Sablés au thé vert ~ 富傳奇色彩的抹茶餅乾

The shortbread cookie you see here is legendary and has a cult followings. It is so good that it won itself a Golden Scoop Award, not to mention that it is insanely popular among many food bloggers (you can find the list here) . It is not difficult to understand why after eating a few (Okay, I lied. It was more like a few dozens!). These cookies are the creation of Kelli, the owner of Amai Tea & Bake House in New York City. She has posted the recipe to her blog – Lovescool – some time back and I bet it was due to popular requests by fans^^

I didn’t learn of her shop and the cookies until I seen it here years after she posted the recipe. I immediately fell in love with the elegant packaging hoping that I can have a taste of them. You can imagine how happy I was when I found out that she has posted the recipe to her blog!

To my surprise (and everyone else), the recipe called for ingredients that I already have and the instruction was easy to follow. However, it does take time (patience too) to do the chill – cut – chill dough process though your work will be rewarded! Also, the quality of matcha plays a major role here as it is the main flavoring. I strongly advise that you use the best quality of matcha that you can find or afford. I used matcha from Uji, the area known to produce the finest matcha in Japan and the world. You certainly can taste the differences between so so and premium matcha. The color definitely shown too – better quality matcha equals more brilliant color.



These cookies are just as good as everyone promised and more! They are exceptionally delicate, crumbly and have a distinctive matcha aroma and the most brilliant shade of jade! The recipients of these cookies can’t agree more - I baked these cookies as holiday treats to friends along with the icebox cookies that everyone raved about^^

Btw, I must have baked hundred dozens because I was forever “tasting” the cookies so it seem like I don’t ever have enough to pack the boxes ;)

Sablés au thé vert – makes 2 dozens

I thought you should know:
- Make sure to press the cookie cutter hard into the dough to get a clean cut. Take care to keep the shape by shaking the cutter slightly before pushing out the dough.
- Matcha tends to fade when exposed to sunlight so store the cookies in container that blocks out sunlight to preserve the color.

Recipe

Happy baking!




你現在看到的抹茶餅乾可是大有來頭極富盛名的哦﹗美味到贏取獎項及擁有為數龐大的粉絲團﹐更是很多網友及food bloggers(點這裡)的最愛。我想那也是應該的因為它是位於紐約市的Amai Tea & Bake House 的鎮店之寶。當初在這裡看到這家店的產品介紹時就被它清雅的包裝所吸引﹐很想每一樣都咬上一口。而當我品嘗後就明白它的魅力所在了。不像我吃過的只有綠色卻無抹茶味的成品﹐Amai的抹茶餅乾極具抹茶的清香獨特風味﹐讓人吃到停不了口。可是它的價錢也不便宜﹐3個小餅乾盛惠$3.50﹐所以不能天天買。當我由他人口中知道Kelli﹐Amai的老闆娘將食譜上載到她的部落格時我可開心的咧。。呵呵呵呵。。。

跟著食譜不僅做出了那個讓我難忘的味道﹐還比我吃過的更酥脆﹗食譜也沒有想像中的困難讓我頗驚訝的。想說一定是加了什麼特別的材料才能做出那麼讓人難忘的味道﹐可是沒有﹗我想食材都是用頂級的﹐就算是簡單的材料也能做出那麼美味讓人魂牽夢寐的成品。因為這餅乾的特色是它的香氣﹐所以抹茶的品質是舉足輕重的。購買抹茶時不要吝惜錢﹐品質越高的抹茶越發凸顯香氣﹐顏色越是翠綠﹐成品就越出色。

美味的東西當然要和家人﹑朋友分享所以特地烤了上百的餅乾在過去的這個聖誕送人。我烤了很多次才籌夠數﹐因為每次餅乾一烤好都給我吃了一半﹗就是忍不住口﹐希望你會比我有自制力 ^__~

抹茶小知識:
抹茶具有極高的蛋白質、氨基酸、維生素、礦物質和葉綠素的含量很高。具有清熱解毒、生津止渴、抗疲勞、醒酒消醉、降血壓、防衰老、明目清肝的保健功能。雖然具有這麼多保健功能﹐據中醫師說抹茶屬寒涼物﹐體質屬涼性的人應少喝為妙。多喝會造成血氣不流暢﹐臉色蒼白。



抹茶餅乾 - 餅乾的數量就要看餅乾模了
食譜來自Lovescool

¾ 杯 糖粉或細砂糖
150g 無盬奶油 (室溫放軟, 切丁)
1 ¾ 杯 麵粉
3個 L尺寸蛋黃
1.5湯匙 抹茶 (我用的是宇治抹茶)
1杯 砂糖 (包裹麵團用)

要注意什麼呢?
- 用餅乾模具吸出麵糰時一定要大力的按下出﹐左右要幾下﹐這樣麵團才會輕易的脫出。
- 抹茶遇熱後顏色會變淡﹐所以記得將放涼後的餅乾存放在不透光的容器裡。

將抹茶和糖粉混合拌勻。將抹茶糖粉跟室溫放軟的奶油用電動攪拌器先以低速拌勻﹐改用中速打至蓬鬆且顏色變淡及一致。加入麵粉﹐攪打勻後加入蛋黃﹐拌成糰塊。

將麵糰放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐揉至軟滑成球狀。輕壓成扁圓片﹐蓋上保鮮膜﹐放進冰箱靜置30分鐘醒麵。

烤箱預熱至350°F/180°C。在餅乾烤盤上鋪上烤盤紙﹐備用。取出麵糰﹐放在撒上麵粉的工作台上﹐將麵糰桿成約厚3/8in的薄片後用餅乾模具吸出麵糰﹐然後放到盛著砂糖的碗中讓麵團完全包裹著砂糖。有間距地排放在鋪了烤盤紙的烤盤上﹐放入烤箱烤15分鐘或是烤到餅乾週邊變金黃色就可以了。烤好後記住要在鋼架放涼﹐否則口感沒那麼酥脆。