These crisp, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth matcha shortbread bars have pieces of rich, dark chocolate and can be whipped up in no time!
I usually love to pair matcha with white chocolate. The sweetness of the white chocolate balances with the slight bitterness of the matcha, and it’s simply a perfect pairing. However, my favorite type of chocolate to add to cookies is dark chocolate (preferably 70% cocoa).
These shortbread bars pair matcha and dark chocolate together, and believe me when I say it is so good. It’s not too sweet, and the shortbread is so buttery it just melts in your mouth. Plus, it’s incredibly easy to make, and you can whip them up within an hour!
If you can’t be bothered with chopping up a bar of chocolate or simply don’t want to go out to buy a bar of chocolate, feel free to substitute about 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chips in. Either way, these shortbread bars will be delicious!
tips for success
- Use good quality ingredients! – There aren’t many ingredients in this recipe, so it’s more important to use high quality ingredients in order to get the best shortbread in return. For example, using a high quality matcha powder will result in a much more pronounced matcha flavor. You can tell the quality of the matcha powder by its color, and a more vibrant green color signifies a higher quality.
- Save some chocolate to top off! – For prettier-looking shortbread bars, make sure to save some of the chopped chocolate on the side to press into the tops of the bars right before baking.
Are you a big fan of shortbread like me? Then you should definitely check out my mango coconut shortbread dipped in white chocolate! They’re buttery and have bits of dried mango and coconut!
matcha dark chocolate shortbread bars
makes about 16 bars
ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cup (180 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoon matcha powder, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line an 8 by 8 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, matcha powder, and salt together until well-combined. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract together until light and fluffy. Add the dry ingredients from step two, and mix on low speed until just combined. Fold in the chopped chocolate with a spatula.
- Press the dough into the prepared baking pan into an even layer.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool completely, and cut into squares of your desired size.