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Green Tea Matcha Cookies

Here comes April! An unending stretch of 5-day work weeks. If it weren’t for the birds chirping and flowers blossoming it would be a looooong month. So how do we power through the month? Carbs of course. And I’m not just talking about those that come in the form of post-Easter-candy-sales (although those are also awesome). I’m talking freshly baked, soft and chewy, delicately flavored Matcha Cookies. Yep – it’s a tea cookie – with tea INSIDE of it.

Matcha Cookies - these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

Matcha Cookies – these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

I debated whether to call these Matcha Cookies or Green Tea Cookies – since matcha is just the powder version of a kind of green tea. But if a rose is a rose by any other name, thenΒ  so are these cookies. What I love about them is that they’re not too sweet and the matcha flavor is so unique, making this a very delicate and special cookie. Not to mention the awesome color! Creaming the butter and adding the baking powder makes all the difference and produces a fluffy, soft, chewy cookie which I love. You can bake them longer for a crispier cookie but I think a pillowy cookie just goes so well with a steaming cup of tea.

Matcha Cookies - these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

Matcha Cookies – these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

So what are you waiting for? I’d highly recommend you give this unique cookie a try – make the batter tonight and you’ll have cookies tomorrow! Plus, you need something to eat for dessert after a delicious dinner of 30-Minute Vegetarian Soba Noodle Soup. πŸ™‚

Matcha Cookies - these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

Matcha Cookies – these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

Matcha cookies have the delicate flavor and color of green tea. These soft, pillowy and chewy green tea cookies are perfect with tea.

Matcha Cookies
 
Author: 
Nutrition Information
  • Serves: 24
  • Serving size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 87
  • Fat: 4
  • Carbohydrates: 11
  • Sugar: 7
  • Sodium: 118
  • Protein: 1
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Asian
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Matcha cookies have the delicate flavor and color of green tea. These soft, pillowy and chewy green tea cookies are perfect with tea.
Ingredients
  • 1 stick butter, softened
  • ⅞ cup of granulated sugar
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 1¼ tablespoons culinary grade matcha powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • Pinch of salt
Instructions
  1. Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl - it should be creamy colored and airy. A hand blender or stand mixer works well for this. This helps the cookie become fluffy and chewy.
  2. Gently incorporate the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time.
  3. In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet by adding a little at a time and folding or gently mixing the batter together. Keep going until you've incorporated all the remaining flour mixture. The dough should be a beautiful green color.
  5. Chill the dough for at least an hour - up to overnight. The longer the better!
  6. Preheat your oven to 325 F.
  7. Roll the dough into balls the size of ping pong balls and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet.
  8. Bake them for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms just start to become golden brown and the cookie no longer looks wet in the middle. Note: you can always bake them at 350 F for a less moist, fluffy cookie. It will bake faster by about 2-4 minutes 350 F so watch them closely.
  9. Remove and let cool on a rack and enjoy!
Notes
Make sure you get culinary grade matcha powder. You should be able to find this in Asian or natural grocers - also available online.

For more intense matcha flavor and color, add an extra ¼ - ½ tablespoon matcha powder.

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Matcha Cookies - these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

Matcha Cookies – these green tea cookies are soft, pillowy and perfect with tea!

{ 50 comments… add one }
  • Pinky JJ March 30, 2016, 10:33 am

    Ahu joon, you have outdone yourself with this amazing creation. Fluffy, light, healthy, tasty, good-looking, bite-worthy–can’t matcha that!!!!

    On a side note, judging from the picture, it seems like some small mouth took a big bite out of that Ahukie. Not mine, I know πŸ™

    • Ahu Shahrabani March 31, 2016, 6:39 am

      Thank you so much! I guess we’ll never know who bit the cookie!

  • LT March 31, 2016, 10:01 am

    I tried them and they are amazing! The difficult question is whether to pair them with green tea (which seems to be the natural choice) or a strong cup of black. Either way has its merits which makes the choice even harder!

    • Ahu Shahrabani March 31, 2016, 2:30 pm

      Either way they are good! Thankfully you have the tea expertise and will match a cuppa with whatever comes out of the oven! πŸ™‚

  • Andrea March 31, 2016, 10:56 am

    Technical question – how do you calculate the nutrition information?

    • Ahu Shahrabani March 31, 2016, 2:31 pm

      Good question Andrea! I use a tool where I input all the ingredients, and number of servings and it spits out the nutrition info per serving. Pretty handy! There are a number on the web, MyFitnessPal’s is my favorite.

  • Suzanne March 31, 2016, 9:18 pm

    Ahu those cookies are gorgeous and I love the matcha in them, not only is the color amazing but the flavor has to be out of this world. Would love several with a cup of tea. I didn’t know there was a difference in Matcha powder, will have to find that.

    • Ahu Shahrabani April 5, 2016, 2:27 pm

      Suzanne, thank you so much! The flavor is so interesting, I would highly recommend getting some matcha. There’s a Japanese grocery chain in NYC called Dainobu, I got my matcha there!

  • David April 2, 2016, 5:14 pm

    These look so good that it almost makes me wish I drink tea! ?

    • Ahu Shahrabani April 5, 2016, 2:26 pm

      Ahhh, that’s right! Well, stay tuned, I have a tea alternative coming right up for you πŸ™‚

  • Mackenzie April 7, 2016, 1:24 pm

    I have a container of matcha that’s been begging to be used. I’m so excited to try these! Thanks!

  • Andrea Wyckoff April 8, 2016, 2:25 pm

    I love matcha! These cookies look so delightful Ahu! I was honestly just dreaming about what recipe to try with matcha next. β™₯

    • Ahu Shahrabani April 9, 2016, 7:50 am

      What perfect timing! I hope you love them as much as I do πŸ™‚ xoxo

  • Pie Rivera April 14, 2016, 2:43 pm

    What an interesting cookie! No luck in finding any Matcha Cookies readily available, this recipe is a sure treat – especially for my green tea addicted friend! πŸ™‚

    • Ahu Shahrabani April 24, 2016, 1:00 pm

      Yay, well I hope you and your friend enjoy this recipe! πŸ™‚

  • meryl June 16, 2016, 12:28 pm

    How many days do i have to store the cookies?

    • Ahu Shahrabani June 17, 2016, 12:36 pm

      Meryl – if you store them in an airtight container they should last a week πŸ™‚ Enjoy!

  • annette joyner August 2, 2016, 12:48 pm

    CAN I USE COCONUT OIL INSTEAD OF BUTTER

    • Ahu Shahrabani August 2, 2016, 3:16 pm

      Annette – yes! You can substitute coconut oil for butter at a 1:1 ratio when baking. Please let us know how they come out! πŸ™‚

  • Lisa October 2, 2016, 7:53 pm

    I’m making them now, and they just spread in the oven. Instead of rising, it’s very flat. Could you let me know what the consistency of the batter was like for you? & also, are we supposed to be able to roll the dough into balls with our hands? My batter was more of a liquid consistency so I just used an ice-cream scooper to place it on my tray.

    Thank you!
    -Lisa

    • Ahu Shahrabani November 8, 2016, 8:26 am

      Lisa – thanks for dropping a note! Definitely sounds like something was awry with the batter. Two questions – were the ingredient proportions correct (I’ve forgotten ingredients before!) and did you chill before hand? Chilling definitely firms up the batter a good bit, but it shouldn’t be liquidy to start with, more like a semi-smooth batter. I hope this helps!

    • Cassie Roberts February 6, 2018, 10:57 pm

      I had the same problem with mine. I also had to bake them for about 21 minutes instead, but mine might have been too big πŸ˜‰

  • Melissa November 27, 2016, 10:35 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe. I recently got my hands on some really great (legit from Japan) matcha and made another cookie recipe (more of a shortbread type) and your recipe. Yours were by far the best. A perfect balance of sweetness and matcha flavor, with a little crunch and a nice chewy center. Thank you so much! I can’t wait to make this again, and again, and again πŸ™‚

  • Anna Glushchenko January 17, 2017, 8:56 am

    Do you use the bottom heat only or top and bottom?

  • Leila January 30, 2017, 9:48 pm

    There cookies are good, but too sweet for my taste πŸ™‚

  • Esther Shaw March 9, 2017, 6:08 pm

    These look so good thanks! Mine are chilling right now!

  • SINNO Mei Yu March 18, 2017, 4:20 pm

    Hi Ahu,

    Your marcha cookies look great. I’d like to try making them but I’ve a doubt on the quantity of butter in the recipe. One stick = 125g or 250g? Please advise.

    Regards,

    Mei Yu

  • Anna April 19, 2017, 7:26 am

    Hi there, just wanted to check how much in grams is a stick of butter? Thank you.

  • Caroline Wilhite April 25, 2017, 1:12 pm

    Not all matcha brands are the same, so please do your research before purchasing. Considering radiation levels of products from different regions of Japan, the further from Fukushima the better.

  • Severina @Youmatcha July 19, 2017, 5:39 am

    We love love love your matcha cookies! Thumbs up πŸ™‚

  • Bridget Cantwell September 27, 2017, 5:35 pm

    I loved these cookies! I topped them with a rum ginger icing they were sooo tasty and pretty! I can’t believe how soft they come out.

    -thanks for the recipe!

  • Ellen February 14, 2018, 2:06 pm

    These are delicious but they are more like cake instead of cookies! I wanted to make shapes with cookie cutters but it’s not the right texture for that FYI

  • Evelina April 1, 2018, 5:27 am

    Thank you for the recepie. My cookies taste greate! I probably did something wrong becouse my cookies turned out flat. How do you make yours so fluffy? πŸ™‚

  • Personman May 21, 2018, 12:43 pm

    For our international friends, butter in the US comes as 1 pound divided into 4 sticks. Therefore, 1 lb = 454 g. So 1 stick = 113 g.

    Also, if your cookies are flat, probably either your butter is too warm (cold is best for creaming!) or you used baking SODA instead of baking POWDER.

  • Snigdha June 3, 2018, 3:49 pm

    Thanks for Reciepe , have question on ingredients quantity one stick butter is how many grams

  • morecookingandstuff June 11, 2018, 7:56 pm

    I loved these cookie! All my friends did too. I was pretty amazed that everyone was enjoying the green tea flavor. Very nice and easy recipe. My first try melted flat so the next batch I upped the flour and made sure to freeze the dough after shaped. Very messy making the balls! Very important that they be round.

    Thank you!

  • Hien June 27, 2018, 4:14 pm

    Hi there!

    Thank you for providing the recipe, these look amazing! However, I tried to make these and it did not turn out like yours. The dough was too runny. I did chill it overnight and in the oven, it melted so much that the cookies are misshapen when they’re done baking. The cookies fell flat once out of the oven also. So, not sure what I did wrong, but if you know, please let me know. Thanks!

    – Hien

  • Yvonne July 31, 2018, 2:45 pm

    Thanks for sharing! These cookies are wonderful! The only negative I can offer is me and my husband β€˜s inability to stop stuffing our bellies. I will make theses again.

  • Gale September 26, 2018, 10:38 pm

    I made this and it was quite a sticky dough.

    I added a bit more flour and it was a bit better.

    Great taste without having to roll all that dough like the other recipes.

    Will be making more, and maybe using rice flower for a bit of crunch.

  • Rina December 12, 2018, 10:12 am

    Hi there, How long can I store the batter in the fridge max before baking? I want to bake little batches at a time.

  • Rina December 12, 2018, 1:27 pm

    How long can I store the batter max in the fridge?

  • Angry Karen September 3, 2019, 9:43 pm

    The measurements are really weird, dough turned out really liquidy and had to add a bunch of flour. Sad.

  • Grace Foronda December 21, 2019, 4:03 am

    I just bake this tonight and brought it to a friend’s party and they just love it. I did not chill it in the fridge so it’s a little bit soft to form into a ball but i used 2 spoons to form them and baked them for 11 minutes and they are a bit flat. I made another batch and added fresh almond flour (from making raw almond milk) and it turned out fluffier and topped it with half pecan and it was great. I love the soft inside texture and the crunchiness of the pecan. It blended well with the taste of the matcha tea.

  • Julie January 21, 2020, 12:01 pm

    Woah, I made these and these came out amazing! I only wonder how they would be if we added cake flour instead of all-purpose or if we can add milk? I think milk would give it a milky taste but I don’t wanna mess up the recipe!

  • Jessica March 14, 2020, 8:09 pm

    My mix ended up being very liquidy and too sweet,I put one in a muffin pan and it turned into a cupcake but it was very cakey and flat ,taste was good but just too sweet ! I may have made the mistake of microwaving my butter a little to soften

  • sia April 24, 2020, 8:59 pm

    these look so yummy.

    can I use vegan butter, almond flour and monkfruit sweetner instead?

  • Nathalie June 14, 2020, 11:12 pm

    Hi! What can you substitute the sugar with? I love this recipe but am in hopes of baking this as sugar free or low in sugar? Thx!

  • EMY J June 23, 2020, 3:00 pm

    This didn’t really work, the cookies were bland and flat, the smell was GASTLY!! The color was horrendous like a spinach poop and the texture was grainy. Please save your time and DO NOT TRY!

    Sincerely,
    Emy J.

  • Yasmine September 28, 2020, 6:31 pm

    I just made these with monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar and more than double the amount of Matcha that the recipe calls for (I really love Matcha flavor). They came out pretty good. They have a very strong Matcha flavor, I just wish they were a little sweeter. Next time I’ll use more Monk Fruit sweetener.

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