I have always had a sweet tooth starting at a young age. As I got older, my taste bud for sweets has evolved and I’ve come to appreciate baked goods and confectionaries that have different tones of flavor and are preferably not overly sweet. When comes to flavoring in the sweet department, my absolute favorite is matcha (green tea powder). The earthy, slightly bitter taste with a sweet hint of vanilla-like aroma of matcha is utterly dreamy and alluring, which makes it a delightful ingredient to work with. It is subtle but unmistakable.
And good news for matcha lovers! You can now find every imaginable snack and sweet available in matcha flavor. Specialty stores, mini markets, and even food courts at the departmental stores in Japan are offering matcha flavored goodies with an astonishing array of selections. Since I’ve been inspired to cook and bake with matcha, I’m excited to share one of my favorite butter cookies, Matcha Cookies (抹茶クッキー) with you today.
What is Matcha?
Before I begin talking about these cookies, let me share a bit of info on Matcha with you.
Matcha is a type of tea leaf powder that has a beautiful vivid green color. However, it’s different from the “green tea” that you drink with Japanese meals. That’s green tea too, but matcha leaves are grown and harvested differently. The leaves are grown under shade.
For those of you who want to try this recipe, I hope you can find 100% pure matcha powder in your local Asian grocery store. The good quality ones should have very beautiful green, not dull green. Japanese grocery stores around my area sell Maeda-En matcha and you can also get it on Amazon. It’s a bit pricey but matcha is expensive in Japan as well.
Adding White Chocolate Chips
These cookies are really delicious even without white chocolate chips (if you’re not a fan of white chocolate). However, I highly recommend it as matcha brings its characteristic bitter flavor to the cookies, and the sweetness from white chocolate chips actually balances out the cookies quite well.
If you add regular chocolate chips, the milk chocolate can be too strong and it ruins the unique matcha flavor and fragrance so I don’t recommend it.
Instead of white chocolate chips, I’ve also tried rolling the chilled cookie logs over white sparkling sugar (large sugar crystals) before slicing the dough. This is a great way to add more sweetness to the cookies. The large sugar crystals will keep their shape and give a nice sweetness and sparkles to the cookies.
I’ve also seen JOC readers adding macadamia nuts instead of white chocolate chips. Great idea!
Buttery and Crispy Texture
This type of cookie is known as butter cookies or icebox cookies. They also go by shortbread cookies or sable cookies. They are unleavened cookies, which means that leavening agents such as baking powder or baking soda are not used in the recipe.
The ingredients are simple: butter, sugar, and flour. They often include vanilla extract, but I omit it because it’s too strong for matcha flavor.
These cookies are crisp rather than chewy or soft. If you have tried and love shortbread cookies, you can expect a similar crispy texture.
Don’t Skip Chilling the Dough!
Chilling the dough intensifies the flavor of the dough and retains its shape in the oven (so the butter in the dough doesn’t melt fast). Hold tight for just 2 hours. You can clean up the kitchen and preheat the oven during this time.
If you like to cut out the cookie dough, roll the dough into a large disk, chill, then roll it out again before cutting it out into shapes.
I hope you enjoy making this Matcha Cookie recipe. They are perfect for a cozy afternoon snack or for your cookie swap during the holiday season!
More Cookie Recipes
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Matcha Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour) (weigh your flour; click the Metric button for weights; or learn how to measure flour with a measuring cup)
- 2½ Tbsp matcha (ceremonial or culinary grade) (6 g per 1 Tbsp)
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (softened, at room temperature)
- 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 130 g confectioners’ sugar (1 cup + 2 tsp)
- 2 large egg yolks (at room temperature)
- ¼ cup good-quality white chocolate baking chips
Instructions
Before You Start
- Please note that this recipe requires a chilling time of 2 hours. Gather all the ingredients. I highly encourage you to weigh your ingredients using a kitchen scale. Click the “Metric“ button above for weights. If you‘re using a cup measurement, please follow the method in my post How to Measure Flour: Fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle the flour into your measuring cup, and level it off. Otherwise, you may scoop more than you need.
To Make the Dough
- Combine 2 cups all-purpose flour (plain flour) and 2½ Tbsp matcha (ceremonial or culinary grade) in a large bowl.
- Sift the flour and the matcha powder.
- Set up a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer. Add ¾ cup unsalted butter (at room temperature) to the mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Nami's Tip: Soften cold butter ahead of time. Leave it out on the counter for 1 hour or microwave it in 5-second increments until softened.
- Add 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt and blend.
- Add 130 g confectioners’ sugar (1 cup + 2 tsp). Beat until soft and light, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the bowl.
- Add 2 large egg yolks (at room temperature) and mix until combined.
- Gradually add the flour and matcha mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Add ¼ cup good-quality white chocolate baking chips and mix until just incorporated.
To Chill the Dough
- Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces. Shape each into a cylinder about 1½ inches (4 cm) in diameter and 7 inches (18 cm) long.
- Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator until firm, at least 2 hours. Nami's Tip: You can place the logs on a bed of uncooked rice while chilling. It’ll keep the log's cylindrical shape and prevent it from flattening on one side. To freeze for later: Wrap unbaked dough logs in plastic and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake, let the frozen log sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes, then slice and bake. Do not fully defrost the dough.
To Slice and Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (175ºC). For a convection oven, reduce the baking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner. Unwrap the dough and slice it into rounds about ⅓ inch (7 mm) thick. Place them on the baking sheet about 1 inch (2.5 cm) apart.Nami's Tip: If the dough is too hard to slice, let it sit for 5 minutes and try again.
- Bake at 350ºF (175ºC) for about 15 minutes, or until the edges turn slightly golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack and cool completely before serving.
To Store
- Keep in an airtight container and store at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Editor’s Note: The post was originally published on November 11, 2011. Since then the post has been updated with a new video, new pictures, and an updated recipe in July 2016.