Matcha Mochi Cookies

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These matcha mochi cookies are made with a soft matcha white chocolate cookie stuffed with chewy mochi in the middle. When paired together, they create the most incredible texture that's soft, buttery, chewy, and bouncy. So satisfying!

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Why you'll love this recipe
What is mochi?
What matcha powder to use
Ingredients
How to make matcha mochi cookies
Storage
Freezing
Tips & tricks
Frequently asked questions
More matcha recipes to try
Recipe

These matcha mochi cookies have quickly become one of my favourite cookies of all time. They have everything I love about my matcha white chocolate cookies but with an extra chewy mochi surprise inside.

They are seriously a perfect combination of textures if you love the bouncy, stretchy, and chewy texture of mochi. The cookie pull alone is already satisfying before even biting into it!

Why you'll love this recipe

These matcha mochi cookies have the most amazing soft and chewy texture!
The matcha cookies are perfectly sweetened with white chocolate chunks.
They're delicious and full of matcha green tea flavour.
The cookie dough can be made ahead of time so that you can stuff them with mochi and bake them off fresh.

Pulling a matcha mochi cookie apart to show the stretchy mochi inside.

What is mochi?

Mochi refers to a variety of Japanese rice cakes made with glutinous rice. It's known for its soft and chewy texture and gel-like consistency. Mochi doesn't have a strong taste on its own (it mostly tastes like rice) but it can be paired with a variety of different sweet and savoury fillings and glazes.

Traditionally, mochi is made by repeatedly pounding steamed sweet rice with a wooden mallet until the rice breaks down and becomes elastic and sticky.

Nowadays, mochi is usually made at home by combining glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. It is then microwaved or steamed until it becomes sticky and slightly translucent.

What matcha powder to use

Ceremonial grade matcha is made from tea leaves harvested early in the Spring season. This matcha has a nuanced and sweet taste and vibrant green colour. It's meant to be enjoyed in drinks with very few other ingredients to let the flavour shine on its own.

Culinary grade matcha is made from tea leaves harvested late in the Summer season. This matcha has a slightly bitter and grassy taste and a dull, brownish-green colour. It's meant to be used in baking or cooking where it will be mixed with many other ingredients and exposed to high temperatures.

I always prefer to use ceremonial grade matcha powder in all my drink and baking recipes. It has a better taste and brighter green colour.

Since the matcha flavour in this cookie recipe is the star of the show, no matter what kind of matcha powder you use, you want to make sure that it's a high quality product.

Most people who don't like the taste of matcha have only tasted culinary grade matcha or a low quality matcha!

Cross section of matcha cookies cut in half to show the mochi inside.

Ingredients

Glutinous rice flour - This is a fine and powdery flour made from long or short-grain "sticky" or sweet rice. It's what gives mochi its chewy and bouncy texture. If you have access to the Thai brand of rice flour, it's the one with green writing. You can also substitute with mochiko but NOT regular rice flour.
Granulated sugar - You'll need this to sweeten both the mochi and the matcha cookies.
Water
Cornstarch - You just need a little bit to dust the mochi with to keep it from sticking to your hands and make it much easier to work with.
Unsalted butter - This needs to be softened to room temperature. Be sure to beat it very well to incorporate air into it so that your cookies are tender and soft.
Egg - This should be at room temperature so that it mixes homogeneously with the butter and doesn't cool down the butter on contact.
Vanilla extract - Just for more flavour, as always!
All-purpose flour - You'll need this for the cookie part of the recipe.
Matcha powder - Use a high quality ceremonial grade matcha powder. You can also use a culinary grade matcha powder as long as it's good quality and has a vibrant green colour rather than a dull brownish colour.
Milk powder - This adds a subtle creamy and milky flavour to your cookies without needing to add liquid milk. If you've never tried adding milk powder to baked goods, this might change your life! This is optional but recommended. If you don't have any milk powder, replace it with the same amount of all-purpose flour.
Salt
Baking soda - This works with baking powder to help the cookies puff up nicely when baked.
Baking powder
White chocolate - This should be roughly chopped. For picture perfect cookies, reserve a small handful of white chocolate to press on top of your cookies just before they're finished baking.

How to make matcha mochi cookies

For the mochi

Mix ingredients - In a small bowl, stir together glutinous rice flour, sugar, and water. Some lumps are fine.

Microwave in intervals - Microwave for 1 minute, stir, microwave for 1 minute, stir, and microwave for another 30 seconds, and stir until it becomes very sticky and bouncy.

Turning glutinous rice flour and water into mochi in a bowl.

Divide into small pieces - Lightly flour a surface with a small amount of cornstarch and turn the mochi out on top. Pat all sides of the mochi with cornstarch. Let it cool slightly until you can handle it without burning yourself and cut the mochi up into 10 pieces, coating each piece with cornstarch. Set aside and let it cool completely before using.

For the cookies

Prep - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients - In a medium bowl, stir together flour, milk powder, matcha powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

Cream butter and wet ingredients - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the softened butter on medium speed until very creamy. Add the sugar and cream together until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat again on low speed until combined.

Mix cookie dough - Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until just combined but with some flour patches left.

Mixing ingredients for cookie dough in a bowl.

Fold in chocolate - Add the chopped white chocolate, reserving a small handful for later. Finish mixing the dough by folding it together with the chocolate using a spatula until just combined.

Folding white chocolate chunks into matcha cookie dough.

Scoop & chill - Use a 4-tablespoon ice cream scooper to scoop out balls of dough. Place them on your lined baking sheet. No need to space these out. Chill these dough balls in the fridge for at least 1 hour or until firm.

Shaping a ball of cookie dough in hands.

Preheat - Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Wrap mochi in cookie dough - Press your thumb into the middle of one ball of dough and press outwards to create a depression. Place a piece of mochi in the middle and press the dough together to wrap around the mochi and form into a ball. Place on your lined baking sheet, leaving at least 2" between each cookie for spreading.

Wrapping matcha cookie dough around a piece of mochi.

Bake - Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set but the middles are still soft. About 1-2 minutes before they're finished baking, press a few pieces of white chocolate you saved earlier on top of each cookie (optional).

Cool cookies - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for at least 10-15 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Storage

These matcha mochi cookies are best served fresh on the same day they were baked or the next day. To keep them for longer, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

After the second day, the moisture from the mochi will slowly start to make the middle of the cookies a bit wet. The mochi itself will become firmer after a few days. They'll still taste good but just not as good as their prime.

Freezing

You can freeze these cookies by wrapping them well in plastic wrap and/or aluminium foil or putting them in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw completely at room temperature before eating.

Matcha mochi cookies on a wooden board in front of a shelf.

Tips & tricks

Stir mochi in between each microwave interval. You want to cook it in short intervals, several times. Stirring it in between each interval ensures it cooks evenly and allows you to feel the texture and gauge when it's ready.

Dust mochi with cornstarch. This will prevent the mochi from sticking to your hands, to the surface, and to each other. It will be much easier to handle! After cutting the mochi, dust each newly cut side with cornstarch as well. Only use as much as you need.

Use room temperature butter and eggs. This is the key to soft and tender cookies. Softened butter allows you to cream it well and whip in lots of air. Room temperature eggs ensure they will mix with the butter seamlessly without curdling or cooling the butter.

Don't overmix cookie dough after adding flour. After you add the flour mixture, only mix until the dough is just barely combined. Finish mixing by hand with a spatula so that you don't overwork the dough. Overmixed cookie dough leads to dense and flat cookies.

Use a large cookie scooper. I recommend using a large 4-tablespoon cookie or ice cream scooper. You need to have enough dough to wrap around the mochi pieces and who doesn't love a big cookie? If I make them any smaller, I find that they don't spread as nicely.

Scoop the cookie dough and chill before stuffing. The cookie dough is much easier to scoop when it's at room temperature. This cookie dough needs to be chilled to make it easier to handle when stuffing them with mochi. If the dough is too soft, it will just crumble apart in your warm hands and you won't be able to shape it properly around the mochi pieces.

Matcha mochi cookies scattered on top of a wire rack and parchment paper.

Frequently asked questions

What's the difference between glutinous rice flour and mochiko?

Glutinous rice flour is made from long or short grain sweet (sticky) rice. Mochiko is made with short grain sweet (sticky) rice. Both are basically the same thing and can be used interchangeably with very similar results.

What's the difference between glutinous rice flour and rice flour?

Rice flour is made from regular long grain rice, not sticky rice. As such, rice flour does not have the sticky, chewy quality of glutinous rice flour or mochiko. If you're making mochi, definitely be sure to use glutinous rice flour, not rice flour.

Can I make these cookies in advance?

You can scoop the cookie dough out in advance as they need some time to chill in the fridge before stuffing them with mochi. This cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Once you stuff them with mochi, they should be baked right away.

What's the difference between ceremonial grade and culinary grade matcha powder?

Ceremonial grade matcha powder is a high quality matcha meant for drinking as is where the flavour shines on its own. It has a very vibrant green colour and tastes sweet and fragrant. Culinary matcha is a lower grade matcha that is meant to be used in baked goods where it is mixed with other ingredients and exposed to high heat. It is usually a brownish-green colour and can taste bitter on its own. I always prefer to use ceremonial grade matcha powder in both drinks and baked goods for a much better flavour and colour.