Matcha Cookies – Icebox Cookies

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1. 1Step 1: Sift 90g/3.2oz flour onto a sheet of baking paper. Sift 80g/2.8oz flour and matcha powder together onto a separate sheet of baking paper (matcha flour).
2. 2Step 2: Beat the butter in a bowl until it becomes creamy.
3. 3Step 3: Add the sugar in 3-4 batches to the butter and mix well each time after sugar is added.
4. 4Step 4: Add the egg yolk, then salt and vanilla extract to the butter and mix well.
5. 5Step 5: Transfer half of the butter mixture to a new bowl (note 1).
6. 6Step 6: Add the 90g/3.2oz flour to one of the bowls with butter to make vanilla-flavoured dough. Mix the dough well in a cutting motion using a spatula (note 2) until there is no powdery flour left and the texture of the dough is consistent.
7. 7Step 7: Place the dough on a piece of cling wrap and wrap the dough, shaping a rectangle into about the size of your palm.
8. 8Step 8: Turn the smooth side of the wrapping up. Press down the dough and massage the surface to push the dough to fill the corners of the rectangle. Chill it in the fridge for 2 hours or longer, even 1 day (note 3).
9. 9Step 9: Repeat steps 6, 7, and 8 with the matcha flour and the other butter in the bowl to make matcha-flavoured dough.
10. 10Step 10: Take the dough out of the fridge and divide the vanilla-flavoured dough into two equally weighted chunks (a half to make checkerboard cookies, the other half to make swirl cookies). Do the same for the matcha-flavoured dough.
11. 11Step 11: Massage a half of the vanilla-flavoured dough in both hands to soften the dough a bit.
12. 12Step 12: Make a 3cm x 3cm/1⅛" x 1⅛" square log with a half of the vanilla dough (note 4) and wrap it in cling wrap. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour or until the dough becomes hard. Do the same with a half of the matcha dough.
13. 13Step 13: Cut the square logs into half lengthwise, then halve each half again, lengthwise.
14. 14Step 14: Brush a cut side of a vanilla strip with the egg white, then stick a matcha strip to it. Make sure that the cut side of the matcha strip is connected to the vanilla strip and both strips are also showing the other cut side together (note 5).
15. 15Step 15: Brush the cut side of vanilla and matcha strips that were just connected, and place a vanilla strip on the matcha side ensuring that the two cut sides are not facing outside (note 5).
16. 16Step 16: Brush the side of the 2nd vanilla strip and stick the 2nd matcha strip next to it, facing the cut side inwards (note 5). You should see alternate vanilla and matcha dough strips, joining 4 strips together (checkerboard pattern).
17. 17Step 17: Repeat steps 4-6 and make another checkerboard square log. Wrap them with cling wrap and chill for 1 hour or until the dough becomes hard.
18. 18Step 18: If the edge of the square log is not tidy, trim the edge (you will use it later), then cut the log into square pieces 6-7mm/¼" thick.
19. 19Step 19: Massage a half of the vanilla-flavoured dough in both hands to soften the dough a bit.
20. 20Step 20: Place the dough in a zip lock bag of about 15cm x 18cm/6" x 7" (note 6). Seal the bag with a small opening to allow the air to escape.
21. 21Step 21: Using a rolling pin, stretch the dough thinly to fill the plastic up to 2-3cm/¾-1⅛" below the zip line (note 7).
22. 22Step 22: Fold the bag along the zip lock so that the depth of the bag becomes 15cm/6" (note 7) and place the bag facing zip side down.
23. 23Step 23: Keep rolling the pin to fill the top part of the bag to the folded edge. Ensure that the thickness of the dough is consistent.
24. 24Step 24: Turn the bag over. Using fingers, shift the dough to fill the shallow dent created by the zip line.
25. 25Step 25: Chill for 1 hour or until the dough becomes hard.
26. 26Step 26: Repeat above steps with the other half of the matcha dough.
27. 27Step 27: Cut along the zip line to remove the zip of the vanilla dough bag. Starting from the opening, cut one side of the bag with a knife, then rotate the knife 90 degrees and continue to cut the bottom edge of the bag (note 8). Gently peel the upper plastic off the dough. Do the same for the matcha dough.
28. 28Step 28: Brush the entire surface of the vanilla dough with egg white.
29. 29Step 29: Place the matcha dough on top of the vanilla dough by turning the plastic sheet of the matcha dough over and gently peel off the plastic on the matcha dough. Make sure that there are no air pockets between the vanilla dough and the matcha dough.
30. 30Step 30: Brush the surface of the matcha dough. Starting from the shorter edge of the dough with no excess plastic sheet, roll the sheet of dough tightly to make a log (note 9). Use the plastic sheet to control the rolling.
31. 31Step 31: Wrap the log in cling wrap and chill it for 1 hour or until the dough becomes hard.
32. 32Step 32: If the edge of the log is not tidy or too thin, trim the edge (you will use it later), then cut the log into 6-7mm/¼" thick discs.
33. 33Step 33: Collect the edge bits trimmed from the logs and make a thick disc of about the same diameter as the swirl cookies.
34. 34Step 34: Cut it into similar thickness to the other cookies.
35. 35Step 35: Preheat oven to 180°C/356°F.
36. 36Step 36: Place the cookie pieces on a baking tray lined with baking paper. All the cookies should fit in if you use a large baking tray.
37. 37Step 37: Bake for 12-13 minutes, then turn the oven off and open the oven door to let the moisture evaporate for 1-2 minutes.
38. 38Step 38: Using a spatula, gently transfer the cookies to a rack to cool down for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.