08 Dec Matcha-Dipped Dark Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Oh, hey! Remember me? I know, I’ve been fiercely neglecting this space, but you didn’t think I’d let Christmas pass by without posting a festive recipe or two, did you?  Yee off little faith, I’d never let that happen.

But I get it, it’s been too long. In September when I declared I was back in action and made this beauty in order to celebrate my return to the world of Butterlusting, I meant it. I thought I was ready to throw myself back into the tasty rigor of blogging. My sleeves were rolled up, my face was smudged with flour, and there was a fire in my belly. But as it turns out, shit’s still busy around here. Most nights, I come home from work completely pooped, with little energy left to stare at a screen for another 3 hours editing photos, or writing blog posts. Mad respect for all the bloggers out there who crush it.

I swear I’ve not completely abandoned the kitchen. I’ve been doing quite a bit of contributing/freelancing for my usual (and some new) suspects. You can check some of that work out here, here, here and here if you’re interested.

And then there’s the whole commitment to spending more quality time with my fiancé (!!!), which of course means there’s that whole wedding planning thing happening as well. eeeek! I both love it and hate it and it’s most definitely as stressful as everybody says it is (and for no damn reason). But that’s a story for another day and another post — yes, it will happen. Eventually.

Anyway, HOLIDAYS! It’s the best time of the year! Twinkle lights are freaking fantastic, aren’t they? And cookies — hell yes, cookies. I should probably be avoiding them, or at least focusing on consuming them in moderation (again, the whole wedding thing), but hell, I ate Thanksgiving dinner at least 5 times over the course of November so why slow down now? (I’m going to need a damn good personal trainer come January, though. Taking recommendations, if you’re in Austin!)

I kicked off my Christmas baking this year with these Matcha-Dipped Dark Chocolate Wafer Cookies. I love using matcha in recipes around the holidays (see this recipe from last year). It’s lovely green hue is perfect for naturally dying all kinds of doughs and icings, and what I’ve discovered this year, is that matcha’s earthy flavor is absolutely to die for when paired with peppermint. Obsessively good.

These cookies are a simple, dark chocolate shortbread, that I’ve rolled out extra thin so they take on the crispness and texture of a wafer rather than a hearty shortbread. They’re intentionally on the bitter side in order to balance out the sweetness of the matcha coating, and offer up a rich, complex flavor that with the addition of matcha’s earthiness pairs amazingly with a cup of black coffee. The coating is a two-ingredient mixture of vanilla almond bark (also known as candy coating) and cooking grade matcha that’s been sprinkled with crushed peppermint while still wet for a refreshing bite.

This combination of earthy, bitter, sweet and minty makes for a near perfect holiday cookie. And so festively colored, too! Enjoy!

NOTES ABOUT THIS RECIPE:

This recipe requires that you use dutch-processed cocoa powder, and using natural cocoa powder may alter results. Learn about the difference between the two here. 

You can find almond bark/candy coating on the baking aisle of almost all grocery stores. If you can’t find it you can substitute white chocolate, but I prefer to use almond bark because it tends to seize less during melting and firms up more at room temperature.

For a sweeter cookie, add an additional 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the dough.

A big thanks to Aiya America for sponsoring this post! 

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