Green Tea Powder

[Verjuice]

Those look fantastic. How did they taste?

Did you like the muffin's texture enough to recommend making it without the anko?

I love pastries made with green tea, and I have some great matcha in the house, but I'm not a huge fan of anko.

So, do you think they'd work plain, or with some sweetened chestnut or pistachio paste instead of the anko?

I bet they'd freeze well. Mmm. Matcha muffins.

[JasonTrue]

They tasted pretty close to what I had hoped for. I think they would taste fine without the anko, but chestnut paste would probably match well. If I wanted to use chestnut paste, I'd probably start with a sweet potato muffin base. I haven't used pistachios or pistachio paste in wafuu pastries, but it might work.

If pressed for an alternative to anko, I'd be inclined to try using pine nuts (whole) or walnuts (chopped, or a sweetened paste), or whole sesame seeds. The sesame seeds or chopped walnuts could simply be mixed into the batter.

The texture was just about right the day-of, but I've never made a muffin that kept well. Of course, I've rarely tasted coffee shop muffins that tasted good, so maybe that's just the way they work.

Before I made the muffin, I was concerned it might be too much sugar, but my Japanese guests disagreed when tasting, so I don't think you'll need to change anything to get a good result. I'm just a tinkerer.

Those look fantastic. How did they taste?

Did you like the muffin's texture enough to recommend making it without the anko?

I love pastries made with green tea, and I have some great matcha in the house, but I'm not a huge fan of anko.

So, do you think they'd work plain, or with some sweetened chestnut or pistachio paste instead of the anko?

I bet they'd freeze well. Mmm. Matcha muffins.

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[Hiroyuki]

On Nov. 3, my family went to Shiozawa Sangyo Matsuri (Industrial Fair), which is held every year on this day (Bunka no Hi or Culture Day) on the premises of Imaizumi Musem (Japanese only).

My son and daughter participated in the wagashi making workshop, offered free of charge, as I described here.

Later, we went to an indoor tea ceremony.

Wagashi served there:

Matcha bowl served before me:

Different bowls served before my son, daughter, and wife:

The matcha was very flavorful, not bitter at all.