This easy simple matcha cookies recipe 抹茶クッキー is a go-to 4 ingredients lazy cookie for Galentines Day baking. Fans of Japan inspired chewy green tea cookies will love this soft chewy cookie. The festive green also makes it perfect as as easy 4 ingredient Christmas Cookies. (Matcha is expensive so I have also added a budget friendly option.)
🥘 Ingredients
You will need a few simple ingredients:
- matcha powder: Since we're baking it, you can use the cheaper culinary grade matcha instead of the more costly ceremonial grade matcha powder. You can even use green tea powder if you don't mind having slightly less bright green cookies.
- Matcha powder oxidises quickly so remember to store it in a dark airtight container in the fridge. Don't keep it too long or it'll go stale- here are some sweet and savory matcha recipes that go beyond drinks, such as matcha chocolates and matcha cake, if you're looking to use yours up.
- all-purpose flour: this is the primary dry ingredient. Mix it well with the green tea powder before mixing with the butter and sugar. I have used cake flour when out of All Purpose.
- salted butter: You can substitute with unsalted butter and a pinch of salt.
- White sugar: you can use either powdered sugar and caster sugar. Icing sugar creates a better texture but is more of a pain to work with as you need to sift it, especially if it's old, or you'll get lumps in your cookies. Hence, I usually just use caster sugar. I don't recommend brown sugar as that will give the cookies a slightly caramel flavor/ color and we really want the green tea flavor/ color to shine through. (That's also why we don't add any vanilla extract.)
Note: some people add egg yolk to make a richer cookie that is more like a sugar cookie than a shortbread. I personally don't find it adds much to the recipe but feel free to do so if you wish. (You can add 2-3 yolks.)
Also, you might think you need more matcha powder for a strong matcha flavor, but too much will make the cookies a little bitter. Use the exact amount of matcha powder the recipe calls for- too much and it'll be bitter; too little and it'll be too sweet.
What is Matcha?
It's a type of green tea. Young green tea leaves from the Camellia Sinensis plant that has been grown under shade are ground into a fine powder, to make Matcha powder.
Note: to learn more about green tea vs matcha, click here.
The fine powder is traditionally whisked with hot water to make Matcha tea. However, these days, it's used in everything from Matcha Lattes (think Starbucks) and Matcha truffles to a matcha muffin.
📖 Variations & Substitutes
- On a budget: first things first, matcha powder is pretty expensive, so if you're trying to save, feel free to switch out for green tea powder. (Keep the quantity the same.) The cookies won't have quite as strong a matcha taste and they won't have the same pretty bright green color (see above) but they'll taste almost the same and you'll save a LOT of money.
- Green tea white chocolate cookies: Alternatively, you can add ½ Cup of white chocolate chips into the dough. The sweetness is a nice contrast to the earthy matcha flavor but I personally find it too sweet. (I do not recommend adding nuts, as it makes it a bit tricky when slicing the dough.)
- Sugared: I do not recommend rolling the cookies in sugar- it may look nice but will taste too sweet.
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F/ 175C or 155C fan. Do not use a higher temperature than this as we do not want the cookies to brown,
1a. Mix all the dry ingredients except the sugar well (i.e. matcha powder, flour and salt if using.) Be gentle as the matcha powder is very fine and will fly around.
Note: You'll get a better result if you sift the mixture, as matcha clumps easily, but I confess I don't!
1b. Cut the butter into 1-inch chunks and allow to soften (but not melt- the butter should just indent when pressed.) The amount of time taken will depend on your ambient temperature- in Singapore, where it's hot, it becomes greasy in minutes!
1c. Once soft (but not greasy), place the butter in a stand mixer and beat well. (Use the Flat Beater Paddle Attachment.)
2. Mix with the sugar till you get a light mixture.
Note: You will need to stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl every now and then as the sugar will collect there. (You know all the sugar has been incorporated when you scrape the bottom and don't feel any sugar grains.)
3a. Divide the flour mixture into 4 approximate batches.
3b. Add 1 batch (i.e. ¼ of the mixture) to the mixing bowl at a time- make sure to start the mixer at the very lowest speed or your matcha powder will fly away!
3c. Repeat till all the flour has been incorporated well. You'll see the cookie batter change from a dull to a bright green color.
Note: if using white chocolate chunks, gently fold them in with a spatula now.
4a. Divide the dough into 2 and roll each batch into a log, about 1-2 inches in width.
4b. Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or till firm, if you want perfectly round cookies. (Place the logs on a tray of beans or rice, if you want them to be perfectly round, and not flat on 1 side.)
Note: If you're in a hurry, chill for at least 15 minutes (just long enough that they won't immediately melt in the oven but note that the dough will be very soft when you slice into the log, and the dough will get compressed, which will affect the texture a little.
5a. Once the dough is chilled and firm, slice into ⅓ inch thick rounds. If it is not firm enough, you will get a rectangular cookie and not a round cookie when you cut. The cutting marks will also be obvious.
Note: If you find the dough too hard to cut through, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before trying again.
5b. Place a silicone mat or parchment paper. They don't spread much so you can place the dough quite close to each other.
6a. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Turn the baking tray around mid-bake as every oven has hot spots.
Note: Do not let the edges turn brown, or the cookies will be over-baked. (They also look nicer when all green!)
6b. Once baked through, remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. The cookies will look gooey and be soft when hot- they firm up after cooling.
Once 100% cooled, store in an airtight container.
Troubleshooting
Check if you're using green tea powder (gives you less bright green cookies) or matcha powder (bright green cookies.) If using matcha powder, has your powder oxidised/ been stored incorrectly? Lastly, was your oven temperature too hot or were the cookies left in it for too long? (Will make your cookies brown.)
If you have not chilled your dough till firm, the dough will be too soft and there will be lines when you cut them into rounds as shown below.
🥡 How to Store
These last for a few days at room temperature, stored in an airtight container.
🥗 Other Matcha Recipes
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Easy Matcha Cookies 抹茶クッキー (4-ingredients)
Equipment
- Stand mixer Substitute: hand mixer or food processor
Ingredients
- 2 sticks salted butter, softened (226g) Cut into 1-inch pieces. Substitute: unsalted butter with a pinch of salt.
- 1½ Cups icing or caster sugar Icing sugar gives a better texture but needs to be sieved, so I usually use caster sugar.
- 2½ Cups all purpose flour (300g) Cake Flour also works
- 3½ Tablespoons matcha powder Or 2 level Tablespoons and 1 heaping Tablespoon. Substitute: green tea powder, if you don't need the vivid green hue (better for your wallet too!) Don't use more than this or it'll be a bit bitter.
- ½ Cup White Chocolate Chips OPTIONAL- omit if you don't have a sweet tooth as white chocolate is sweet.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/ 175C or 155C fan. Temperature control is very important- if not, your cookies will be brown.Mix the matcha powder with the flour well. Be gentle as the matcha powder is very fine and will fly around. You'll get a better result if you sift the mixture, as matcha clumps easily, but I confess I don't!
- Beat the softened (but not greasy) butter in a stand mixer till smooth. (If the butter is greasy, it's been left out for too long.)
- Mix with the sugar till you get a light mixture. You will need to stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl every now and then.
- Divide the flour mixture into 4 approximate batches. Add 1 batch (i.e. ¼ of the mixture) to the mixing bowl at a time- make sure to start the mixer at the very lowest speed or your matcha powder will fly away!
- Repeat till all the flour has been incorporated well. You'll see the cookie batter change from a dull to a bright green color.Note: if using white chocolate chunks, gently fold them in with a spatula now.
- Divide the dough into 2 and roll each batch into a log, about 1-2 inches in width.
- Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or till firm, if you want perfectly round cookies. (Place the logs on a tray of beans or rice, if you want them to be perfectly round, and not flat on 1 side.)Note: If you're in a hurry, chill for at least 15 minutes (just long enough that they won't melt in the oven but note that the dough will be very soft when you slice into the log, and the dough will get compressed, which will affect the texture a little.
- Once the dough is chilled and firm, slice into ⅓ inch thick rounds. If you find the dough too hard to cut through, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before trying again.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Do not let the edges turn dark brown, or the cookies will be over-baked .(They also look nicer when all green!)
- Once baked through, remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
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