These bright green matcha cookies are a unique, delicious treat! They have a sweet, earthy matcha flavor, tender texture, and rich white chocolate on top.
These matcha cookies are my kind of cookies.
- They’re easy to make.
- They’re as cute as can be.
- And while they satisfy my sweet tooth, they’re not just sweet.
Matcha powder gives these cookies complexity. If you’re not familiar with matcha, it’s a Japanese green tea powder made from shade-grown, finely ground green tea leaves. Its earthy, grassy, and subtly bitter taste shines through in these cookies, balancing their sweetness perfectly.
Bonus: it makes them bright green!
These matcha cookies have crisp edges, tender middles, and a white chocolate shell on top. They’re unique and delicious. You have to try them!
Matcha Cookies Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this matcha cookie recipe:
- Matcha powder, of course! If you’re working with this green tea powder for the first time, learn more about its history, health benefits, and uses in my what is matcha post. Not sure which matcha to buy? See the callout below!
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Cane sugar and light brown sugar – I like to use a mix of white sugar and brown sugar here. The brown sugar adds moisture and depth of flavor, while the white sugar helps maintain the cookies’ bright green color.
- Melted coconut oil – For richness. If you don’t want your cookies to have a coconut flavor, use refined coconut oil or sub melted butter.
- An egg, plus an extra yolk – The additional egg yolk perfects the moist, lightly chewy texture of the cookies’ centers.
- Baking soda – It helps the cookies rise.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
If you’re making the white chocolate topping, you’ll need more coconut oil and white chocolate chips. A sprinkle of black sesame seeds is an adorable finishing touch!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Best Matcha Powder for Baking
I recommend choosing an unsweetened culinary grade matcha powder for baking recipes like this one.
Culinary grade matcha has a strong flavor that can cut through the other ingredients in baked goods. It’s also generally less expensive than ceremonial grade matcha, which is designed for drinking.
I recently tested and reviewed the best matcha powders. Either of these brands would be a great choice for this recipe:
How to Make Matcha Cookies
This matcha cookie recipe is easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, make the cookie dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugars and matcha.
Add the coconut oil and whisk until well combined. Next, whisk in the egg and egg yolk, followed by the vanilla.
Sprinkle the baking powder and salt over the wet ingredients and mix well.
Lastly, add the flour. Use a spatula to mix until a dark green dough forms and no dry flour remains.
Next, shape the cookies. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Leave 2 inches between dough balls. They don’t spread much, but they do expand a little as they bake.
Finally, bake the cookies in a 375°F oven until they’re puffed and the edges are lightly set, about 8 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Optional: Add a White Chocolate Dip
These cookies are delicious plain, but if you’re up for the extra step of dipping them in white chocolate, you won’t regret it! It adds a rich, creamy finish to these cookies that takes them over the top.
Here’s how to do it:
- Melt the white chocolate and coconut oil in a double boiler. (I make a makeshift one with a small saucepan and a heatproof bowl!)
- Dip one side of each cookie into the chocolate, leaving the other half bare.
- Place on a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Set aside for 20 minutes for the chocolate to firm up.
Enjoy!
Matcha Cookies Storage and Tips
- For evenly baked cookies: Bake one sheet at a time! Temperatures can vary throughout an oven, so baking the cookies in batches will result in the most consistent bake.
- For dipping success: Allow the cookies to cool completely before dipping them in the white chocolate. If they’re still warm, they’ll be too delicate to handle.
- For dairy-free cookies: Be sure to use dairy-free white chocolate chips! I like Enjoy Life.
- How to store: These cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these matcha cookies, try one of these fun cookie recipes next:
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemon Cookies
- Almond Butter Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Or any of these 17 Easy Cookie Recipes!
And if you can’t get enough matcha, try my matcha latte, iced matcha latte, or matcha baked doughnuts!
Matcha Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 1 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
White Chocolate Dip
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- Black sesame seeds, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cane sugar, brown sugar, and matcha powder. Add the coconut oil and whisk until well combined. Add the egg and egg yolk and whisk well to combine. Whisk in the vanilla.
- Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the matcha mixture, then whisk to incorporate. Add the flour and use a spatula to mix until just combined.
- Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
- Bake, one sheet at a time, for 8 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and the edges are lightly set. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Add the white chocolate dip: Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reducing the heat as needed to maintain a gentle simmer. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine the white chocolate chips and coconut oil. Set over the saucepan and allow to melt, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is smooth.
- Dip one side of each cookie into the white chocolate, leaving the other side bare. Transfer to a sheet of parchment paper and sprinkle with black sesame seeds. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, or until the white chocolate is firm.
- Enjoy right away, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. These cookies also freeze well for up to 3 months.
Hi. Can I change the coconut oil to butter? I know it won’t taste the same. But will it works?
Hi Elena, we haven’t tried it, but I think it would work fine!
These were super easy to make and I’m enjoying one hot off the sheet as they cool. The taste is yummy. The color not as pretty or vibrant as I had hoped. Most unfortunate though is that they spread like crazy. My measurements were spot on but they flattened and doubled in size. Plenty delicious for me to eat at home but wouldn’t bring them to the office to share. What went wrong?
Hi Cari, did you change any of the ingredients? (the coconut oil or the eggs?) The green color will depend on the type of matcha, they can all vary.
Didn’t change a thing & was very cautious to measure the amount of coconut oil precisely. Eggs was 1 whole large & 1 yolk. Should i have refrigerated the dough first? I don’t recall seeing a suggestion to do that.
Hi Cari, I’m not sure what happened then! We have made this recipe many times and have never had them spread. In the future, I would recommend chilling the dough if it feels soft to scoop. It could help them hold their shape.