Oh my gosh, if you think shortbread is boring, you haven’t lived! I’m always trying to push the boundaries of what a simple butter cookie can be, and trust me, this Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Recipe is the result of some glorious kitchen experimentation. You get that perfect, melt-in-your-mouth buttery base, right? But then you breathe that earthy, slightly mysterious matcha green tea flavor across it, and finish it with a pop of sweet, bright strawberry. It sounds wild, I know! I finally nailed this two-toned swirl after about five failed batches where the colors just went muddy. Now, they look stunning and taste even better!
Why This Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Recipe Stands Out
So many shortbread recipes are just flat and predictable, right? Not these beauties! This is truly my favorite because it ticks every single box a great cookie should. You get that classic, irresistible crumbly shortbread texture that just dissolves on your tongue. The flavor profile is incredible, too – the matcha never tastes bitter, and the strawberry brightens everything up. Plus, honestly, the presentation is just so elegant with the two colors swirled together. If you want cookies that look fancy but were secretly super easy, this is the one. For more tips on general baking mastery, check out my guide on making you a better baker!
- Perfectly rich and buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Wonderful flavor balance: earthy, sweet, and salty all at once.
- Gorgeous presentation thanks to the easy two-tone marbled effect.
Gathering Ingredients for Your Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Okay, gathering ingredients for these cookies is almost as fun as baking them! Because we are aiming for that perfect, reliable shortbread texture, precision really matters here. Grab your measuring cups because we need exactly one cup of unsalted butter—and please make sure it’s softened up nicely, not melted!
You’ll need flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, and that wonderful vanilla extract. Then comes the magic duo: some gorgeous matcha green tea powder and those special freeze-dried strawberries. Remember, we need about two cups of flour total, so we’ll be splitting our dry base between the two flavor profiles later on. Don’t skimp, these are worth it!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions for Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies
Listen, if you use regular strawberry powder or fresh strawberries, you’re going to end up with dough that’s either too wet or oddly colored. The freeze-dried ones are crucial because they are flavor bombs locked into a dry powder, which keeps our shortbread texture incredibly crisp. When you buy your matcha, please try to get a culinary grade that isn’t super old; you want that vibrant green color, not dull khaki!
Also, remember that little note about swirling the dough? You should mix the matcha in one half and the strawberry in the other. Then, just gently roll them together before slicing. It keeps the colors clean and makes for such a pretty cookie!
Step-by-Step Instructions for the Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Ready to get messy? It’s super simple, but you’ve got to respect the butter and the chill time. First things first, get that oven warmed up to 325 degrees Fahrenheit—that lower temperature is key for shortbread so it bakes through without browning too fast. Line up your baking sheets, we’ll be making a few batches!
Grab your big bowl. Cream that softened butter and the sugar until they look pale and fluffy. That’s the start of a good crumb! Beat in your vanilla, trying not to splatter butter everywhere—oops, maybe pre-wet your paper towels first, learned that the hard way! In a separate bowl, whisk your flour with the salt and that beautiful matcha powder. Slowly add the dry stuff into the wet mixture, mixing only until it just comes together. Seriously, stop mixing the second the flour disappears!
Now for the fun part that makes this recipe special! Divide that plain dough right down the middle. Take one half and knead your crushed freeze-dried strawberry powder right into it until it’s one lovely pink color. You know, I found that if you roll the two logs together—the green one and the pink one—and slowly twist them together before you wrap them, you get the prettiest little natural swirl when you slice them later on. Do that, wrap both logs tightly, and stick them in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes. Don’t rush the chilling; it keeps those slices from spreading into buttery puddles!
When they’ve chilled, unwrap them and slice them about a quarter-inch thick. Remember, thick cookies need longer to bake through. Lay them on your lined sheets with an inch of space between each one. Bake them for about 12 to 15 minutes. You’re looking for just the tiniest hint of gold on the edges—don’t overbake them! Let them sit on that hot sheet for five minutes before you transfer them over to a cooling rack. If you want more shortbread excitement, check out my chocolate shortbread recipe while these cool!
Tips for Achieving Perfect Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Texture
Shortbread lives and dies by its texture, and if these cookies turn out tough, it’s usually because one of two things went wrong! The absolute biggest mistake people make is overmixing once that flour goes in. Seriously, stop stirring! Shortbread dough shouldn’t look smooth and elastic like cut-out sugar cookies; it should look crumbly and just barely holding together. That’s the secret to that classic tender crumb!
The second major hang-up is rushing the chill time. Don’t try to slice those dough logs when they are even slightly soft. If the butter isn’t rock solid again, the slices spread instantly the second they hit that warm oven, and you lose that beautiful, distinct cookie edge. Give them a full 30 minutes, or even 40 if your kitchen is warm. Patience here guarantees that classic, crumbly, buttery snap every single time!
Variations on Your Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Recipe
While this combination is honestly perfection as it is, I always encourage people to play around once they’ve mastered the base technique! Since we are making two distinct halves of dough, switching out one flavor is super easy. If you’re not feeling the strawberry that day, try mixing some high-quality white chocolate chips into the plain dough half instead of the dried fruit powder.
Another favorite change I make is adding a bit of lemon zest to the matcha dough. The bright citrus really loves the earthy green tea notes! If you’re having fun experimenting with matcha, you might also adore my recipe for zesty lime matcha cookies—it’s a totally different vibe but keeps that lovely green spice.
Serving Suggestions for Your Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies
These cookies are wonderfully rich since they are pure shortbread, so sometimes the best serving suggestion is to keep the accompaniment simple! They honestly shine next to a beautiful, slightly bitter cup of plain black tea—it grounds the sweetness of the strawberry so well. They are also fantastic crushed up as a topping. Try crumbling a couple over a scoop of good vanilla bean ice cream. It gives you that hot-and-cold texture contrast that just sings! If you’re looking for something fun and fruity to drink alongside these beautiful cookies, check out my favorite simple strawberry milkshake recipe for ultimate indulgence.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips for Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies
The great thing about shortbread, especially these rich ones, is they keep beautifully! Once they are completely, totally cool—and I mean *stone cold*—you want to store them in a truly airtight container. I love using those glass containers with the latching lids. You can generally keep them on the counter at room temperature for about a week, and they will still taste just as buttery on day five as they did on day one. Don’t stick them in the fridge, though; that can sometimes make them go a little stale faster.
But here’s my real trick for making these a game-changer when company shows up: make the dough logs ahead of time. After you’ve wrapped those pink and green logs tightly in plastic wrap, pop them straight into the freezer. They freeze perfectly for up to about three months! Then, all you have to do is pull one out, let it thaw on the counter for maybe 20 minutes until you can slice it, and pop those logs into the 325-degree oven. Instant fresh-baked cookies without the mixing mess!
Frequently Asked Questions About the Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Can I use regular strawberry powder instead of freeze-dried for this Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies Recipe?
Oh, please don’t try that if you can avoid it! Regular strawberry powder often has added sugars or fillers, and it just doesn’t pack the same intense, dry flavor punch that the freeze-dried ones do. If you use regular powder, you’ll likely have to add more flour to compensate, and that will absolutely ruin the beautiful, buttery shortbread texture we worked so hard to achieve.
How do I prevent the matcha color from bleeding into the strawberry dough?
The key here is the chilling step! If you mix the two doughs and then try to slice them right away, they’ll smear together immediately, and your beautiful contrast colors will turn into a dull swamp color. After dividing the dough, knead the flavorings in one at a time until they are fully incorporated into their own half. Then, roll those two distinct logs and wrap them tightly. A solid 30 minutes in the fridge makes the dough stiff enough that when you slice it, the colors stay separate and create that lovely marbled look!
Will these cookies taste too much like green tea?
That’s the beauty of adjusting the dry ingredients! We use 2 teaspoons of matcha for the whole batch, which gives you a noticeable but very mellow, earthy matcha flavor that complements the sweet strawberry perfectly. If you use a ceremonial grade matcha, the flavor will be milder. If you’re worried, you can always start with 1.5 teaspoons in the green half until you see how you like it. You might want to check out my guide on making buttermilk substitutions if you’re looking to play with other baking liquids, but for these cookies, stick to those measurements!
Nutritional Estimates for Irresistible Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies
You know I always try to keep things reasonably balanced, but let’s be real, these are rich butter cookies! So here are the general numbers I get when I run the estimates for these little gems. Remember, because we rely on real butter and that sweet freeze-dried fruit, these numbers can shift a tiny bit depending on the brand of flour or sugar you use. This is just a ballpark estimate, so don’t panic about perfection here—just enjoy the cookie!
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Fat: 7g (about 4g Saturated Fat)
- Carbohydrates: 10g
- Sugar: 5g
- Protein: 1g
This estimate is calculated based on the standard measurements listed above. Use these figures as a helpful guide, but they aren’t meant for strict dietary tracking!
Print
Strawberry Matcha Shortbread Cookies
- Total Time: 70 min
- Yield: About 3 dozen cookies 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A recipe for buttery shortbread cookies flavored with strawberry and matcha green tea.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons matcha green tea powder
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried strawberries, crushed into powder
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and matcha powder.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Divide the dough in half. Mix the crushed freeze-dried strawberry powder into one half of the dough until evenly colored.
- Roll each dough color into a log about 1.5 inches in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Slice each chilled log into 1/4-inch thick rounds.
- Place the rounds on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between them.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For a cleaner look, you can swirl the two dough colors together before slicing instead of keeping them separate.
- Ensure your freeze-dried strawberries are completely powdered for even distribution.
- Prep Time: 25 min
- Cook Time: 15 min
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 35
- Fat: 7
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Unsaturated Fat: 3
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 10
- Fiber: 0
- Protein: 1
- Cholesterol: 15
Keywords: strawberry, matcha, shortbread, cookies, green tea, butter cookies, tea cookies