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Black Sesame Matcha Snowballs (with Matcha-Powdered Sugar Coat)

These tender, buttery shortbread cookies are infused with earthy matcha green tea and whole black sesame seeds, all finished with a heavy, vibrant coating of sweet matcha powdered sugar.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 142 kcal

Ingredients
  

—Cookie—

  • 1 cup Unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temp
  • 1/2 cup Powdered sugar sifted
  • 1 tablespoon Matcha sifted (for dough)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon Fine salt
  • 2 cups All-purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 2 Tablespoons Black sesame seeds whole
  • 2 tablespoons Optional – Finely ground almonds or almond flour swap in for 2 Tbsp of the flour

—Powder Coating—

  • 1 cup Powdered sugar sifted (for coating)
  • 2 teaspoons Matcha sifted (for coating; start with 2 tsp, add to taste)
  • 1 pinch Fine salt pinch, for coating

Instructions
 

  • In a medium mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and matcha for 60-90 seconds until the butter is uniformly green. Add the powdered sugar and beat until smooth, then mix in the vanilla and salt.
  • On low speed, mix in the flour (and the optional almond flour if using) just until a soft dough forms. Fold in the black sesame seeds. If the dough feels very soft, chill for 20-30 minutes.
  • Scoop about 1 rounded tablespoon of dough (about 1 oz/28 g) per cookie and roll into balls. Arrange on parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
  • Bake at 325 F for 12-15 minutes, until just set and barely colored on the bottoms; the tops should remain pale. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5-7 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, stir together the powdered sugar, matcha, and a small pinch of salt for the coating. While the cookies are still warm (about 5-7 minutes after coming out of the oven), gently roll each cookie in the matcha sugar and transfer to a rack.
  • Let the cookies rest about 10 minutes, then roll them a second time in the matcha sugar for a saturated green coat. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for 4-5 days and, if needed, toss lightly in fresh matcha sugar just before serving.

Notes

For stronger matcha flavor, you can increase the matcha in the dough to 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp or use the higher end of the matcha range in the coating.
Keyword Cookies, Holiday Sweets, Matcha