Matcha Cookies Recipe

Recipe at a Glance

Makes 24 cookies. The dough must be chilled -- do not skip this step or the cookies will spread too much.

What You Need

Ingredients for 24 matcha cookies:

- 2 tsp (4g) culinary grade matcha powder - 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour - 1/2 tsp baking soda - 1/4 tsp salt - 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, room temperature - 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar - 1/4 cup (50g) powdered sugar - 1 large egg - 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment: stand mixer or hand mixer, fine mesh sifter, baking sheet, parchment paper.

Why Culinary Grade Is Correct for Baking

Ceremonial grade matcha is designed for drinking -- its delicate flavor notes and high L-theanine content are best appreciated in a simple whisked preparation. Heat destroys these delicate compounds.

For baking, what matters is color strength and flavor intensity, not subtlety. Culinary grade matcha has a stronger, more robust flavor that holds up to heat, sugar, and butter. It also costs significantly less per gram, making it the practical choice for baking.

The key quality indicator for baking matcha is color: look for a bright, vivid green. Dull olive-colored culinary matcha will produce dull-colored cookies.

How to Make It

1. Sift together flour, matcha, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Set aside. Sifting the matcha with the flour ensures even distribution and prevents green streaks. 2. In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, beat butter, granulated sugar, and powdered sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes until light and fluffy. 3. Add egg and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. 4. Add the flour-matcha mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined -- do not overmix. 5. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This is not optional -- chilled dough holds its shape during baking. 6. Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper. 7. Roll dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tbsp each). Place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. 8. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly underdone. They will firm up as they cool. 9. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Tips and Common Mistakes

Sift the matcha with the flour. Adding matcha directly to the butter mixture causes uneven distribution and green streaks in the finished cookie.

Chill the dough. Warm dough spreads too much during baking, producing flat, crispy cookies instead of thick, chewy ones.

Do not overbake. The cookies should look slightly underdone when you take them out -- they continue cooking on the hot baking sheet. Overbaked matcha cookies turn brown and lose their green color.

Common mistakes:

- Dull green color: caused by old matcha, low-quality matcha, or overbaking. Fix: use fresh culinary grade matcha with a bright green color; do not overbake. - Cookies spreading too much: caused by warm dough or too much butter. Fix: chill dough for 30 minutes; measure butter accurately. - Bitter taste: caused by too much matcha. Fix: use exactly 2 tsp (4g) per batch of 24 cookies. - Dry, crumbly texture: caused by too much flour or overbaking. Fix: measure flour by spooning into the measuring cup and leveling off; bake for 11 minutes only.

Variations

White chocolate matcha cookies: Add 1 cup white chocolate chips to the dough before chilling. The sweetness of white chocolate balances the bitterness of matcha perfectly.

Matcha shortbread: Reduce sugar to 1/2 cup, skip the egg, and add 1 tbsp cold water. Press into a pan and bake at 325F (165C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Matcha sugar cookies: Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking for a crinkled, sparkly exterior.

Vegan matcha cookies: Replace butter with vegan butter (same amount) and egg with 1 tbsp ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tbsp water (let sit 5 minutes before using).

Storage

Room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Place a piece of bread in the container to keep cookies soft.

Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Freezer (baked cookies): Freeze in a single layer, then transfer to a freezer bag. Keeps for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Freezer (unbaked dough): Roll into balls, freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake from frozen at 350F for 13 to 14 minutes (2 minutes longer than fresh dough).

For matcha powder storage, see /learn/storage/how-to-store-matcha.

Nutrition Estimate

Values are estimates per cookie based on the recipe above (24 cookies per batch).

Best Matcha Powders for Baking

For cookies and baking, prioritize color strength and value over grade. Look for culinary grade matcha with a bright, vivid green color -- dull olive matcha produces dull cookies. Cost per gram matters more than grade label for baking.

Heavy metal testing is still important even for culinary grade -- you are consuming the whole leaf.

Browse lab-tested matcha brands at /matcha.