Matcha Sablés - KissmeOrganics Matcha Powder Review

Anyone who took even a small effort to take a look at my post page would probably notice that most of them contain the world matcha or green tea in it. (Clarification: matcha is a type of green tea.) Yes, I'm a little bit obsessed with matcha. How can one resist the temptation of matcha's ability to balance the overly sweet stuff into bittersweet? 

Matcha is the ultimate excuse to eating "healthy desserts", I guess.

Thank you to those who did recognize this obsession and sent me little support packages. Thanks to Maria, I've received a great opportunity to review Kissme Organics' Organic Matcha Powder. After finding my "perfect" matcha powder earlier (see the soufflé post) I had doubts of whether I can accept another brand again. However, Kissme Organics did exceed my expectations. The matcha aroma was there - not too strong or too bitter. 

The powder can be used in many ways - matcha lattés, in yogurt (a spoonful boost to your digestive system in the morning), or in your personal baked goods (seriously, matcha-anything taste pretty good). 

In my example I've used the powder for these cute little matcha sablés, perfect for a studying snack or presents for friends and teachers. You can purchase this powder here , which would also come with an e-book of amazing matcha recipes!

Matcha (Green Tea) Soufflé

It is this dish that made me realize the importance of a good matcha powder.

Before this recipe, I've made my matcha-infused baked goods with random brands I found on internet - not authentic for sure, but I bought it because it was cheap. 

As obvious as it sounds , but please don't be cheap when it comes to stuff like this! 

The powder I've used for this one is a $5.99 (50g) pack I bought from a Japanese supermarket in San Francisco during Christmas. The powder is from a family tea garden in the Kagoshima area, and the flavour can be tasted with just a little bit in amounts. (Back when I used the cheap matcha powders I use to think that lots of powder is needed for flavouring!)

Now enough blabbing....

Ladurée Madeleines with a Matcha Twist

I have a tradition of treating myself to a gift each Christmas, as a small hint to self to "love yourself" ,

So ever since I've been into Ladurée's macarons (and everything else in general), last Christmas I've decided to get Ladurée's own cookbook- Sucré or The Sweet Recipes. 

Created by the pastry chef of Ladurée  himself, the book contains some of the many secrets behind Ladurée's success. For example, their delectable French macarons ;)

Matcha Chiffon Cake

I've began to realize that I'm probably the only one among my friends and family who indulge in sweets. As long as it's not the rot-your-teeth kind of sweetness, I can handle most desserts pretty well.

Anyways as by strong request from the family, here comes another cake for those not interested in super sweet desserts. Compared to the traditional Japanese Cheesecake, the chiffon is slightly spongier( quite fun to press into the cake and see them bounce again), less heavy on the cream part and generally a healthier option.