Soft and chewy matcha cookies stuffed with a toasty macadamia crunch. So quick and easy to make, bake these bright green Japanese inspired cookies in just 10 minutes.
In This Post You’ll Learn
Why We Love This
These cookies have the perfect blend of green tea flavour mixed with nutty goodness from the macadamia.
Once they’re out of the oven and lightly cooled, you’ll find they have an ever so slightly crisp outer shell before you bite into soft bliss.
Related: Matcha Ice Cream / Matcha Salt / Matcha Latte
What quality of matcha powder should I use for baking?
When cooking and baking with matcha powder, the best quality to look for is culinary grade.
Culinary grade is much cheaper than ceremonial grade matcha, which is best used for drinking only. So you’ll be able to save money AND buy it in bulk so you can do more cooking!
What are Matcha Cookies?
Matcha Cookies are a soft tea cookie made from culinary grade matcha powder. They’re lightly sweetened, and pair well with a coffee or as an after dinner snack.
In Japan, you’ll find an incredible array of matcha cookies in all flavour combinations from the local combini store on the corner through to a dedicated matcha based cafe in Kyoto.
Matcha cookies can also be purchased as souvenirs from certain stores and supermarkets, especially in tourist and business districts, to be given as presents. They’re even individually wrapped… eep! So we certainly prefer to make them at home, plastic free.
What You’ll Need
- Matcha Powder – We use Maeda-En culinary grade matcha powder which is perfect for baking and a little cheaper than ceremonial grade matcha intended for drinking only. It’s mixed with boiling water to bring out the flavour (a process called blooming) and also to ensure there are no bitter lumps of matcha throughout the cookies.
- Sugar – A mix of brown sugar and caster sugar adds a little extra caramelised flavour without it tasting too sweet. Sub with regular white sugar if you need.
- Salted Butter – Softened butter makes it easier to cream with the sugar. You can sub with unsalted butter.
- White Miso Paste – The secret ingredient! This helps to enhance all the other flavours in the cookies! You can leave it out if you don’t have any on hand, or sub with a pinch of salt.
- Vanilla Essence – Also known as vanilla extract. Adds a lovely vanilla and caramel note to the cookies.
- Flour – We use self raising flour to keep these cookies deliciously soft. If using all purpose flour, add 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda.
- Egg – Room temperature is best for baking.
- Macadamia Nuts – The crunch and flavour are so delicious, especially after being toasted! Sub with untoasted macadamia nuts, hazelnuts or white chocolate chips if you prefer.
How to Make Matcha Cookies
First, gather your ingredients: See recipe card below for measurements.
To toast the macadamias (optional)
- Dry toast chopped macadamias in a medium frying pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden with a slight char here and there. Transfer into a small bowl and allow them to cool down for a few minutes before adding to the dough.
Tip: The flavour and aroma of toasted macadamias is out of this world! But you can skip this step if you want to save time.
To prepare the dough
- Place the matcha powder into a small dish and pour in the boiling water. Mix well with a matcha whisk or small regular whisk until the matcha is fully dissolved and frothy.
- Cream the brown sugar, caster sugar and butter using a stand mixer or hand held beaters for around 3-5 minutes until light and creamy. Tip: You can use a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon if you need.
- Add the matcha tea, white miso paste, vanilla essence and egg, then mix together on low.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer (if using) then stir in the self raising flour and toasted macadamias using a wooden spoon until well combined. Cover and refrigerate dough for a minimum of 15 min.
To make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F.
- Form dough balls around 3 cm / 1.5 inches in diameter, then place onto lined baking trays. Tip: Leave a little space next to each one, as they will expand while baking.
- Flatten the tops slightly and sprinkle with the extra 1-2 tsp caster sugar.
- Bake for around 10 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges and cracks start to form on top.
- Transfer to a baking rack to cool, then serve or store in an airtight container on the benchtop.
Wandercook’s Tips
- Matcha Powder – Make sure any matcha powder used is unsweetened. Otherwise, your cookies will be super sweet!
- Storage – No need to keep them in the fridge. Just pop them in an airtight container on the bench. They’ll keep for a few days, and soften further over time. Can also be frozen in an airtight container, but we recommend eating them fresh!
- Boiling Water – If you have a variable temperature kettle, we recommend boiling your water to 80°C / 175°F. You can also leave a regular kettle for 5 minutes after boiling to allow the temperature to drop slightly.
FAQs
A matcha whisk isn’t necessary for this recipe. Simply use any small whisk or even a fork in a pinch. The key is to whisk it quite fast so it froths up and gets rid of any lumps in the mix.
Matcha Latte Powder – This usually contains sweeteners and sometimes milk powder or products. For this reason, we don’t recommend substituting for this recipe.
Green Tea Leaves – While this can be used as a substitute, it will have a completely different flavour to matcha powder. If you do substitute, bloom 1 tbsp of tea leaves in 2 1/2 tsbp boiling water for 10 minutes before straining then add the tea in place of the matcha tea mix.
Variations
- Hojicha Cookies – For a lighter and roasted flavoured cookie, bloom 1 tbsp of hojicha tea (roasted green tea leaves) in 2 1/2 tsbp boiling water for 10 minutes before straining then add the tea in place of the matcha tea mix.
- Make it Vegan – Swap the egg for an egg replacement or product like Just Egg and the butter for coconut oil or vegan butter.
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★ Did you make this recipe? Please leave a comment and a star rating below!
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar 50 g / 1.75 oz, not packed down
- ¼ cup caster sugar 40 g / 1.4 oz, plus 1 – 2 tsp for sprinkling
- ¼ cup butter 60 g / 2.1 oz, softened
- 1 tsp white miso
- 1 tsp matcha powder heaped
- 2 tbsp boiling water
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 1 egg
- 1 ½ cups self raising flour 180 g / 6.35 oz
- ½ cup macadamia nuts 60 g / 2.1 oz, roughly chopped, sub hazelnut or white chocolate chips
Instructions
To toast the macadamias (optional)
- Dry toast chopped macadamias in a medium frying pan on medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden with a slight char here and there. Transfer into a small bowl and allow them to cool down for a few minutes before adding to the dough. Tip: The flavour and aroma of toasted macadamias is out of this world! But you can skip this step if you want to save time.½ cup macadamia nuts
To prepare the dough
- Place the matcha powder into a small dish and pour in the boiling water. Mix well with a matcha whisk or small regular whisk until the matcha is fully dissolved and frothy.1 tsp matcha powder, 2 tbsp boiling water
- Cream the brown sugar, caster sugar and butter using a stand mixer or hand held beaters for around 3-5 minutes until light and creamy. Tip: You can use a large mixing bowl and wooden spoon if you need.½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup caster sugar, ¼ cup butter
- Add the matcha tea, white miso paste, vanilla essence and egg, then mix together on low.1 tsp white miso, 1 tsp vanilla essence, 1 egg
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer (if using) then stir in the self raising flour and toasted macadamias using a wooden spoon until well combined.1 ½ cups self raising flour
- Cover and refrigerate dough for a minimum of 15 min.
To make the cookies
- Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F.
- Form dough balls around 3 cm / 1.5 inches in diameter, then place onto lined baking trays. Tip: Leave a little space next to each one, as they will expand while baking.
- Flatten the tops slightly and sprinkle with the extra 1-2 tsp caster sugar.
- Bake for around 10 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges and cracks start to form on top.
- Transfer to a baking rack to cool, then serve or store in an airtight container on the benchtop.
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