Healthy Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Author: Dr. Alexis McNeil

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Time to read: 8 min

featured 1 matcha shortbread cookies
Finished Matcha Shortbread Cookies baked with Detox Desserts

Healthy Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Prep time

20 min

Bake time

20 min

Servings

20 cookies

Category

Dessert

Why you will love these matcha shortbread cookies

If you love a buttery, crumbly shortbread cookie AND you need to be alert and focused, eat these cookies! Fun fact, I had no idea how much caffeine was in matcha until I ate about 6 of these cookies after dinner. I didn’t sleep all night. Luckily, I had a bunch of work that needed to get done and I pulled an all night work/matcha cookie binger and was highly productive…but I certainly don’t recommend that, lol;)


Matcha is a powdered green tea that is mainly grown in Japan. I love baking with Matcha because it adds a beautiful soft green color, an interesting depth of flavor, and most importantly, it’s high in antioxidants which protect your cells from damage and disease.


Baker BEWARE, matcha has higher levels of caffeine than other varieties of green tea. If you’re caffeine sensitive, eat these healthy matcha shortbread cookies for breakfast, eating them in the afternoon will be too stimulating and likely affect your sleep.


Matcha contains about 20-40 mg of caffeine per gram (coffee contains 10-12 mg caffeine per gram for reference). Don’t worry, I did the math for you. One batch of these cookies contains 200-400 mg total caffeine, meaning each cookie has 10-20mg of caffeine. I tell my patients to keep their daily caffeine intake below 100 mg (which is 1 cup of coffee). Please consume these delightful, sophisticated cookies mindfully.

Recommended products to bake the best healthy matcha shortbread cookies

How the matcha shortbread cookies made with Detox Desserts measure up

I love these cookies made with Whole-Grain and Grain-Free Flour. The Whole-Grain Swap cookies will have a few extra healthy carbs, but I love the earth flavor these cookies have. The Grain-Free will provide a keto/paleo version which is equally delicious but has a more nutty flavor. Although I didn’t test this recipe using both flours in equal parts (for this recipe it would be ½ cup Whole-Grain plus ½ cup Grain Free Flour to equal the full 1 cup of Flour Swap the recipe calls for), that is usually my favorite taste/texture preference and I bet they would turn out amazing in this cookie.


For most of my patients, I’m a big advocate for balanced macro meals breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here is an easy way to know what type of Flour Swap to choose to create a balanced macro meal. We’ll use dinner as an example. If your dinner consists of just protein and veggies, I recommend eating Whole-Grain Swap cookies for dessert to serve as your healthy carb for that meal. Conversely, if you already had a healthy carb with dinner (quinoa, sweet potato, beans, etc), I would recommend the Grain-Free Swap cookies for dessert so you don’t overeat carbs at that meal. Easy, right! Balanced macro meals are the best thing you can do to keep your metabolism firing optimally, create blood sugar stability and keep you feeling full and satisfied throughout your day (or night). If you’re a diabetic or need to stay in ketosis, always bake using the Grain-Free Flour Swap.

matcha shortbread cookies Swap Stat
featured 3 matcha shortbread cookies
featured 2 matcha shortbread cookies
featured 1 matcha shortbread cookies

How I crafted the perfect & healthy matcha shortbread cookie recipe

I wanted to create a sophisticated dessert that would also be appropriate for a St. Patrick's Day celebration. After living in Savannah, Georgia for a few years, I always celebrate in my own unique way. Usually it involves a cold craft beer, Irish music, homemade loaf of soda bread, and a healthy green dessert (to balance out the unhealthy aforementioned indulgences:).


There are two easy ways to turn your favorite desserts green, Matcha and Chlorella. I love the simplicity of shortbread, you can really taste each individual ingredient flavor in the finished cookie. A small amount of Matcha goes a long way, too much will create a bitter, plant flavor. I searched for Matcha Shortbread recipes online and I found a few 5-star recipes that looked promising. I did a 1:1 Swap for the flour/sugar/butter, but I reduced the matcha by half. Thank goodness my intuition was right. My detoxed cookies have the perfect balance of buttery shortbread with a lightly sweetened matcha flavor. If you LOVE matcha and want a stronger flavor, use 2 tablespoons instead of 1 in this recipe. The only other adjustment I made to the original recipe was reducing the baking time on the Grain-Free cookies. Coconut and almond flour are delicate and burn more easily so watch your cookies closely. Another good option to ensure you don’t burn your cookies would be reducing oven temperature to 300 degrees and baking your cookies a little longer.

The best ingredients & substitutions for healthy matcha shortbread cookies

keto peanut butter chocolate chip cookies ingredients

Dry ingredients:


Wet ingredients:


  • ½ cup Butter Swap
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 Tablespoons avocado oil or EVOO (if needed for dough to stick together)

Try our gluten-free, sugar-free & vegan baking system

Step-by-step: How to make the best matcha shortbread cookies

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.

1. Mix dry ingredients well, making sure to break up any clumps of Powdered Sugar Swap.

matcha shortbread cookies recipe Ingredients Step 1
Step 1 matcha shortbread cookies recipe

2. Add Butter Swap and vanilla extract and mix well.


3. Use clean hands to continue mixing and kneading the dough. It should be crumbly but stick together when pressed. Add a little avocado oil or EVOO if needed for consistency. 

GF Step 3 matcha shortbread cookies recipe
Dough made with Grain-Free Flour Swap
WG Step 3 matcha shortbread cookies recipe
Dough made with Whole-Grain Flour Swap

4. Form the dough into 1” balls and place them on your parchment lined tray.

GF Step 4 matcha shortbread cookies recipe
Matcha shortbread cookie dough balls made with Grain-Free Flour Swap
WG Step 4 matcha shortbread cookies recipe
Matcha shortbread cookie dough balls made with Whole-Grain Flour Swap

5. Bake for about 18 minutes (about 16 minutes for Grain-Free). Watch closely after about 15 minutes so the bottoms don’t burn.


6. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking tray. 

Step 6 both flours matcha shortbread cookies recipe

7. Roll them in more Powdered Sugar Swap mixed with a pinch or two of matcha powder if desired.

Step 7 matcha shortbread cookies recipe
Matcha shortbread cookie are prepared for outer sugar coat with Powdered Sugar Swap
Step 7 far matcha shortbread cookies recipe
Matcha shortbread cookies rolled in matcha & Powdered Sugar Swap

8. Transfer the cookies to a sealed container and refrigerate overnight to completely set. The cookies will become hard and crumbly after they’ve completely cooled. 

How to make your matcha shortbread cookies stand out

For a fun and healthy St. Patricks Day deep green color, consider adding a pinch or two of green chlorella powder to your Powdered Sugar Swap for your final rolling. This will add an extra burst of green to your finished healthy matcha shortbread cookie.

How to store your matcha shortbread cookies

Store sealed in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for long term storage.

Tips for making the best healthy matcha shortbread cookies

  • Make sure your Butter Swap is well stirred and at room temperature before making your cookies, oil separation is normal in the Butter Swap. If you have trouble stirring your Butter Swap until smooth, pour the entire jar in the blender.  Your Butter Swap will stay smooth for months after a quick blend!
  • Let your dough rest for about 5 minutes after you’ve blended the wet and dry ingredients, then knead with clean hands for another minute.
  • Your dough will be crumbly but should hold together when pressed. If your dough is too dry to stick together, simply add some avocado oil or extra-virgin olive oil. The avocado oil is neutral in flavor so that is my preference. EVOO will impart some flavor to the finished cookies so only use EVOO if you enjoy the flavor of olive oil. I experimented with both healthy oils and enjoyed the variations equally.
  • Try to keep your cookies the same size for even baking time. They won’t spread as they bake because these cookies do not contain a leavening agent like baking soda or powder.
  • Don’t overbake! Every oven is different, watch your first batch closely, remove them when the tops start to crack (this happens more in the Whole-Grain Flour) and the bottoms turn golden. They will continue to bake on the hot cookie sheet after you remove them from the oven. The 16 minute approximate baking time is for 1”cookies, so if you decide to make larger cookies, they will need a longer baking time.
  • These matcha shortbread cookies will become semi-hard and crumbly when they’ve completely cooled. They are soft and fragile straight out of the oven so don’t move them from the cookie sheet until they are cooled.

Recipe Card: Healthy Matcha Shortbread Cookies

Prep Time  Bake Time Total Time
20 minutes 17 minutes 37 minutes

Servings: 20 cookies

Calories per serving: 140 cal


Although not guaranteed, we have gone above and beyond to provide you with the most accurate nutritional information for this recipe.




Dry Ingredients



Wet Ingredients


  • ½ cup Butter Swap
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1-2 Tablespoons avocado oil or EVOO (if needed for dough to stick together)



Instructions


Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.


1. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.


2. Mix dry ingredients well, making sure to break up any clumps of Powdered Sugar Swap.


3. Add Butter Swap and vanilla extract and mix well. Use clean hands to continue mixing and kneading the dough. It should be crumbly but stick together when pressed. Add a little avocado oil or EVOO if needed for consistency.


4. Form the dough into 1” balls and place them on your parchment lined tray.


5. Bake for about 18 minutes (about 16 minutes for Grain-Free). Watch closely after about 15 minutes so the bottoms don’t burn.


6. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool completely on the baking tray.


7. Roll them in more Powdered Sugar Swap mixed with a pinch or two of matcha powder if desired. Transfer the cookies to a sealed container and refrigerate overnight to completely set. The cookies will become hard and crumbly after they’ve completely cooled.



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Nutritional information

matcha shortbread cookies nutritional information

*An important note on carbs:


Net carbohydrates are the sum total of carbohydrates that convert into glucose (therefore raise blood sugar) in the body. Anyone following a keto or diabetic diet should count net carbs NOT total carbs. To determine net carbs, simply subtract the fiber and sugar alcohols from the total carbohydrates on the nutrition label. If you count macronutrients (carbs, fats, protein) you should always count net carbs, not total carbs. 

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