Matcha Shamrock Shortbread cookies add that little special touch to our yearly family celebration and heritage.
You see the Farmer and I both have Irish heritage in our family. We grew up celebrating St. Patrick's Day every year and when it came to picking a name for our youngest son we gave him the strong, strapping and Irish name of Patrick.
Before birthdays, Christians use to celebrate Name Days. You might call it the Christian version of a birthday. Instead of celebrating the day that God made us we celebrate the name of the saint that we were named after.
The day is spent reading about this famous saint, the miracles that they performed but also the virtues that they practiced. The idea is that we should take up the same virtues and imitate their Christ-like habits.
One of the best ways we found to do this was by turning our food into shapes on feast days. When the children were young it was easier for them to learn things by "doing" or "making" and also.... eating. Especially our children, being adopted from orphanages over seas, their appetite was a little more than a child who is brought up in a loving home since birth. No picky eaters in this house!
The shamrock is the ultimate symbol of St. Patrick's Day. St. Patrick himself is the one that made the shamrock so popular. When he preached around Ireland he used the shamrock to explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity.
Three persons in One God. That isn't the simplest concept to understand. St. Patrick used the shamrock by explaining that the shamrock while it had one stem, and was one plant... it had three leaves. Each leaf being the representation of each person of the Holy Trinity - The Father, The Son & The Holy Ghost. Each an individual leaf yet all the same plant on one stem.
A little daily catechism lesson :) Aside from the lesson the children learn these little treats are also healthful thanks to the matcha. Matcha is a ground up green tea that carries all the same health benefits of any other green tea.
It is used here to naturally color this shortbread which is the traditional tea time treat after say maybe a scone. Whole wheat flour and organic ingredients add to the healthful benefits and make this a hearty treat for such a celebration.
After the English the Irish are most known for their afternoon teas. We think a proper bold Irish Breakfast tea would be the perfect pairing for this recipe.
Matcha Shamrock Shortbread
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. organic sugar
- 2 1/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 c. arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 1 c. cold organic butter
- 4 Tbl. Matcha tea powder
- organic powdered sugar (opt. )
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° degrees.
- In a stand mixer or bowl combine sugar, and butter. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add whole wheat pastry flour, matcha green tea as well as arrowroot/cornstarch. Blend until incorporated.
- Cover and chill for 10-20 minutes.
- Roll out to about 1/4 inch thickness and cut with shamrock cookie cutter. Do not roll too thin or shamrocks will break after cooked.
- Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350° degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly brown and firm. Remove and cool on cookie rack.
- Once cooled sprinkle with organic powdered sugar and serve with a cuppa bold Irish Breakfast tea or black tea of choice.
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