Matcha Muffins Recipe

Recipe at a Glance

Makes 12 standard muffins, 30 minutes total.

What You Need

- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour - 1.5 tbsp (9g) culinary grade matcha powder - 2 tsp baking powder - 1/2 tsp salt - 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar - 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled - 2 large eggs - 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk - 1 tsp vanilla extract - Optional mix-ins: white chocolate chips, blueberries, or red bean paste

How to Make It

1. Preheat oven to 375F (190C). Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners or grease well. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, matcha, baking powder, and salt. 3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, melted butter, eggs, milk, and vanilla until combined. 4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined. The batter will be lumpy -- this is correct. Do not overmix. 5. If using mix-ins, fold them in now. 6. Divide batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full. 7. Bake 18 to 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 8. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Tips for the Best Result

Do not overmix. The most common muffin mistake is overmixing after combining wet and dry ingredients. Overmixing develops gluten and produces tough, dense muffins with tunnels. Fold until just combined -- lumps are fine.

Use culinary grade matcha. It has a stronger flavor that holds up in baking and costs less than ceremonial grade.

Fill cups 3/4 full for a good dome. Underfilling produces flat muffins; overfilling causes overflow.

White chocolate chips are the best mix-in for matcha muffins -- the sweetness and creaminess complement the earthy matcha perfectly.

Variations

White chocolate matcha muffins: Fold in 3/4 cup white chocolate chips.

Matcha blueberry muffins: Fold in 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries.

Matcha red bean muffins: Drop 1 tsp sweetened red bean paste (anko) into the center of each muffin before baking.

Matcha streusel muffins: Top with a streusel made from 3 tbsp flour, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp cold butter, and 1/2 tsp matcha.