These matcha cookies are delicious green tea and white chocolate chip sugar cookies. The cookies are soft, chewy, quick and easy to make with no chilling of the dough required!
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder that's made from high-quality, specially grown tea leaves that are ground into a very fine, vibrant green powder. It can be used to make tea, lattes, smoothies, and it works great in a lot of baking recipes. You can use it to make matcha-flavored cake, brownies, cupcakes, even matcha macarons!
Matcha powder is available at stores like Target, Walmart, health stores, Asian markets, or online. When choosing a brand, check to make sure matcha is the only ingredient.
Key Ingredients for Matcha Cookies
All-purpose flour: Don't overmeasure, use a scale, or measure the flour by lightly spooning it into your measuring cup and then leveling it off with the flat side of a knife.
Cornstarch: A little cornstarch makes the cookies softer, chewier, and helps prevent the dough from spreading during baking.
Matcha green tea powder: A little goes a long way, just 1 tablespoon adds plenty of matcha flavor to these cookies.
Butter: Unsalted and softened to room temperature. Leave the butter out at room temperature for at least 1 hour, or cut it into smaller pieces to speed up softening. If all you have is salted butter that's fine, just reduce the added salt in the recipe to ¼ teaspoon.
Granulated and brown sugar: Using both sugars gives these cookies the best taste and texture!
Egg: One large egg adds moisture to bind the dough. Room temperature is best!
Vanilla: Adds flavor and just enough liquid to help the dough come together.
White chocolate chips (optional): Creamy, sweet white chocolate is perfect for balancing the bitter matcha powder without overpowering the flavor.
Granulated or sanding sugar (optional): Rolling the cookie dough in granulated or sanding sugar adds a crisp, sparkly exterior to the baked cookies.
How to Make Matcha Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Use an electric mixer to beat the softened butter until smooth with no lumps. Ad both sugars and beat until well combined, light, and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until just combined. Wipe down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- In 2-3 additions, add the dry ingredients and mix until the dough comes together. Fold in the white chocolate chips, if using.
- Scoop about 1 and ½ tablespoons of dough and roll it into a ball with the palm of your hand. Roll the balls in sugar, if desired. Arrange the dough on the prepared baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart.
- Use the bottom of a clean glass to gently flatten the dough balls into ½"-thick round discs. You can coat the bottom of the glass in a little sugar if it starts to stick to the dough.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Let them cool in the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a plate or a wire rack to cool completely.
How to Store and Freeze Cookies and Cookie Dough
Store cookies in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for 4-5 days. If you want to refrigerate them make sure they are in a completely sealed container or the cold air will turn them rock hard.
To freeze baked cookies: Once cooled, arrange the cookies on a baking sheet in a single layer and set the sheet flat in the freezer until the cookies are mostly solid. Transfer the cookies to a large plastic bag or an airtight container with sheets of parchment paper between the layers. Keep frozen for up to 2 months. To recapture that fresh-baked cookie taste and texture, reheat the frozen cookies in a 275°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
To freeze cookie dough: Roll the dough into balls and gently flatten each into ½" thick round discs. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet and set the sheet flat in the freezer until the dough is pretty solid. Transfer the frozen cookie dough discs to a large plastic bag or an airtight container and keep frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about an inch apart, and bake in a 350°F oven, straight from frozen and a few minutes longer than the normal bake time.
More Cookie Recipes:
📖 RECIPE
Matcha Cookies
Equipment
- electric/stand mixer
Ingredients
- 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- ¾ cup (1 and ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips, optional
- granulated or sanding sugar, optional, for rolling the cookie dough
Instructions
- Prepare two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Arrange your oven rack to the center position and preheat your oven to 325°F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, salt, and matcha powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, use an electric mixer or the paddle attachment to beat the softened butter until smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add the granulated and brown sugar and beat until they are well combined with the butter and the mixture is light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract on low speed until just combined. Wipe down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until the dough comes together. It will be pretty thick. Stir in the white chocolate chips (if using) on low speed until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Scoop about 1 and ½ tablespoons of dough (30 grams) and roll it into a ball with the palm of your hand. Roll the balls in sugar, if desired (adds a crisp, sparkly exterior). Arrange the dough on the prepared baking sheets, about 2-3 inches apart.
- Use the bottom of a clean glass to gently flatten the dough balls into ½"-thick round discs. Dip the bottom of the glass in a little sugar if it starts to stick to the dough.
- Bake the cookies in the preheated oven, one baking sheet at a time, for 12 minutes each. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a plate or a wire cooling rack.
- Store cookies in an airtight container and keep at room temperature for 4-5 days.
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