These matcha crinkle cookies are soft, fluffy, and melt in your mouth. They're packed with matcha flavour with a dusting of powdered sugar on the outside for that classic crinkle cookie look.
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Notes from the baker
My all-time favourite cookies I've ever made are my Matcha White Chocolate Cookies so I thought it was about time I added to my matcha cookie collection with these matcha crinkle cookies.
These matcha crinkle cookies are SO easy to make with just a few ingredients that you may already have on hand. They're super soft cookies with a satisfying texture to bite into and a bit of crispiness on the outside from the caramelized sugar.
I already know these will be a go-to cookie recipe when I want to make something with a ton of matcha flavour. They're perfect for the holidays (they look like they're dusted in snow!) or any time of year.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Soft and melt-in-your-mouth cookies. These cookies have a super satisfying cakey texture. You won't be able to have just one.
- Strong matcha flavour. This recipe is for matcha lovers. Use a good matcha powder and it will really shine in these cookies.
- Lovely crinkle design. These cookies have a unique cracked look that forms as the cookies bake.
- Easy to make. You only need a few ingredients and they take less than 30 minutes of active prep time. No hand mixer needed!
Tools
- Baking sheet - You can use any baking sheet or baking tray that you have on hand to bake these cookies. Some baking sheets will bake differently (e.g. light metal vs dark metal) but it shouldn't matter too much here.
- Whisk - You'll need a regular hand whisk for mixing. You can also use an electric hand mixer if you prefer but it's not necessary for this recipe.
- 3-tablespoon cookie scooper - I usually use a 4-tablespoon scooper for my cookies but I prefer a smaller scoop for these cookies. A 3-tablespoon or 2-tablespoon scoop is great.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- All-purpose flour
- Matcha powder - I always use ceremonial-grade matcha even when baking. It produces the best matcha flavour and vibrant green colour compared to culinary-grade matcha powder. Try to go for an affordable (lower cost per gram) but still high-quality matcha powder for baking.
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Eggs - These should be at room temperature to prevent the melted butter from solidifying upon contact.
- Granulated sugar
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar - Powdered sugar or icing sugar is simply finely ground sugar. It's essential for making crinkle cookies!
Tips for making the best matcha crinkle cookies
- Use a good quality matcha powder. Although culinary-grade matcha is marketed for baking, I always use ceremonial-grade matcha powder. It produces the best flavour and vibrant green colour compared to the brown-ish colour of culinary-grade or lower quality matcha. I know high-quality matcha powder is expensive and we're using a lot of it so try to use one that's more affordable and save your best stuff for drinking only. I love Ippodo's Ikuyo matcha powder for baking because it has a lower cost per gram than their other matcha powders.
- Chill the cookie dough. The cookie dough will be very wet and soft immediately after mixing it so you'll need to chill it in the fridge for at least 1 hour or overnight until it firms up. This is a good time to clean up, line your baking sheet, and preheat the oven.
- Don't touch the cookie dough with your hands until it's coated in the first layer of sugar. This cookie dough is slightly soft so I find that it's easiest to work with if you scoop it and drop the dough ball directly into the granulated sugar. Roll it around in the sugar by shaking the container. Only roll it in between your hands after it's coated in granulated sugar because it helps absorb the moisture from the dough.
- Roll the cookie dough in both granulated sugar and powdered sugar. The first layer of granulated sugar absorbs any excess moisture on the dough so that the powdered sugar layer stays bright white after baking. You need both!
Storage
These matcha crinkle cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Leftovers can be frozen but I wouldn't recommend it because the powdered sugar coating will dissolve when the cookies are thawed due to the condensation.
Frequently asked questions
Yes! You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge for 1-2 days. Scoop the dough out when you're ready to bake them.
Yes! Allow the cookie dough to chill in the fridge for 1 hour as directed. Scoop out the dough into balls and freeze them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 1 month. When you're ready to bake them, let the cookie dough balls thaw in the fridge overnight. Roll them in sugar right before baking.
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
More cookie recipes to try
Recipe
Matcha Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
Cookies
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons matcha powder, ceremonial-grade
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 60 g unsalted butter, melted
For rolling
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 g powdered sugar
Instructions
- Flour mixture: In a medium bowl, add the flour. Sift in the matcha powder to break up any clumps. Add the baking powder and salt and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Egg mixture: In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Use a whisk to mix well until the eggs are slightly pale in colour, about 3 minutes. Slowly stream the melted butter into the egg mixture while whisking constantly.
- Combine flour and egg mixtures: Add the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined.
- Chill dough: Chill the whole bowl of cookie dough in the fridge for at least 1 hour to let it firm up.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Prepare the sugars: Place the granulated sugar and powdered sugar in two separate shallow dishes.
- Scoop dough: Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scooper to scoop the cookie dough. Release the cookie dough into the granulated sugar.
- Roll in sugars: Roll the dough ball in granulated sugar first. Roll it in between your hands briefly to create a round ball and then roll it in powdered sugar until generously coated. Place the cookie dough balls on your lined baking sheet, leaving about 1-2" in between each ball.
- Bake: Bake cookies for about 11 minutes or until the powdered sugar forms a cracked pattern and the cookies are puffy.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Rolling the dough in both granulated sugar and powdered sugar may seem excessive but it's key to creating the cracked pattern in the powdered sugar. The first layer of granulated sugar absorbs the moisture on the surface of the cookies so that the second layer of powdered sugar doesn't mix with the oils and stays perfectly bright white and powdery.
Danai
Instead of using matcha, can i substitute it for cocoa powder to make chocolate ones? pls answer :)Thank u!
Gail Ng
You can but you will probably need more cocoa powder than 2 tablespoons for them to taste very chocolatey!
Kay
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I love matcha and I’m intrigued, but I’m also not a fan of desserts being overly sweet. If I just omit the sugar and powdered sugar that the dough is rolled in (since I’m. It married to the crinkle cookie look), would it affect the flavor or texture of the cookie?