Matcha Green Tea Cookies

Chewy, sweet and coated with crunchy sugar, these Matcha Green Tea Cookies are made with melted butter and 2 scoops of matcha powder. They bake up crispy on the edges with fudge-like centers. Real matcha lovers will love these for an afternoon treat!

There is your life before you discover my small batch easy sugar cookies, and then there is life after. Once you realize you can have warm, chewy, perfect sugar cookies with a crisp sugar crust in 15 minutes because my recipe uses melted butter, you’re never the same person.

Your mind immediately starts thinking of different flavors. Can I add freeze-dried strawberries? Or, can I make a matcha version? Can I make them eggless sugar cookies?

Yes, yes, and yes! We’re adding 8 grams of matcha today. A typical matcha uses around 2 grams. So, we’re making 12 cookies with 8 grams, which is nearly 1 full gram of matcha per cookie. You can have 2 cookies or a matcha latte. Or, you could have 3 plus a matcha latte on the side, like I did. (I got so much work done yesterday!)

Side note: this recipe is so easy to cut in half exactly down the middle, and you’ll get 6 cookies!

You might also like my ube cookies.

Ingredients

• Butter. One stick (4 ounces/ 113 grams) of unsalted butter. It can be frozen or cold–it doesn’t matter because we’re going to melt it.
• Sugar. Two-third of a cup (140 grams) of granulated white sugar.
• Egg Yolks. In order to keep our sugar cookies extra chewy and soft, we’re going to use two egg yolks, and never the whites! Reserve the egg whites for another recipe, or add them to your morning omelet.
• Vanilla Extract. One teaspoon of vanilla extract really pairs well with the matcha flavor, especially if you order vanilla matcha lattes, like I do!
• Flour. One and a quarter cups (152 grams) of all-purpose flour.
• Matcha Green Tea Powder. Eight (yes 8!) grams (2 tablespoons) of bright green matcha powder. The brighter the green, the brighter the cookies. Overtime, the baking soda in this recipe causes the green color of the matcha to fade a bit, but the flavor doesn’t fade at all. I use Encha latte grade for baking (instead of ceremonial grade). Just a little note: grading matcha doesn’t exist within Japan. In Japan, matcha is matcha, and all is assumed to be high quality (and it is!). Here, matcha is labeled ‘ceremonial’ to mean very fancy and meant to be enjoyed plain, and ‘latte grade’ which is slightly less fancy (and cheaper) and great for making drinks and baking. For baking and drinks, latte grade is cheaper and just fine (especially since we’re baking and altering the qualities with high heat).
• Baking Soda. One-half teaspoon of baking soda to make the cookies rise and spread out in the oven.
• Salt. One-quarter teaspoon of salt to balance the sugar.

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How to Make Matcha Green Tea Cookies

Recipe Tips and Variations

• Matcha – My favorite matcha for baking is Encha Matcha because of its consistency. My favorite matcha to drink is whatever my friends bring me back from Japan in little metal tins, and anything I can find in Japantown in Los Angeles. To be honest, I’m always drinking multiple varieties of matcha, but I only bake with Encha. For this recipe, I just used the latte grade, not the ceremonial grade, since we’re baking and adding heat. It’s cheaper, too!
• Storage/ Make Ahead – These matcha cookies store well on the counter for 2-3 days, in an airtight container. You can freeze them after baking, stacked flat in an airtight freezer bag with layers of wax or parchment paper in-between. I don’t recommend freezing this dough before baking, because the color of the matcha can fade overtime.
• Color – The brighter green your matcha, the brighter green the cookies will be! I have made these with 10 grams of matcha before, and I love the flavor, but opted to include 8 grams in the recipe because it’s a more balanced flavor. If you love love love matcha, use 10 grams. Also, please know that overtime, the color of matcha fades when exposed to air. This oxidation process is why matcha is stored in airtight containers, and it applies to baked goods too–the longer the cookies sit out, the faster they fade in color. Try to bake these the same day you want to serve them.

One small note, friends: I know it’s redundant to call my recipe ‘matcha green tea’ instead of just ‘matcha cookies’. The reason I’m doing this is because most people type the exact phrase ‘matcha green tea cookies’ when they’re searching the internet . It’s a bit like saying ‘chai tea’ because the word chai means tea, so you’re essentially saying ‘tea tea.’ I know it sounds silly, but I’m trying to appease the internet search terms of google.

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Yield: 12

Matcha Green Tea Cookies

Print

Matcha green tea cookies with 8 grams of matcha in 1 dozen cookies!

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup (140 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups (152 grams) all-purpose flour
• 8 grams (2 tablespoons) very high quality bright green matcha powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350, and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Stir together the melted butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Stir very well to combine.
3. Next, sprinkle the flour, matcha, baking soda and salt evenly over the dough, and stir just to combine.
4. Press the dough flat and evenly in the bowl, and then divide it in half by eye. You should get 6 cookies from each half.

5. Roll each dough ball in your hands, roll lightly extra granulated sugar, and then space evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
6. Bake for 10-11 minutes, until they spread, start to crackle and appear dry on top. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 134Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 170mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 3g

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