Get in the Spirit: Green Tea Holly Leaves and a Giveaway!

Today is the first day of December! Officially time to get in the spirit of Christmas! Christmas is my favourite holiday (no, I didn't forget that I said that about Halloween in an October post; I warned you this would happen). And it doesn't hurt that it's the perfect excuse to bake. And bake. And bake. So to kick off my favourite (until Valentine's Day) festive season, I have a recipe for cookies with green tea and my very first giveaway!

Green Tea Holly Leaf Cookies

These cookies are just my basic shortbread recipe* with a little matcha added in. Super simple to make, gorgeous to look at, and great for the holidays. 

1     c butter
1/2  c powdered sugar
2     T matcha
2     c flour

Cream butter and sugar. Beat in matcha until well combined. Mix in flour (as usual, be careful not to overmix so your cookies stay tender and flaky).
Refrigerate dough for about 2 hours (though you can leave it for a couple days). Roll chilled dough on a floured surface. Using a holly leaf cutter, cut cookies and place on parchment lined baking sheets. Add red candies for berries if desired.
Bake at 350F for 8-10 minutes, or until bottoms begin turning golden brown.

*Elf Tip: Mix up an extra big batch of plain shortbread and divide it into three or four separate batches. Then add flavourings - like matcha - to each batch to make a variety of tasty treats in record time.

Giveaway
What goes better with delicious cookies than equally delicious coffee, tea or hot chocolate? Nothing! So one lucky reader's next cup is on me! Enjoy it with a cookie while you do some holiday shopping. Enter below until December 7th.


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Extra Bonus! Everyone who reads this post gets 10% off at OperationCare with the coupon code SUGARFLOURFLAVOUR 

Giveaway: Boys Oh Boys has 300 Followers!

Fellow blogger Jessica over at Boys Oh Boys is celebrating a milestone: 300 Followers! In honour of her awesome achievement, she's put together a giveaway and you're all invited to enter! Here are the details:

Boys of Boys

300+ Follower Giveaway!

Over $200 in Prizes and 

WINNER TAKES ALL!

Plus Boys Oh Boys is giving away a Premade Blogger Template from her Etsy Shop Lilipop Designs! Or if you don't need a complete makeover, maybe just a little "work" done, you can have a $30 shop credit instead! PLUS 2 months of Featured Ad Space on Boys Oh Boys! (Note: templates are currently designing for Blogger. If you have a Wordpress Blog, a different winner will be selected for the Premade Template/Shop Credit, but you will still get the featured Ad Space!)

Use the Rafflecopter below to enter. Good luck everyone!

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