These chewy Matcha Cookies are a bittersweet twist on a classic treat, blending vibrant green tea flavor with delightful sweetness. These delicious bites are visually stunning and packed with matcha's health benefits, making them an indulgence for any occasion.
If you like green tea recipes, you'll surely love my matcha cake recipe with green tea buttercream.
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✔️ Why This Recipe is Great
Perfect for Any Occasion: These matcha cookies are perfect for any occasion, whether a cozy night in or a special event. The unique flavor and vibrant green color make them stand out from regular cookies, and the not-too-sweet flavor make them a perfect pairing with black sesame frosting or American buttercream.
Easy to Make: This green tea cookie recipe is easy to follow and can be customized to fit most different dietary needs.
Healthier Treat: With the added matcha powder, these cookies offer some health benefits that traditional cookies definitely do not. Matcha is known for its high antioxidant content, and especially when combined with the flour and sugar, may boost energy without as much crash later on.
🥚 Ingredients
All-Purpose Flour: this will be the base of your matcha cookie dough and will give it structure.
Matcha Powder: the star of the show, this green tea powder will give your cookies a unique and delicious flavor. To figure out which matcha powder to buy, check that it is culinary grade and has a vibrant green color.
Baking Soda: this helps the cookies rise and gives them a softer texture.
Granulated Sugar: for sweetness and a soft, chewy texture - swap it for brown sugar if you don't mind a slightly darker cookie and want a crispy texture.
Egg: these bind all the ingredients together, though most traditional egg substitutes can work fine in this recipe.
Vanilla Extract: for added flavor and aroma, though you can leave it out or use vanilla paste if neccesary.
See recipe card for exact ingredients and quantities.
🥣 How to Make Matcha Cookies (Step-by-Step)
Step 1) Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper (don’t use aluminum foil). Then in a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, matcha powder, baking soda, and salt), and set this aside for a moment (image 1).
Step 2) In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until the mix is light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer; it'll take about 3-5 minutes on medium speed (image 2).
Step 3) Next, beat in the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture until well incorporated (image 3).
Step 4) Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the dough comes together. Don't overmix, or you'll end up with tough cookies (image 4).
Pro-Tip
If time allows, let the mix rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours before proceeding to the next step - if you don’t have the time, you’ll just make somewhat more cakey cookies.
Step 5) Once rested, scoop single tablespoonfuls of dough, roll them into balls, and place them on your prepared baking sheet (image 5) about 2 inches apart – they'll spread a bit. If you need to use two baking sheets, you can place them on two different racks in the preheated oven (images 6 & 7).
Step 6) Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. They might still seem soft in the center, but they'll firm up as they cool.
Step 7) Once baked to your preferred doneness, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
🌟 Variations and Substitutes
Fun Twists: add white chocolate chips or chopped pistachios to the cookie dough for an extra burst of color and flavor.
Gluten-Free: you can 1:1 use gluten-free all-purpose flour instead of regular flour for a gluten-free version of these cookies.
Vegan Matcha Cookies: substitute the egg with a flax egg (1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoon water) and use ⅞th the amount of melted coconut oil in place of the butter. Make sure all other ingredients are vegan-friendly as well.
See my matcha smoothie for another sweet green tea dessert!
🍪 Storage and Reheating
If you have any leftover cookies, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. You can also freeze the cookie dough or the baked cookies for up to 6 months. To reheat, simply pop them in a preheated oven at 350°F for 5-7 minutes or until warm and crispy.
👨🏻🍳 Expert Notes & Tips
Weigh, Don't Scoop: I highly recommend weighing the dry ingredients in grams rather than scooping them into your measuring cup, as using too much flour will result in extra cakey matcha cookies.
Use Melted Butter: Make sure your butter or oil are at room temperature to ensure it creams nicely with the sugar. If it's too cold, it won't mix well, and if it's melted, your chewy green tea cookies might spread too much.
Why Chill The Dough?: The cookies will keep their shape better if you chill the dough in the fridge for a couple of hours, but this is just frosting on the top, not absolutely necessary to make chewier matcha cookies.
Which Matcha to Buy: The quality of matcha can vary greatly, so use a good-quality matcha powder for the best flavor. It should be bright green and have a fresh, grassy smell in order to fully flavor the cookies.
Balancing Flavors: If you find the matcha flavor too strong, you can reduce the amount to 2 tablespoons, and even add up to ½ cup of white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips for balance.
Topping Ideas: Top these cookies with a frosting made out of whipped mascarpone, the zest of one lemon, a generous pinch of salt, and powdered sugar to taste.
❓ Other Sweet Recipes With Matcha
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
If your matcha cookies turn brown, it could be due to overbaking or using low-quality matcha powder. Make sure to keep an eye on them while baking, and use high-quality matcha powder for a vibrant green color.
Matcha cookies pair well with various flavors, such as white chocolate, pistachios, or even citrus fruits like lemon or orange. They also go well with green tea for the ultimate matcha experience. The unique flavor profile of matcha cookies makes them versatile and easy to pair with different ingredients and drinks.
Matcha powder has a distinct and slightly bitter taste, much like brewed green tea. When used in baking, it adds a unique and delicate flavor that pairs well with sweeter ingredients like sugar and butter. The resulting taste is earthy, grassy, and slightly nutty, though the intensity of the matcha flavor can vary. Some people also describe the taste of matcha in baking as refreshing and uplifting due to its high antioxidant content.
Have you tried this recipe?
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📖 Recipe
Chewy Matcha Cookies (Green Tea Cookies)
Equipment
- plastic wrap
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
- 2½ tablespoons matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks or 226g, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 175g or 2 tablespoons
- 1 large egg 55g
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or wax paper (don’t use aluminum foil).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, matcha powder, baking soda, and salt). Set this aside for a moment.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until the mix is light and fluffy. You can use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer; it'll take about 3-5 minutes on medium speed.
- Next, beat in the egg and vanilla extract to the butter mixture until well incorporated.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed just until the dough comes together. Don't overmix, or you'll end up with tough cookies.
- If time allows, let the mix rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours before proceeding to the next step - if you don’t have the time, you’ll just make somewhat more cakey cookies.
- Once rested, scoop single tablespoonfuls of dough, roll them into balls, and place them on your prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart – they'll spread a bit. If you need to use two baking sheets, you can place them on two different racks in the preheated oven.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to turn golden. They might still seem soft in the center, but they'll firm up as they cool.
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