Matcha cantuccini

Have you ever tried Prato cookies, or cantucci, almond cookies from Tuscany? What about adding a touch of matcha to the traditional recipe for crispness and colour? They are delicious eaten at any time with an herbal tea, a rooibos, or what about a cup of Blissful moments, our fig and almond green tea for a perfect complement of flavours!

Makes around 20 biscuits

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking and resting: 70 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp. of Matcha cooking
• 250g of flour
• 160g of unrefined cane sugar
• 1 tsp of baking powder (or ½ tsp of bicarbonate of soda and a few drops of lemon juice)
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 eggs
•  25g melted and cooled butter
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 150g of roughly chopped whole blanched almonds
• 50g candied orange peel

Preparation:

In a large bowl, mix the matcha, flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Make a well in the centre of the mixture and add the eggs, butter and orange zest.

Using the dough hooks on an electric mixer or a spatula, combine all the ingredients to obtain a stiff dough. Gently fold in the almonds and candied orange peels.

Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment. Take the dough out of the fridge and divide it into quarters. Roll each piece of dough into a sausage shape. Put them on the baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Take the baking sheet out of the oven and leave to cool for about 10 minutes.

Use a sharp knife, to cut the ‘sausages’ into finger-thick cantuccini, spread them out on the baking sheet and bake for another 10 minutes until they are golden. .

Serve the cantuccini with tea, rooibos or herbal tea. Vacuum packed, they keep for several weeks.