Naturally Green Matcha Tea Shortbread Cookies

When I was in University there was intense pressure to wear green on St. Patrick's Day - I remember getting razzed many times for showing up to class sans green.  Frankly, showing up on time and dressed, period, was difficult for me because I spread myself a little too thin going to school full-time, working multiple jobs, and volunteering a lot of my time to not-for-profits.  I drove Charlie at the time, so I convinced my peers that cruising around in my lime green hatchback was sufficient cheer.  This year I will surely forget to don that all important colour again, but at least I'm prepared with a fun green shortbread recipe.  The secret ingredient?  Matcha tea!  The recipe is simple, but these cookies don't taste like traditional shortbread: they're smoother (thanks to the icing sugar), deliciously sweet, and naturally green - with a delicate hint of tea flavoring.  They are seriously addictive, I'm warning you now.



Did I mention that my Mom and I painstakingly created four leaf clover shaped cookies with this green shortbread dough?  Don't worry, there's an easy option too:

Ingredients:

• Flour (1.5 cups + 2 tbsp)
• Icing sugar (3/4 cup)
• Unsalted, room temperature butter (1 cup)
• Matcha green tea (1-2 tablespoons)
• Four leaf clover cookie cutter (optional)

 

My Mom and I have both worked at (different) locally owned tea shops and we're pretty passionate about tea, although my once extensive knowledge about tea has been filed deep in the dusty corners of my brain.  What I do remember is that "tea" is often incorrectly used to refer to steeped beverages that are actually infusions or tisanes - like "peppermint tea".  Technically, only leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant make tea.  Matcha is a special kind of tea because the way in which the leaves and grown and processed is unique: the leaves are grown in shade for a period of time before being harvested and once harvested, the stems and veins are removed.  It's then ground into a fine powder and traditionally used in tea ceremonies.

Matcha supposedly boasts many health benefits because it is chock full of antioxidants (10x what a normal cup of green tea offers), fiber and vitamins.  To drink it, you simply whisk the powder into nearly boiled water and enjoy.  To bake with it, you can easily add it in any recipes that call for dry ingredients - I just substituted some flour from my original shortbread recipe with matcha.  

You can find matcha at most tea shops so check local first, but if you can't track it down you can click this link to snag some on Amazon - there are many different grades and price points, but I picked out something reasonable.  Ceremony grade matcha is more expensive, so keep your eyes peeled for culinary grade which still provides a great flavor and colour, without a steep price.



How to Make Match Shortbread:

I think everyone knows how to make shortbread!  Cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.  My Mom is convinced that doing it by hand - without an electric mixer - is the key to making these cookies perfect.  Slowly add the flour and mix well.  Then add the matcha, making sure to break up any balls of powder so it blends well.

To make the classic "squashed with a fork balls," form the dough into 1 inch balls with your hands, place on a baking sheet (I lined mine with parchment paper) and, you guessed it, squash with a fork.  This style of cookie always reminds me of my Mummu - she does her peanut butter cookies this way.

Baking Temps and Times:

The fork smush style is baked at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 20-22 minutes.

To make a leaf shape, the trickiest part is tracking down a four leaf clover cookie cutter.  I found one in a vintage set of cookie cutters, but you can easily buy them from Amazon.  This four leaf clover shaped cookie cutter looks a lot like mine (good price, too).

I rolled out the dough on a floured surface and cut out the leaf shapes, placing them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.  Now comes the fun part!

To get the veining, my Mom and I lightly scored the design onto the raw dough, careful not to cut through or score too deep.  This was piddly work, but wouldn't you know the fancy ones were more delicious ;)

These cookies were thinner, so they were baked at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for only 10-12 minutes.

I intensified the green by adding more matcha.  The first batch had 1 tablespoon but for the second half of the dough, I added about a half tablespoon more.  Look how adorable they turned out!  I lured my Mom into helping with a few blog projects and we enjoyed a really lovely afternoon baking these - it was kind of meditative to work on the leaf-shaped ones and the process has made me want to try some really beautiful desserts instead of the usual, slap-dash, I need sugar now company's due in an hour things I used to bake.  I'm still cutting back sugar in a big way, but a little treat every now and then is nice.

You can barely taste any tea flavor in the lighter batch - they're just buttery and sweet.  The darker batch has a slight tea flavor but it's still light and sweet.  If you try baking with matcha, experiment with different quantities.  Too much matcha can produce a bitter cookie, so if you're aiming for a darker green, try adding a little bit at a time and then pinching off a bit of dough to taste.

I love that these aren't coloured with artificial food dye. Behind the scenes I've been experimenting a bit with natural food dye alternatives.  I'm mulling over whether I want to attempt something pretty insane for my birthday cake this year...

DIY Earl Grey Tea Soy Candle - Cute Gift for Tea Lovers!

I have been wanting to try my hand at candle making for years, which totally cracks my Mom up.  Have you seen Our Idiot Brother?

 
There's no such thing as an ugly homemade candle.

I recently contributed a whole bushel of fun, holiday-themed crafts for a fabulous holiday gift guide that I can't wait to spill the beans about.  For one project, I used some lovely vintage vessels to make some really festive poured soy candles and they turned out so beautifully.

I had scooped a solid blue tea cup from the Good Neighbour Shed awhile back, but didn't want to use it for the holiday guide because tea cup candles have been done to death.  But darn it - tea cup candles are so cute and I wanted one for myself.  My Mom had some bergamot essential oil and it dawned on me that I could make a candle that smells like Earl Grey - my absolute favorite tea!  At the last minute I sprinkled in some real, loose leaf Earl Grey, just for show (it doesn't contribute to the scent), and it turned out so adorably.

Candle making is quite the science and everything - from the temperature of the wax to the temperature of the room - can impact the success of a poured candle.  I'd love to keep practicing to perfect my technique, but even my first few tries resulted in successful candles.  Although they lack the smooth as glass surface of commercial candles, they burn really nicely!

Supplies:

• Soy wax flakes (I bought a 10 lb bag)
• Wicks (I bought these ones, which were easy to affix with a dab of glue)
• Hot glue gun (or wick stickers)
• Double boiler or candle making pitcher (I used an old Pyrex measuring cup in a pot of boiling water)
• Candy or candle thermometer (I used a meat thermometer)
• Stir stick (an old wooden spoon or paint stir stick will do the trick)
• Bergamot essential oil
• Tea cup!
• Pinch of loose leaf tea (optional) 
• Oven mitts 
• Newspapers or drop cloth

Steps:

The first step is to measure out the wax.  According to Candle Science, you can divide the volume of your container in ounces by 16 to figure out how many ounces of wax flakes you need to use for one container.  For this candle I used about 200g of wax flakes.  It shrinks quite a bit once melted down and while I was making a whole bunch of them, I would just melt as much as I could in my Pyrex cup.  Then, once it melts a bit and there's more room, I would add more flakes and keep melting.

With the wax measured, I started heating it up in my "double boiler".  I filled the pot with a few inches of water, which I brought to a boil and kept simmering the whole time.  The wax needs to reach 185F and that took about 30 minutes in my experience.  I stirred it occasionally and although some lingering chunks took awhile to melt, eventually it all melted and resembled olive oil. 



While I waited, I used a hot glue gun to affix the wick.  You can also buy "wick stickers" but I wanted to keep costs low and I had a glue gun on hand already!

Once the wax heated to 185F I let it cool to about 135F before adding the essential oil.  Add it too early and it will just evaporate!  You can also purchase specialty candle fragrances.  Generally folks tend to use approximately half an ounce of oil per pound of wax.  If you're buying a fragrance designed for candle making, there will be a usage guide on the label.  I've read a little bit online about essential oils and candles and there is a lot of disagreement about the amount required for a good scent throw.  Some essential oils are stronger than others, so you might need to experiment a little (and let me know how it goes!). 

Once it cooled to about 125F, I poured the wax into my cup, added a pinch of tea to the top (it sunk in a little bit) and then let the candle sit overnight.  I poured mine somewhere where it could be left, undisturbed, until it hardened.  The wax starts to harden really quickly, turning from a yellow oil to a solid white substance, before your eyes (if you're patient).  To keep the wick upright I created a grid with tape across the top, which trapped the wick upright but didn't keep it as taught as I would have liked.  A better solution is to use a clothespin to clamp the wick end, and then place that across the top - but I didn't have long enough clothespins (mine aren't the wood kind).  Some candle making guides say to warm up the vessel beforehand, but I skipped that step.  Once the soy hardened completely, I trimmed the wick to 1/4".  

I didn't add any dyes so it looks like a really milky cup of tea, but you could easily tint it tea-coloured with dyes made for candles.  Add any dyes while the wax is at 185F so it can melt and mix completely.

Adorable, right?



I can now check "candle making" off the bucket list, although I was telling Hubby that it would be fun to really get into candle making: take some time to perfect the craft and make them for sale.  He seemed horrified, because I occupied the kitchen for two whole afternoons, swearing over my steaming makeshift double boiler, and we ate sad leftovers both nights because the kitchen was covered in wax and there was no way I was cooking!  So, yeah, "candle maker" probably won't be added to my resume, but I respect the people who make these for a living!  It's pretty straightforward to make a basic poured soy, but to make a perfect one (mine are lovably imperfect) and to customize with scents and colours definitely takes skill!

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How to Make a London Fog Latte at Home

I am going to start adding a few recipes here and there for Dinner, Dessert & Drinks Dans le Townhouse.  Some will be recipes we've tested and others will be ones we've created, but all of them will be tasty and easy-peasy because Hubby & I don't tend to linger in the kitchen.  When we want food (or dessert, yum), we want it now.

Sound good?

It is brrrr cold in the townhouse today so I'm warming up with a London Fog, also known as a Tea Latte.  I am hoping this warm, slightly caffeinated drink will pep me up because I need to be mighty productive today.  I have felt two steps behind since we rang in 2012.  Anyone else feel behind in their work?

 
Well, let me help distract you.  Want to make one of these foamy concoctions for yourself? 

Ingredients (per latte):

1. 1 cup of soy (or milk, if you prefer)
2. A smidge of vanilla extract (have any left from my DIY room fragrance recipe?)
3. 1 tablespoon of loose leaf cream earl grey or plain earl grey tea
4. Pinch of sugar (unless your soy/milk is already sweetened)

Supplies:

5. Large spouted microwave safe pitcher (I use a Pyrex multi-cup measure) 
6. Tea ball or paper tea filters (I prefer the latter)
7. Microwave
8. Milk frother (mine was $9.99 from a local shop)

How to Make an Easy Latte:

1. Heat the soy or milk for 1-2 minutes (microwaves vary)
2. Steep the tea in the soy for approximately 2-3 minutes
3. Squeeze the tea bag with a spoon to get every drop out
4. Add a pinch of sugar and a dash of vanilla
5. Froth milk for 30 seconds (your cup measure should be larger than your portion of soy because frothing is a bit messy)

6. Pour the latte into your mug, curl up under a blanket, and enjoy

A Note on Ingredients:

Why Do I Drink Soy?

I used to drink milk but stopped years ago because being diary-free alleviated my allergies.  But cheese is so delicious that I eventually got back on the dairy train.  Even though I started eating cheese and yogurt again, I found I couldn't drink milk anymore because, after years without it, it tasted too filmy.  Blech.  So I drink soy by choice.  I used to buy So Good but then I spotted Natur-a organic soy at Costco because the price was so fantastic.  It tastes great, especially in cereal, but needs a dash of sugar for drinks like this. I really like the fact that it is organic and can just be stored in the basement until it's opened which means we are never dashing to the store because we're out of soy.  We always have it "in stock". 

Loose Leaf Tea Seems Like a Hassle.

Years ago I worked in a tea shop and got hooked on loose leaf tea.  It takes a bit more fussing, but the tea tastes so phenomenal I think it's worth the effort.  Using a tea filter is much easier than a tea ball (which often lets tea leaves escape) and it has the added benefit of allowing you to pre-make a few bags at a time for transport or just ease-of-use.

If you haven't tried it, check out a local tea store - many offer small samples.  Loose leaf tea is often what coffee shops use and that's why their tea latte can taste so much better!

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