The one-week September break has finally rolled around and all the teachers in Singapore collectively heave a sigh of relief, grateful for the respite... Ha ha! Well, I definitely am grateful for being able to catch more breaths and not have work piled up to my neck. Surely, though, there is more to be thankful to God for besides the September break, so I am going to list them below:
I am thankful for very supportive colleagues who have made a stressful Term 3 not only more bearable, but even enjoyable, especially when we were frantically busy preparing for the Teachers' Day High Tea event.
I am thankful for nurturing leaders and mentors in school who have guided/are guiding me in my journey as a young teacher.
I am thankful for a loving family, loved ones and friends who supported, encouraged, listened, comforted, and prayed for me during the times that I had felt overwhelmed, tired and discouraged.
All praise to God for His faithfulness and unfailing love, of course!
Now let's talk about these cookies proper.
Naturally, as soon as 31 August (which was the beginning of the one-week break) came, I whipped out my ingredients and baking tools and made Matcha Nutella Chocolate Cookies. Just look at the lovely cookie cracks and the pools of chocolate! Look at the stunning shade of green! Best of all, not only are these cookies aesthetically pleasing, they are also very delicious.
For these cookies, I used Uji matcha that my best friend had bought for me from Kyoto (thank you!). Uji matcha is a high grade matcha, and its quality is very apparent here as it shines through both in terms of taste and appearance. It is the reason why the cookies are so green and why you can really taste the bittersweet earthiness when you bite into one of these morsels. So, if you are planning to make these cookies, ensure that you use a very good quality matcha. Matcha is and should be the star here, whilst the chocolate and Nutella are the flavour accompiments, so don't skimp on the matcha! Otherwise, your cookies will likely turn out more brownish instead of a lovely green, and the matcha flavour will be lacking in depth and intensity.
Regarding the accompanying flavours, namely chocolate and Nutella, I made the "mistake" of using large chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips or smaller chocolate chunks. I say "mistake" because too much dark chocolate can overpower the naturally more delicate matcha flavour, but it is still delicious, so I'm not complaining much. Also, I should have added more Nutella so as to get more "lava". In essence, I have learned two lessons which I will apply in the future when making these again:
More Nutella filling = more Nutella lava = awesome matcha-Nutella experience.
Use chocolate chips or smaller chocolate chunks so as to let the more delicate matcha flavour shine.
Still, these cookies are very yummy as is. If you are a matcha lover, these cookies will especially be your cup of tea. You'd be itching to reach for another one.
I know I sure am.
Matcha Nutella Chocolate Cookies
Yields approximately 26 three-inch cookies
Ingredients
26 heaping tsp Nutella
227 g (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
250 g (1 1/4 cup) granulated sugar
100 g (1/2 cup) brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbs vanilla extract
400 g (3 cups + 2 Tbs) all-purpose flour
30 g (about 4 Tbs) good quality matcha powder (I used Uji matcha)
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
240 g dark chocolate chips OR dark chocolate chopped into small chunks
Cocoa nibs, for sprinkling
Method
Line a baking tray with parchment paper. Scoop heaping teaspoonfuls of Nutella onto the tray and freeze the blobs of Nutella until solid.
Meanwhile, cream the butter and sugars together until combined and slightly paler and fluffier.
Add in the eggs, one at a time, ensuring each one is well incorporated before adding the next. Add in vanilla and salt and mix well to combine.
Sift the baking powder, baking soda, flour and matcha powder into the bowl. Stir to combine until a dough forms. Mix until combined thoroughly. The consistency should be thick and slightly sticky.
Using an ice cream scoop, scoop equal amounts of cookie dough onto a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
Using your thumb or the end of a wooden spoon, make an indentation in each cookie dough ball. That is where you will place the frozen blobs of Nutella.
Take Nutella out from the freezer. Put a blob of Nutella into the hole you have made in the cookie dough ball. Repeat this until all the cookie dough is filled with Nutella.
Seal the cookie dough ball by pinching the dough, enclosing the blob of Nutella inside the cookie. Work quickly as Nutella defrosts very quickly and you will soon have a sticky chocolatey mess.
Sprinkle chocolate chips/chunks and cocoa nibs on top of the cookie dough balls.
Chill the cookie dough balls in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight before baking. Alternatively, place the cookie dough balls in the freezer until frozen solid. Then, place the frozen cookie dough balls into freezer-safe ziplock bags and bake yourself cookies as and when your cookie craving hits.
Pre-heat oven to 180°C.
Take the dough of the fridge or freezer.
Line a baking tray with parchment paper and arrange the cookie dough balls at least 1.5 inches apart from each other.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for approximately 15 minutes.
Once baked, let the cookies cool on a cooling rack for at least 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack. Best enjoyed while still warm. Keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. To reheat the cookies, place in pre-heated oven for 3-5 minutes.
