This Matcha Cookie Recipe is easy, quick, and makes fluffy, soft matcha green tea cookies. The combination of rich, earthy matcha flavor and sweet, creamy white chocolate chips creates a truly special, addictive cookie.
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Are you a matcha lover too? I’ve been obsessed with all things matcha for a LONG time. I just can’t seem to get enough of that classic green tea flavor.
Matcha ice cream, matcha lattes, AND these matcha chocolate chip cookies are my absolute favorite sweet treats.
If you’re new to Matcha or usually dislike the grassy Matcha taste (like my partner), you need to try this matcha cookie recipe. You’ll quickly become a matcha lover too.
What is matcha?
It’s a Japanese green tea powder that is made from stone-ground, shaded green tea leaves.
When we consume matcha, we’re getting a higher concentration of the leaves’ nutrients than when we drink regular ol’ green tea. Which means more health benefits too!
Matcha is a superfood, PACKED with antioxidants. To learn more about its health benefits, check out Healthline’s “7 Proven Ways Matcha Tea Improved Your Health”.
For other Matcha recipes, check out this Matcha Brownie Recipe, this Iced Matcha Latte Recipe with Oatmilk (Ready in 3 minutes!), and this Matcha Coffee Recipe.
The Best Matcha Powder for Baking
There are two main grades of Matcha - ceremonial and culinary.
Ceremonial grade matcha is the highest grade of Matcha available. It is produced from the first harvest - the tea leaves are the youngest and least exposed to sunlight.
It is a fine powder with a vibrant green color and sweet flavor.
Ceremonial matcha powder has been used for centuries in traditional tea ceremonies in Japan. It’s best enjoyed as plain tea without any sweeteners or milk.
Culinary grade matcha is still good quality matcha. It just has a later harvesting date, so the leaves are exposed to more sunlight.
This leads to a more robust, astringent flavor that works well in baked goods. The earthy flavor isn’t overpowered by other ingredients.
Culinary matcha powder also has more antioxidants and less caffeine than ceremonial grade.
An affordable option of culinary grade matcha is Omaker Organic Matcha Green Tea Powder.
I've been using it and LOVE it.
White Chocolate Chip Matcha Cookies
The combination of green tea and white chocolate makes a perfect cookie. The white chocolate balances the unique, somewhat bitter flavor of green tea.
Save regular chocolate chips - milk chocolate and dark chocolate - for classic chocolate chip cookies. They tend to be too strong and acidic for the delicate taste of matcha green tea in these matcha cookies. (These Matcha Brownies, made with melted semi-sweet chocolate chips, are absolutely delicious though.)
Plus, the natural green hue of matcha with pops of white from the white chocolate chips provides festive color for the holiday season, whether it be Christmas or St. Patrick’s Day.
You can also enjoy this delicious recipe without white chocolate. These matcha cookies don’t have to be white chocolate cookies. They could be soft, chewy matcha sugar cookies.
The texture is more similar to sugar cookies than shortbread cookies. These are chewy, soft matcha cookies.
Simple Ingredients
This matcha cookies recipe includes brown sugar instead of white sugar or a combination of both.
Brown sugar creates a soft, chewy texture. It also adds moisture, so the cookies stay moist longer.
I recommend using light brown sugar, especially if you want a bright green color. Dark brown sugar will darken and dull the green hue. It won’t negatively affect the taste or texture though. If you only have dark brown sugar, you can definitely use it.
Other matcha cookie recipes call for melted butter or brown butter, but I wanted lighter, fluffier, softer matcha cookies that were easy and quick to make.
Melted butter (and brown butter) causes cookies to spread and results in thinner, crispier, chewier cookies. I have not tried this recipe with melted butter. If you do, I’d love to hear how it came out.
This matcha cookie recipe uses softened butter. The best way to soften butter to room temperature is to take it out of the refrigerator and set it on a counter about an hour before you start to bake. The exact amount of time depends on the weather.
How to Make Matcha Cookies
Step-by-Step instructions for this matcha cookie recipe in the recipe card below. I just wanted to add some additional tips for easy matcha cookies.
- Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. It minimizes sticking and cleanup time.
- For even baking, place a single baking sheet on the center rack of the oven.
- If all of your rolled cookie dough balls don’t fit on one cookie sheet, I recommend using two cookie sheets and baking one at a time.
- When baking one batch at a time, please allow the baking sheet to cool before baking the next batch. If you immediately re-use a hot baking sheet, the cookies will begin to melt before they have the chance to rise. This leads to flat, spread out cookies.
Do matcha cookies have caffeine?
Yes, a little bit. This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of matcha powder, which has approximately 384 milligrams of caffeine. It yields about a dozen cookies, depending on size, so each cookie has around 32 milligrams of caffeine.
How to store matcha green tea cookies?
Store them in an air-tight container and keep in a cool, dry place for up to 5 days.
Before storing, allow the cookies to completely cool. If they are still warm, they will become soggy and break apart easy.
A great way to cool cookies is to transfer them to a cooling rack, like this Oven-Safe, Dishwasher-Safe 100% Stainless Steel Wire Cooling Rack for Baking, because it allows for more airflow and cools them down faster.
For more fun, easy cookie recipes, check out:
- Coffee Cookies
- Maraschino Cherry Cookies
- Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe
Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter softened
- 3/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 Tbsp Matcha Green Tea Powder
- 1/2 cup White Chocolate Chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.
- Mix in the whole egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour, baking soda, and matcha green tea powder to the wet ingredients.
- Stir until a dough forms. Scrape down the sides of the large bowl with a rubber spatula, if necessary.
- Fold in the white chocolate chips.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls with the palms of your hands or a cookie scoop and place on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-13 minutes or until the edges are firm. Baking times vary by oven.
- Let cool completely before enjoying or storing.
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