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.
This matcha cookies recipe is one of my favorite desserts. These bright green cookies have crisp edges, tender middles, and a complex, earthy flavor from matcha green tea powder. It balances perfectly with the creamy white chocolate shell on top. Easy to make in one bowl, they’re a delicious sweet, but not too sweet, treat.
You’re probably familiar with matcha from matcha lattes, but this Japanese green tea powder is wonderful in desserts too. On our trips to Japan, I’ve had matcha ice cream, matcha doughnuts, and more, which inspired me to start making my own matcha sweets at home. These matcha cookies are my favorites I’ve made so far. I hope you love them too!
Matcha Cookies Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this matcha cookie recipe:
- Matcha powder, of course! Matcha is a Japanese green tea powder made from shade-grown, finely ground green tea leaves. It has an earthy, grassy, and subtly bitter flavor that I love in these cookies. If you’re working with it for the first time, learn more about its history, health benefits, and uses in my what is matcha post.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Cane sugar and light brown sugar – I 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 butter or coconut oil – For richness. Both options are delicious! Cookies made with butter will spread more than cookies made with coconut oil (pictured here).
- 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 melted butter or coconut oil and whisk until well combined. Next, whisk in the egg and egg yolk, followed by the vanilla.
Because this is a one-bowl recipe, you’ll add the dry ingredients directly to the wet ingredients instead of combining them in a separate bowl.
First, sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the wet ingredients and stir well.
Then, 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. Cookies made with coconut oil don’t spread much, but they do expand a little as they bake. Cookies made with butter will spread and flatten more.
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:Â 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:Â 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 coconut oil and dairy-free white chocolate chips! I like Enjoy Life.
- How to store:Â These cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these matcha white chocolate cookies, try one of these fun cookie recipes next:
- Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Lemon Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Or any of these 17 Easy Cookie Recipes!
Matcha Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup cane sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, melted, or 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 melted butter or 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.
Notes
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Overall, it was good, but there were a few modifications I had to make. First, the written instructions say to use baking powder, but then the list of ingredients says baking soda. It would be great if that could be clarified. I ended up using some of both which I don’t think compromise the taste because the coconut was actually quite powerful.
I also found 2 1/2 cups of flour to be too much. A little under two was the right amount to not have them be super dense.
Overall, I will probably make them again, but I also might use a little less sugar as well. Especially with the white chocolate dip it’s very sweet. I can see how someone might say well then just use more flour but again that made the whole thing too heavy, not balanced.
Appreciate other comment as well to help. Develop an even more optimal recipe.
Hi, I’m not seeing where baking powder is listed by mistake, I see 3 instances that all list baking soda.
I wonder if you’re using the spoon and level method to measure your flour. It’s possible your packed cup yields more flour than ours: https://www.loveandlemons.com/how-to-measure-flour/
I enjoyed the recipe and the earthyness of the matcha powder. I did have issues making the dough with the amount of coconut oil used – I had to use a bit more than what it called for which ultimately made them a bit oily. Without adding the extra oil, I wouldn’t have been able to form a dough. Also, I added a “Wicked” twist on them, and instead of white chocolate I added pink vanilla melting wafers to make it look like Glinda and Elphaba!
Absolutely delicious! Perfect texture and delicious blend of flavors with coconut, vanilla, white chocolate and matcha. So glad I finally tried this recipe and especially look forward to sharing it with my tea-loving friends!
I made this for a family function and EVERY SINGLE PERSON ages 14-65 complimented the cookies and asked the recipe!! Will make these again! Thank you
aww, I’m so happy to hear that!
It’s amazing !!
So glad you loved the recipe!
I love these!!! A nice twist for cookie recipe. I had a hard time dipping into the white chocolate though. I had to use a knife to sort of frost it on. Any suggestions on how to thin out the chocolate so it’s dippable? Did I overheat it?
Hi Jill, so glad you love the cookies! If the chocolate was too thick, you could add a little more coconut oil to it next time to thin it out.
I made these as written, except I substituted Christmas sprinkles for the sesame seeds. They came out perfect! They are soft, but hold their form when dipped in the chocolate. Not too sweet, and not too earthy matcha, which is perfect! I will definitely be adding them to my regular Christmas cookies! I bet they would be fun for other holidays, too!
Hi Angela, I’m so glad you loved them!
I think the coconut oil overpowers the matcha. It really tasted like a coconut cookie and not a matcha cookie, so maybe increase the matcha and reduce the coconut oil used. Otherwise I like the look of the cookie, just not the best matcha cookie I’ve made if you’re looking for a true matcha flavor.
Best matcha cookies I’ve made! I made them without the dipping glaze and they were absolutely delicious. These are my new go to thank you!
I’ve made them 3 times. The first time with the all purpose flour. The next 2 times changed it up: used almond flour, and xylitol sugar…came out good. The green color is not as bright as yours. Hubby loves them. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
If you didn’t originally, try using Ceremonial Matcha. (It gave me that nice green color.)
These tasted great, but the bottom of the cookies were quite burnt. I’m not sure what I did wrong, but perhaps it’s the coconut oil? I followed everything as written, and the bottoms were burnt before 8 minutes while the inside wasn’t fully cooked.
Hi Karly, I’m glad you enjoyed the cookies! We haven’t had an issue with the bottoms over-browning before. Did you line your baking sheets with parchment paper? If cookies are baked directly on a baking sheet they can brown more quickly underneath.
These are so good! They almost have a milky flavor to me. My husband said they are his new favorite cookie! The only small change I made was I mixed white chocolate chips in instead of dipping. Thank you so much for the unique and delightful recipe!
Hi Abigail, I’m so glad you loved them!
Hi they are delicious!!! I had to half the recipe and used butter instead of coconut oil and they turned out so good and everyone loved them. For anyone curious the matcha flavor isn’t too over powered either <3
Hi Tristin, I’m so glad you loved the cookies!
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.