If you’ve actively been on the Internet in the last couple of years and especially if you’ve been engaging in content related to food and health, you’ve probably heard of matcha. And, if you haven’t and you’re wondering “what is matcha?”, don’t worry, I don’t know matcha-bout it (I apologize profusely for this pun) either, but I’m going to share with you what I’ve learned.
Firstly, matcha is a type of green tea. Matcha originated in China and was later adopted by the Japanese. More or less, it’s been popularised all over East-Asia and now the entire world. Matcha tea is made by finely powdering young tea leaves, which are then whisked into hot water. Matcha became a trendy favorite among people for the intriguing bright green color and its health benefits. Compared to regular green tea, matcha has a higher content of antioxidants and caffeine. It is jam-packed with antioxidants, and a little bit goes a super long way.
Now that we’ve covered what matcha is and why it’s good for you, let’s move on to what this post is about, it’s about cookies. A relative recently gave me a little packet of premium, good quality matcha powder, and I was super excited to use it in baking. Matcha has become a trendy ingredient among the baking community, so I wanted to put my own spin on it.
And then I made some delicious matcha and white chocolate chip cookies. Matcha is such a delicate flavor; I couldn’t think of anything better than sweet white chocolate to pair it with!
What goes into these matcha white chocolate chip cookies?
Of course, the key ingredient in these cookies is matcha powder. I used a premium quality of matcha powder which housed this vibrant green color, and a teaspoon or so of it will seriously go a long way!
Matcha is quite expensive, I’m not going to sugarcoat that, but if you genuinely want to have the best experience, you have to invest in the best quality of matcha powder you can get your hands on.
The next vital ingredients are white chocolate chips. I have used standard white chocolate compound chips, but you’re free to use white chocolate chunks. Just make sure you use white chocolate because the flavor pairing of matcha and white chocolate is heavenly.
Coming to the rest of the ingredients, they’re all regular things that go into any cookie. You have your sugars, flour, butter, flavor agents, and leavening agents.
It’s also worth noting that these cookies are made without eggs, and I have used a flax egg instead. A flax egg is my favorite egg replacement when it comes to baking cookies. To make a flax egg, you’ll need to mix powdered flax seeds with room temperature water in the ratio of 1:3, that’s one part ground flax seeds and three parts water. Once you let this mixture sit for a few minutes, it becomes thick and gelatinous, like an egg, and binds everything else.
For these cookies, I’ve used both granulated sugar and light brown sugar. I’ve used a higher ratio of granulated sugar since I wanted a crisper cookie. You can absolutely play with the proportion of both sugars as long as the sugars’ total quantity remains unchanged.
For the flour, I’ve used refined, all-purpose flour. I know that some of you prefer using whole wheat flour in baking, and while it’s somewhat healthier and gives a more complex, nutty flavor to the cookie, whole wheat flour can make the cookies drier and kind of tough. So, it’s best to use all-purpose flour for cookies. A little indulgence never hurt anyone!
Apart from these ingredients, I’ve used a sprinkle of vanilla extract to give the cookies a sweet flavor and some baking powder for leavening.
The baking powder that we get in stores is usually a double-reactive one, which means that it gets activated the first time when it’s mixed with a liquid (that’s during the cookie dough making) and the second time when it’s exposed to heat (that’s when the cookies are baked). So the addition of baking powder gives you slight puffiness and loosens up the inside of the cookie, so you don’t feel like you’re eating raw cookie dough.
What equipment is needed to make these cookies?
The matcha white chocolate chip cookies are essentially a one-bowl recipe. All you need to make these cookies, apart from an oven, is a sizeable mixing bowl, a wire whisk, and a rubber spatula. Then, to portion out the cookies, you’ll need a regular-sized ice cream scoop and a baking tray to bake them on. Of course, you will need measuring tools like cups and spoons or a kitchen scale; these are arguably the essential tools any baker should have.
The Recipe For Matcha and White Chocolate Chip Cookies
Yields: 12 cookies
Time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
3 tablespoons room temperature water
150 grams (⅔ cup) softened butter
140 grams (⅔ cup) granulated sugar
20 grams (1 ½ packed tablespoon) light brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoon matcha powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
200 grams (1 ½ cup + ½ tablespoon) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
160 grams (1 cup) white chocolate chips
METHOD
Mix the ground flaxseed and water, and let it sit for a few minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Grease the top of the parchment and dust it lightly with flour.
In a mixing bowl, combine the butter and sugars until creamy.
Add the flaxseed mixture and incorporate it well, followed by the vanilla extract.
Add the matcha powder and whisk it in.
Sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, and salt) and fold them in.
Fold in the white chocolate chips, leaving a few aside to top the cookies. Do not over mix the dough.
Scoop out 60-65 grams of cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking tray. Place each dough ball at least 2 inches apart to leave some room for expansion.
Press down the cookie dough balls lightly with your fingers and top it with the remaining white chocolate chips.
Bake them at 180°C for 12-15 minutes.
Let the cookies cool in the tray for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool down completely.
Notes
Like most cookies out there, you can make my matcha and white chocolate chip cookie dough in bulk, portion it out, and freeze for up to six months. That way, you can have fresh cookies at your disposal any time you crave them.
The baked cookies also keep for more than two weeks if stored in a dry, airtight container.
If you liked this recipe or tried it, let me know in the comments below or on Instagram and Facebook.