You all LOVED these cookies so much, I couldn't wait any longer to share them. Jenn of @twocupsflour (she is AWESOME, go check her out!) was the one who told me about her tradition of baking dyed Christmas trees with her mom every year. I thought it was such a wonderful idea for baking with whomever (myself haha) that I (by the power vested in me) adapted this tradition too. I know you will love these as much as I do, because they're....drumroll please...naturally dyed! No food coloring here, just matcha. Find yourself some good culinary grade matcha, and the taste will surely come through. I also hate royal icing (don't hate me), but I just can't stand the taste. It's also a pain in the a$$ to have to wait for it to dry before moving on to the next step of your decorations, and girl, ain't nobody got time for that! Okay, some do, but just not me haha. I also don't have the patience for it cause I just want to eat the damn cookie already! Anyways, decorate it however you like, I chose to do them with a bit of white chocolate cause matcha and white chocolate is a combo that everyone loves. Enjoy my merry little friends!


MINI MATCHA CHRISTMAS TREE SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE  adapted from Alton Brown's Sugar Cookie

makes - 6 dozen mini cookies or 3 dozen big cookies


INGREDIENTS

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. matcha powder (culinary grade)
  • 1 cup unsalted butter (room temp)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp. whole milk
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling out the dough)


DIRECTIONS

  • Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and matcha powder. Set aside.
  • Place butter and sugar in large bowl fitted with a stand mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
  • Add egg and milk and beat to combine.
  • Put mixer on low speed, gradually add flour, and beat until mixture pulls away from the side of the bowl.
  • Divide the dough in half, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (you can make the dough the night before, but take it out 10mins before rolling).
  • Preheat oven to 375°F & line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Sprinkle your rolling surface with powdered sugar and remove 1 wrapped pack of dough from the refrigerator at a time.
  • Roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Move the dough around and check underneath frequently to make sure it is not sticking. If dough has warmed during rolling, place the dough in the fridge to chill for 10mins.
  • Using a mini Christmas tree cookie cutter, cut out as many cookies as you can, then knead the dough a couple times and roll it out again. Cut out more cookies before taking the other dough out to roll.
  • Place the cookies 1 inch apart on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 8mins.
  • Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 mins before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
  • Frost with melted white chocolate and enjoy!

*Can be kept in an airtight container for up to one week.