Japanese Cookies- Soba Boro Recipe

When I found this soba boro cookie recipe, I got super excited! I've been wanting to make some kind of Japanese cookies...I'm so glad I found this~ The cookies turned out wonderful! Very light and crunchy. I'm in love with them! <3

Soba = buckwheat. Buckwheat flour is the main ingredient for these cookies. I actually had a hard time finding this flour....went to 4 different grocery stores and finally found the one and only bag left at a organic grocery store. According to the original recipe, there's hulled and unhulled buckwheat flour. The hulled version is more pure and white. That is the one to use for this recipe. The unhulled version is more greyish, more 'pigmented'. I saw the unhulled version in the bulk section but I took a risk and purchased the last bag of buckwheat flour in the baking aisle. The flour was in a brown paper bag and it didn't say anywhere if it was hulled or not. It turned out to be the hulled version to my delight! sweeeet! 

For the Japanese sugar and the flower 'cookie' cutter, I got them from a local Japanese grocery store. The flower cutter is actually not a cookie cutter but a cutter for vegetables like carrots, mainly used for bento boxes. You can use a regular flower shape cookie cutter or whatever shape you like but these cookies are traditionally made in flower shapes in Japan. To make the hole in the middle, I used one of my Wilton decorative round tips to punch the holes. If you can't find the Japanese sugar, I believe you can substitute it with regular granulated sugar.

Soba Boro Cookies

Makes about 12 dozen cookies (with approx 1" cookie cutter)

Ingredients:

100g buckwheat flour

80g cake flour

1 egg

30g unsalted butter (melted)

100g Japanese sanbontou sugar

3g baking soda

plastic wrap

flower shape vegetable or cookie cutter

round decorating tip to make holes 

parchment paper or silicon baking mat

rolling pin

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, sift together buckwheat flour, cake flour, and baking soda. 

2. In a separate bowl, beat egg and add sugar. Mix together. 

3. Add the flour mixture in batches to the egg mixture. Mix well. Add melted butter to the mixture and mix till ingredients are mixed together but don't over mix.

4. Divide the dough in half. On a flat surface, place half of the dough wrapped between 2 plastic wraps and roll the dough out about 1/4" thick. Place the flat dough still wrapped on a baking sheet. Repeat with the other dough. Place baking sheet in the fridge and leave it in there for a few hours or over night.

5. Preheat oven to 350°F

6. Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper or silicon baking mat. (I used a silicon baking mat for his recipe and it's great!) 

7. Remove the top plastic wrap from the dough and cut the dough with the cookie cutter. Transfer the cut dough to the prepared baking sheet.

8. Bake for about 8 minutes or till nicely golden brown. Let the cookies cool on a cooling rack. 

These cookies are especially great when served with green tea. Enjoy!~