Matcha White Chocolate Cookies with Brown Butter

These matcha white chocolate cookies only need one bite and you will literally keep going back to the cookie jar for more. If you prefer a cookie that is less sweet this is the recipe for you. Here we use less sugar and butter to bake these cookies. The earthy grassy matcha will add a nice balance. Topped with some sea salt to cut the sweetness even more.

Why make these cookies?

Family and Friends will love them: These are a true hit with family and friends. Its unique and flavor so for even those who have never tried matcha cookies will love the complex flavor profile. It has grassy notes with hints of nuttiness.

Can be mixed by hand: This recipe does not require a hand or stand mixer. The wet and dry ingredients can be mixed by hand. 

Why we love this recipe?

Less sweet and oil:  Matcha will lessen the sweetness of the cookies and give it a nice earthy flavor. This recipe also calls for less sugar and less butter without compromising on the taste. 

Nice pick-me-up snack: Matcha has caffeine and I enjoy these with my afternoon tea to give me a nice jolt of energy for the evening. Just make sure to not eat these in the evening otherwise you may have a hard time falling asleep. 

Thicker cookies: I like my cookies with a little height to them. So using less butter helps so the cookies don’t spread out as much. 

Better than store-bought: They taste great and have a lovely matcha flavour. Freshly baked cookies are soft and chewy and will satisfy any matcha cookie craving. You will keep going back for more.

What is matcha?

Matcha is powdered green tea leaves. The leaves are dried and ground into a very fine powder. It possesses many health benefits such as helps reducing type 2 diabetes, fight cancer etc.

The green tea plant is grown in the shade for roughly 3-4 weeks and harvested. 

Matcha is most commonly used in East Asia and in particular Japan. Traditionally, ceremonial grade matcha is used at Japanese tea ceremonies.

Matcha has become a popular ingredient to be used in desserts and various types of hot and cold drinks such as teas, bubble tea and coffee.

What does matcha taste like?

Matcha taste varies depending on the grade of the matcha. Ceremonial-grade matcha is light but a complex flavor profile. It has mellow grassy notes and is naturally sweet nuttiness. It ends with a slight bitterness but also has hints of savoriness at the end. Commonly and very popular in Asian cuisine is the umami flavor which adds a hint of depth and irresistibility to the matcha. Always makes you want to go back for more.

What are the different in grades of matcha?

Matcha has different grades. They will vary based on the quality harvest times, how and where it is processed.

The following are two main grades of matcha:

Ceremonial: Hands down the highest quality matcha and typically only used for tea. The price tag on ceremonial is higher than culinary and it’s best to use it for drinking. However, If you are looking to get the bright vibrant green color in your baked desserts use ceremonial. I only use this if I need to bring some eye candy desserts made with matcha to impress.

Culinary: This grade of matcha is more affordable and typically is used for baking. I used culinary-grade matcha in my baked goods and it will come out brownish green and does not look like those bright vibrant baked goods you will see in pictures. If you are big on baking with matcha and don’t care for the color I would suggest using culinary grade as it’s more cost effective. 

I have made this recipe with culinary and ceremonial matcha and I will always use the ceremonial matcha. I get a beautiful vibrant green cookie.

Here is a picture of the difference in matcha colors. One is a dull green color while the other eis bright and vibrant!

How to make this recipe?

• Brown the butter. Brown the butter first Get a saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Add the butter and brown for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until you see brown bits at the bottom and a little bit of white foaming action on the surface. Once you see this turn the heat off and remove it from the stove. Let it cool down completely.

• Mix dry ingredients and sift. In a small mixing bowl combine the all-purpose flour, salt, baking soda and matcha. Using a sifter sift the ingredients to remove any clumps. The matcha will often times be clumped together. Sifting it will ensure the matcha is evenly mixed to create a vibrant green color.

• Mix the wet ingredients. Take a mixing bowl and add the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar and mix until well mixed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until you get a nice light creamy texture. Use a stand mixer to help mix it faster, but a hand mixer will also work fine. It will just take an extra minute or two to get the texture.

• Mix wet and dry ingredients. Add the sifted dry ingredients into the wet and mix with a spatula. Hand mixing will ensure the dough will not raise and fall flat in the oven by adding excess air to the dough. 

• Add white chocolate. Add the white chocolate chips and mix until well incorporated into the dough.

• Scoop dough then chill the cookie dough. Use a cookie scoop/ice cream scoop 3 tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough (I get 8 cookies with this recipe). I let the cookies rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

• Preheat oven to 350 °F. Take the cookies out of the fridge and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

• Flatten and bake the cookie dough. Cover your baking sheet with parchment paper and place the cookie dough 3 inches apart. Since this recipe uses less butter I like to roll the dough and press down to give it a cookie flatten shape. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Take out of the oven immediately and let it rest for 10 minutes on the baking sheet.

• Let is cool and eat. Move the cookies to a cooling rack. Enjoy! 

Ingredients and variations

all-purpose flour – All-purpose flour works best for tender cookies. This is the most common flour type to use for all baking recipes. 

baking soda – Baking soda will help the cookies have a fluffy and lighter texture. Make sure to use baking soda and not baking powder.

matcha powder – matcha powder will give the cookies that beautiful and vibrant green color. It will add a nice nuttiness and mellow sweetness. I use ceremonial grade matcha to get that beautiful eye-catching green colour. You can use culinary grade but the color will come out brownish and will taste slightly bitter.

salt – Helps balance the sweetness and brings out all the flavor from all the other ingredients.

brown butter – Browning the butter before mixing the wet ingredients is a game changer. The brown butter makes this recipe unique. The flavor profile is sweet, toasty and nutty. It adds a caramel hazelnut flavor. When the butter is browned there will be bits and specks at the bottom of the pan. There are the milk solids that develop when they are cooked. These will add flavor and depth and I always try to scrape it all into the wet mixture.

granulated sugar – The granulated sugar will help the cookies crisp up slightly.

light brown sugar – The brown sugar will create a dense, moist and chewy cookie.

egg – Room temperature is key. Use the best quality eggs you can find. Free-run organic is recommended.

vanilla extract – Adds a very nice vanilla flavor. A little bit goes a long way for this recipe. Use real vanilla extract. But artificial will work as well.

white chocolate chips – The white chocolate chip really complements the matcha flavor. It’s not overly sweet but I like to use less white chocolate chips so feel free to add an extra 1/4 cup if you like white chocolate chips. I have used dark semi-sweet chocolate chips in this recipe and it taste great. It just doesn’t look as pretty with the beautiful green matcha color. Any shape or size works great with these cookies. 

Sea salt (topping) – I like to sprinkle some sea salt on top before baking to give it an extra bit to help balance out the flavors. Leave it out if you don’t need the salt or you prefer the sweetness

Recipes FAQs

Why are my cookies overspreading?

Overspreading is usually caused by using too much butter or not placing the dough in the fridge prior to baking. Chilling the dough will allow the wet ingredients to absorb the dry ingredients more evenly

Why are the cookies not spreading?

This recipe uses less butter so it won’t spread unless you give the cookie dough a press down prior to putting them in the oven. 

Why are my cookies coming out dull and brownish color?

This recipe made vibrant green colored cookies. If you see that its not bright or is dull looking this could be caused by:

Overbaking them or the cookies are too close to the heat in the oven. 

The other reason is using low-quality matcha. Make sure to use ceremonial grade matcha to get the bright green color. It is more expensive but worth it to get that green color. 

How much matcha to put?

I use 1 tablespoon of ceremonial-grade matcha and the cookies came out vibrant green. I have used culinary-grade matcha and even used 1.5 tablespoons but the color will never come out as bright and vibrant as ceremonial. So even using more will not work. 

Unfortunately, the grade of matcha is the key to getting the brilliant green colour. Not really the quantity of matcha. Any ceremonial grade matcha will work. Here is one that I recommend Sugimoto Tea Ceremonial Grade Matcha Green Tea. This will work as well.

How to make chewy matcha cookies?

The key to creating a moist and chewy cookie is to use a stand mixer or hand mixer to get the wet ingredients mixed well into a light and creamy texture. You’re aiming for color of the wet ingredients to lighten and look almost like a caramel color.

Expert Tips

Don’t overbake. Take the cookies out when the edges are crisping up. I always bake for 12 minutes and it’s the perfect amount of time. The cookies will continue to cook once you take them out and let them rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.

Sift the dry ingredients. This is important when baking so there are no clumps. But with matcha since it’s so fine and the color is so vibrant it’s important to remove all the clumps in the matcha to create an even color cookie.

Brown Sugar. Using brown sugar will add moisture to the cookies. They will ensure they come out soft and chewy.

Chill dough for 30 minutes. I like my cookies with a little height instead of flat wide cookie that will be too hard and crispy.

Use highest quality matcha possible. Try to buy ceremonial-grade matcha for this recipe. Often times cookies are meant to be eye-catching and look delish. You want to open that oven door and see the brightly and most beautiful green color cookies ever. I’ve used culinary grade and boy was I sad and disappointed when they came out brownish and dull green. Don’t make that mistake!

How to serve

These goes so well with pandan milk or a cup of Pumpkin Spice Latte with Vietnamese coffee.

How to store

These cookies can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container on the counter in the shade. Not directly in the sunlight.

If you make this recipe, and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post.

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