Cookies with beautiful patterns often appear complex to make, but in reality, only appropriately sized piping tips are needed as extra preparation. Their steps are no more complicated than ordinary cookies or cakes, and they are less prone to failure. This recipe yields about 25 large cookies.
Ingredients: Softened room-temperature butter 200g, powdered sugar 70g, room-temperature egg 1 (approx. 55g shelled), low-gluten flour 240g, salt 2g, vanilla extract 1 tsp, matcha powder 6g, cocoa powder 10g. Add powdered sugar to the softened butter and mix initially to prevent splattering. Use an electric mixer to beat until the butter turns pale and increases in volume. Melted butter cannot be whipped, and insufficiently softened butter will make the dough too stiff and difficult to pipe later. The egg must also be at room temperature for easy incorporation with the butter. Beat the whole egg in a small bowl first, then slowly pour it into the butter while mixing until fully combined. Finally, add vanilla extract to remove any eggy smell and enhance aroma. To make three flavors in one batch, weigh and divide the mixture into three equal portions. Alternatively, weigh the mixing container beforehand to calculate the total amount, divide by three, and portion out to combine with different dry ingredients. Plain flavor: 80g low-gluten flour, a pinch of salt. Matcha flavor: 70g low-gluten flour, 7g matcha powder, a pinch of salt. Cocoa flavor: 70g low-gluten flour, 10g cocoa powder, a pinch of salt. Use a silicone spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the butter-egg mixture until uniform. Preheat the oven at this stage. Select piping tips with larger serrations to help the patterns hold after baking. The first two larger-sized tips are noticeably easier to use than the third. Cookie dough has a certain firmness; excessively high room temperature or overly wet dough can make it too soft, causing patterns to blur or disappear, so monitor these factors. Place a smaller amount of dough in the piping bag at a time to prevent bursting and make piping easier. Bake at 160°C for about 18 minutes. For convection ovens or those with rear heat circulation, multiple trays can be baked simultaneously. To prevent excessive browning on the bottom layer, place a sheet of foil under the high-temperature baking mat. Do not leave during baking; observe and adjust temperature as needed. If the top overheats and cookies color too quickly, cover with a foil sheet. Do not touch the cookies immediately after removing from the oven, as they are fragile when hot and may crumble. Decorate only after completely cooled. Melt preferred chocolate for dipping or drizzling. Chop some nuts; I used pistachios and freeze-dried strawberries for a festive Christmas color scheme. Adding matcha powder to white chocolate creates green matcha chocolate for decoration. Refrigerate decorated cookies until the chocolate fully sets, making them easy to remove intact. These cookies are notably crumbly, achieved by thoroughly whipping the butter. My recipe is less sweet than commercial versions. Packaged in small boxes, they make excellent gifts for family and friends. Give them a try!
