These buttery, tender strawberry matcha shortbread cookies get a stunning visual upgrade with a green-and-pink checkerboard pattern. The earthy notes of matcha pair beautifully with the fruity sweetness of freeze-dried strawberries, making them not only delicious but also picture-perfect for gifting or sharing at tea time. They taste like a strawberry matcha latte!
My other recipes are also really delicious! Check out the matcha cheesecake tart as well as my strawberry matcha basque cheesecake.
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What Are Freeze-Dried Strawberries?
Freeze-dried strawberries are fresh strawberries that have had all their moisture removed through a special drying process. This preserves their color, flavor, and nutrients while leaving them crisp and crunchy. Ground into a fine powder, they add natural sweetness, tartness, and a pink color to baked goods—without extra moisture that could alter the dough texture. Note: baking freeze-dried strawberries will cause the color is fade. Supplement with one drop of pink food-coloring if you want to preserve the color.
🍵What is Matcha?
Matcha is a Japanese finely ground green tea powder. I'll be honest, it's expensive! However, when it comes to baking, don't get too caught up in quality. I use the cheapest culinary grade matcha that I can get my hands on. Feel free to add more or less depending on your preference. There are different types of matcha:
1. Ceremonial-Grade Matcha
Purpose: Best for traditional tea preparation and drinking on its own.
Flavor: Smooth, umami-rich, with minimal bitterness.
Color: Vibrant, bright green.
Texture: Silky and fine, dissolves well in water.
Uses: Drinking as a hot or iced tea, whisked with water.
Features: Made from the youngest, tenderest tea leaves, often handpicked and stone-ground.
2. Culinary-Grade Matcha
Purpose: Designed for cooking and baking.
Flavor: Stronger and slightly more astringent than ceremonial-grade.
Color: Slightly darker green with less vibrancy.
Texture: Fine but less delicate than ceremonial-grade.
Uses: Incorporating into lattes, smoothies, desserts (like your matcha cheesecake tart), and savory dishes.
Features: A more affordable option made from slightly older tea leaves.
3. Premium-Grade Matcha
Purpose: A versatile middle ground between ceremonial and culinary-grade matcha.
Uses: Drinking (especially in lattes) or high-quality recipes that highlight matcha.
Flavor: Balanced with a hint of sweetness and some bitterness.
Color: Bright green, though not as vivid as ceremonial-grade.
Texture: Fine, dissolves well, suitable for both drinking and cooking.
🥣Ingredients
- Butter – provides richness and that classic shortbread melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Powdered sugar – sweetens the dough while keeping it smooth and delicate.
- Egg yolks – add richness and help bind the dough.
- All-purpose flour – the base of the cookie that gives it structure.
- Freeze-dried strawberry powder – for a vibrant pink hue and concentrated strawberry flavor. Once baked, the color dulls, so use a drop of pink food coloring if you want.
- Matcha powder – brings a grassy, earthy balance to the sweetness.
- Egg whites – reserved for brushing between dough layers to help them stick together.
See recipe card for quantities.
📖Instructions
Step 1:
Cream butter and sugar – Mix butter, powdered sugar, and egg yolk until smooth.
Step 2:
Form the dough – Add flour and mix until a soft dough comes together. Split evenly into two portions.
Flavor and color – Mix matcha into one half and strawberry powder into the other, gently folding until combined.
Step 3:
Roll and chill – Roll each dough slab between parchment to about 6mm thick, keeping them roughly rectangular. Chill until firm.
Step 4:
Layer the doughs – Brush one dough with egg white, stack the other on top, then cut and layer again so the colors alternate.
Step 5:
Slice into strips – Cut into long strips.
Step 6:
Forming the checkerboard pattern –brushing with egg white to stack and alternate colors, forming a checkerboard pattern. Chill again.
Step 7:
Slice – Slice the logs into cookies.
Step 8:
Bake – Place on a lined baking sheet, and bake at 175°C/350°F for 10–12 minutes. Cool before serving.
Hint: Make sure to keep your dough slabs chilled, otherwise it will be too soft to handle!
Substitutions and Variations
- Butter – swap for a dairy-free butter alternative for a vegan version.
- Powdered sugar – can be replaced with granulated sugar, though texture may be slightly crisper.
- Strawberry powder – substitute raspberry or blueberry freeze-dried powders for a different flavor.
- Matcha – use cocoa powder for a chocolate twist if matcha isn’t your thing. Hojicha powder would be great too.
Equipment
You do need some equipment for this recipe.
- Mixing bowls
- Spatula or wooden spoon
- Gloves help with mixing the dough
- Rolling pin
- Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
- Sharp long knife
- Baking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
Storage
Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freezer: Freeze the dough logs before slicing for bake-on-demand cookies.
Top Tip
For the sharpest checkerboard pattern, make sure your dough slabs are evenly rolled and thoroughly chilled before cutting and stacking. A long, sharp knife will help keep the edges clean and defined. Also make sure you are cutting straight up and down!
FAQ
Yes! You can refrigerate the dough slabs overnight or freeze the logs for up to 1 month before slicing and baking.
It’s recommended—this helps avoid clumps and keeps the dough smooth.
No, fresh strawberries contain too much moisture and will affect the dough’s texture. Stick to freeze-dried powder for best results.
Strawberry Matcha Checkerboard Cookies
Buttery checkerboard shortbread cookies with a beautiful pink and green pattern. Tastes like a strawberry matcha latte!
Ingredients
- 160g butter
- 130g powdered sugar
- 2 egg yolks, reserve egg whites for assembling
- 270g flour
- 14g freeze-dried strawberry powder
- 10g matcha (up to 14g if you want an even stronger matcha flavor)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together butter, powdered sugar, and egg yolk until smooth. Add in flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Split the dough in half(ideally by weight) and transfer to separate bowls.
- Add matcha powder to one dough and freeze-dried strawberry powder to the other. Mix through by hand or with a spatula, being careful not to over mix.
- Roll out each dough between pieces of parchment paper until 6mm thin. Try your best to keep them in roughly the same rectangular slab. Mine ended up being roughly 18x23cm. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm.
- Brush the matcha dough with egg white. Then carefully place the strawberry dough on top, pressing gently so they adhere. Using a knife, cut the dough in half widthwise. Brush the top of one half with egg white and layer the other half on top. The colors should be alternating.
- Using a sharp and long knife, cut roughly 0.8-1cm thick strips from the dough. To create the checkboard pattern, lay one strip flat and brush the top with egg white. Then layer another strip on top so that the colors are different than the layer below. Continue to brush egg white and layer strips of dough two more times. Do this with the rest of the dough. Refrigerate the formed dough logs for 30 minutes or until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 175C/350F. Using a knife, slice the logs until about 1cm thick cookies. Place them on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool and transfer to a wire rack.
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