Easy, adorable bear matcha shortbread brownies! They’re buttery, soft, and a bit fudgy.
The bears are from my shortbread bear cookie recipe and are glued to the tops of each brownie using melted chocolate.
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About these bear matcha shortbread brownies
These brownies are soft, a bit fudgy, not too sweet, buttery, and fullllll of matcha flavor. Ater baking, they’re topped with some of my shortbread bear cookies, using melted chocolate as glue. The brownies are a great centerpiece for parties and make great gifts for friends + family!
If you’re looking for a fun and simple weekend baking project, this is the one for you!
If you’re interested in other bar recipes, check out my Biscoff blondies and no-bake Golden Grahams cereal bars!
Tips for baking and decorating
Properly measure the flour
I always like to measure my ingredients with a kitchen scale for consistent, accurate results. But if you’re measuring with cups, make sure you follow this tip: gently spoon in the flour into the cup until it’s full, then scrape the excess off using the back of a knife or offset spatula.
If you scoop the cup directly into the flour bag or container, the flour may get compacted, and you will be adding in more flour than necessary. On the other hand, if your flour is clumpy, you could be adding in chunks of flour into the cup with gaps in between them, possibly adding less flour than required. These instances can cause cakier or denser bakes, since the proper ratio of dry:wet ingredients isn’t met.
So, for best results, use a scale. If you don’t have one, gently spoon and level the flour into your measuring cup!
Adding the shortbread cookies
After baking the brownies, let them fully cool. Cut them into however many slices you want, then melt some chocolate. This will be the glue for the bear cookies.
Using a piping bag or spoon, dollop melted chocolate in the middle of each brownie. Top it with the shortbread bear. It should take a few minutes for the chocolate to harden.
Storing the brownies
Store these cute brownies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week!
I really hope you enjoy this recipe. If you make these shortbread bear brownies, I’d love to see them. You can tag me at #bitesbybianca / @bitesbybianca on Instagram. Enjoy!
Bear Matcha Shortbread Brownies
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Ingredients
For the shortbread crust:
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, melted (2 sticks, 16 tbsp, 226g)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 tbsp (13 g) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour (240g)
- ¾ tsp (4.5 g) salt
For the matcha brownies:
- ½ cup (113.5 g) butter (1 stick, 8 tbsp, 113g)
- ½ cup (90 g) white chocolate chips (85g)
- ¼ cup (55 g) brown sugar light or dark; packed
- ⅓ cup (66.67 g) granulated sugar
- 2 (2) eggs
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla
- 2 tbsp (12 g) matcha sifted
- ¾ cup (93.75 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- ½ tsp (2 g) baking powder
Toppings:
- 3 tbsp (44.36 g) chocolate (milk, dark, or white), melted
- shortbread bear cookies
Instructions
Shortbread crust:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/177°C. Grease the bottom of a 8×8 baking pan and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
- Use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix in the flour + salt.
- Evenly press the dough into the baking pan. Using a fork, poke holes throughout the top.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Set aside while you make the brownie mix.
Matcha brownies:
- In a medium microwave-safe bowl, heat the butter and white chocolate, stirring every 30 seconds until melted. This may take between 1-2 minutes total.
- In a large bowl, add in the melted butter + white chocolate mixture. Whisk in the granulated and brown sugar until incorporated. It might be a bit lumpy, but that's okay!
- Whisk in the eggs and vanilla until smooth.
- Add sifted matcha powder, whisk until completely combined.
- Stir in the all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Spread the matcha brownie batter on top of baked shortbread crust. Tip: Use an offset spatula or the flat end of a bench scraper to evenly spread the batter on top.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick/cake tester comes out mostly clean with a few crumbs. Remove from oven and let fully cool in pan before removing.
Decorating:
- Slice brownies into as many servings as you want.
- Dollop melted chocolate on the tops of each brownie. You can use a spoon or piping bag.
- Top the melted chocolate with shortbread bear cookies. The chocolate should harden after a few minutes.
- Enjoy!
I loved making this recipe, it was very easy to make and my whole family and my neighbors loved it! It truly wasn’t too sweet, and the balance between the matcha and the shortbread was perfect. The only thing was in the recipe instructions, it said to mix and egg in with the shortbread (which I left out) but there wasn’t an egg listed in the ingredients list for the shortbread. Aside from that, I will definitely be making these again!
Hi Cassidy! Ah yes, thank you so much! You and another follower pointed the egg out to me—I added that in as a mistake! There is not egg in the shortbread. Thanks for catching that and I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe!