enjoy so much is sipping vin brulè, a seasonal beverage made of red wine, sugar and spices. It drives me mad especially when I am sharing it with friends under a snow fall.

Even if I am a Buddhist, I love Christmas very much: this is the celebration when families spend time together, eating, chatting, laughing and playing bingo (it reminds me of Thai New Year because we celebrate almost the same way).




I like my time in the kitchen; when I am at home I spend most of the time there: I cook, listen to the radio, surf the net on my computer. With Christmas approaching I am there even longer.

In one month it will be Christmas, as every year I prepare various cookies to present to family and friends. Our favourites are ginger bread decorated with icing sugar and sugar cookies with jam.

As chocolate is a must for us , this year I want to make chocolate cookies and I’m sure that I will make Paolo happy with this.

180 grams all purpose flour
40 grams unsweetened Dutch processes cacao powder
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
115 grams unsalted butter, room temperature
175 grams granulated white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
Rasprose jam or other jam (as I made rasprose ,raspberry+rose, on summer and I think it will go well with this cookies)

1.Sift together flour, cacao powder, salt and baking powder.

2.Beat the butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 3-4 minutes)

3.Add egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.

4.Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough.

5.Dived the dough in half and wrap with plastic wrap. Put the dough in the fridge for about one hour.

6.Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.

7.Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ¼ inch. Cut out the dough using cookie cutter shapes, I used round and flower with a hole of star in the middle and transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Place the baking sheets in the cool place for 10 minutes (to prevent the cookies from spreading and losing their shape while baking).
8.Bake cookies for about 12 minutes (depending on size and oven) or until they are firm around the edges.

9.Let cookies cool on baking sheet a few minutes before transfer to a wire rack.

10.Put the jam in the middle of the round cookies and put the flower cookies on top and finish it with icing sugar.

Enjoy cooking ^o^