Matcha Chocolate Linzer Cookies
Plus, introducing the Cookie Box Matrix
I began planning through my 2024 cookie boxes about a week ago, writing down a few flavor categories in my Notes app to ensure a well-rounded box. (Wait.) If you watched me rating my cookie boxes from the last five years on TikTok, you’ll know I think variety is the key to a great cookie box. Now, I go in way too hard on my cookie boxes, so if you’re a person who just wants to make one shortbread dough for many cookies, flavoring or decorating or sandwiching them in creative ways, go for it. Who wouldn’t be happy receiving that? For me, though, I found that a listing some flavor categories wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough to say “fruity, chocolatey, spiced” etc.. I also wanted to have a variety of textures.
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So I thought, we need another axis here. And I logged into Canva and made this chart in like 15 minutes.
I filled it out with some examples — a few are my recipes and some are just generic. Some I’m including in this years box and some have appeared in the ghosts of boxes past. But it isn’t a complete compendium of cookies: I left some blank because, well, I told you it took 15 minutes. But it gives you an idea of how to think through variety. And texture and flavor aren’t the only things to think about. If I could add more axes and really play 4D chess here, I’d also add color (self explanatory) and shape (long and thin, round and flat, sandwiches, do they look best from their sides or top down?) I’ve included a blank matrix below if you feel so inclined to fill it out yourself! What do you think? Did I miss any categories?
And if you’re looking for some of my cookie recipes that would be shining stars in your cookie boxes (or as an offering at the cookie swap), here they are.
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Updates
Umm, we hit 100,000 followers on Instagram!
My goal was to hit 100k over on the Instagram by the end of the year and it looks like we’re going to blow right through it this year.
And, umm, we also hit 10,000 subscribers on Substack!
I can’t believe how fas this community is growing and I just want to thank you for being here. Hop in the chat and let’s talk!
Recommendations
📱Social Media: This Video of Miss Piggy’s Many Appearances on Martha Stewart
Who can talk to Martha like that except one specific Muppet?
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📱Social Media: This Moving Speech from a Trans Girl’s Mother
It is easy to feel like you’re going crazy when you’re defending trans people, let alone trans kids. Whether it’s about their healthcare, their place in sports, what bathrooms they use, even many liberals seem to be stumped by the discourse. It’s full of red herrings, disinformation and scare tactics. It’s blown way out of proportion. And as this mom concisely and calmly points out at a Georgia Senate hearing, it’s a tiny, niche issue that, despite the fact that most people aren’t affected by it, the right wing picked out of a hat because they knew they could raise money and get views off of it. It’s a longer TikTok but it’s worth the watch.
🎧 Music: My Christmas Playlist
I shared this last year too but there are so many more of you now! I know there’s a lot of Pentatonix!
This Week’s Recipe
In this recipe, a white chocolate matcha ganache is sandwiched between two crisp chocolate shortbread cookies. I used ceremonial grade matcha for the ganache, which may or may not have been a misstep. Culinary matcha is more potent than ceremonial in baking, but its color can vary and won’t be as vibrant green as ceremonial grade. (Apparently, though, the rigid categories are an arbitrary distinction that doesn’t even really exist in Japan.)
I went to a matcha store in Williamsburg and asked the folks working there what would be best for baked goods and they sold me a tin of ceremonial grade for $35 BUT I got a free drink with it, so?? There are certainly way cheaper options out there for both kinds. That being said, if you have matcha at home, I’d just use the one you have.
Feel free to make the dough ahead, roll it into sheets, and freeze/refrigerate until ready to cut out shapes and bake. You could also bake the cookies and freeze them in zipper bags until ready to fill them. Break it up into days, make it easier on yourself! I call for using Dutch Process cocoa, which produce a deep rich color and flavor, but you can go even deeper and richer with black cocoa, if you want. Can anyone say Elphaba cookies?
In terms of cookie cutters, the world is your oyster. I learned quickly that these look better with bigger windows cut out of the top cookies, but you can use a variety of hearts, stars, circles, squares, whatever! I removed any baking soda or baking powder from this recipe after shooting them because I wanted them to hold their shape even more. That being said, if you want to just make them sandwiches with no windows, more power to you! they’ll look great turned on their sides.
Matcha Chocolate Linzer Cookies
Makes 26-28 cookie sandwiches
Ingredients
Chocolate Shortbreads
10 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature (141 grams)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (110 grams)
2 tablespoons light corn syrup (36 grams)
1 tablespoon heavy cream, whole milk or plant-based milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt (1/2 teaspoon if using Morton’s table salt)
1/4 cup Dutch Process cocoa powder (26 grams)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (195 grams)
Matcha Ganache
1/3 cup heavy cream (75 grams)
1 1/2 teaspoons quality matcha powder (culinary grade)
4 ounces white chocolate, very finely chopped (not white chocolate chips)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (28 grams)
Directions
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a beater attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high until well combined and fluffy, about two minutes.
Add the milk/cream, corn syrup and vanilla extract. Mix until combined, then beat in the salt and cocoa powder. Scrape the bottoms and sides of the bowl to ensure even mixing.
Mix in the flour until the last streaks of white disappear.
Dump the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper about the size of a half sheet tray, then cover it with another similar-size piece of parchment. (You can also use silicone mats). Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough in between the sheets to a about a 1/6-inch thickness.
Set on a flat surface like a half sheet tray or large cutting board and transfer to the refrigerator or freezer to chill until very firm, about 15-30 minutes.
Once the dough is chilled, use any small cookie cutter (around 1.5-2 inch size) to cut out as many cookies as you can from the dough. Transfer cutouts to two half sheet trays lined with parchment paper. Using a smaller cookie cutter, cut a window out of half of the cookies. These will be the tops of the Linzer sandwiches. Return the dough to the freezer as needed to keep it chilled and easy to work with. (Bundle up the scraps and cover in parchment to roll out again. Chill once more and cut out as many more cookies as you can.)
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Chill the cutouts on their trays in the freezer or fridge until they are very firm.
Bake the cookies on the middle rack for 11 minutes and immediately transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
While the cookies cool, make the matcha ganache. Add matcha powder to the bottom of a small, microwave-safe mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream in the microwave, 15 seconds at a time, until hot but not simmering.
Pour one tablespoon of the hot cream over the matcha and whisk vigorously until thick and smooth, ensuring there are no lumps.
Add the white chocolate to the bowl. Reheat the cream if you need to (it should be hot) and then cover the chocolate with remaining cream. Cover the bowl and allow to sit for 30 seconds to a minute. Whisk the cream and chocolate a few times, microwaving for 5 to 10 seconds if there is still unmelted white chocolate. The ganache should look smooth and uniformly green. Beat in the softened butter until homogenous. An immersion blender or hand mixer helps here.
Cover the ganache and allow to set at room temperature for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, just until it thickens to a piping consistency.
Using a piping bag or zipper bag with a small opening cut out, pipe a border around one of the bottom cookies, leaving about a 1/4 inch of space on the edges, then fill in the border with more ganache, about 2 teaspoons-1 tablespoon per cookie.
Optionally, smooth out the surface with a spoon or mini offset spatula. Place the corresponding top cookie on the ganache and press down lightly until the ganache pokes through the top slightly and the filling nearly reaches the edges. Repeat with remaining cookies.