These super soft-baked matcha white chocolate cookies are a delightful way to enjoy matcha green tea. They have just the right amount of sweetness and plenty of matcha flavour. This cookie recipe doesn’t require chilling so you can enjoy your cookies as soon as possible!
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These matcha white chocolate cookies are one of the BEST cookies I've ever made. Cookie texture is a very personal preference but these are the ideal texture for me. They're soft with a chewy and doughy center and slightly crisp edges.
The fresh and earthy matcha flavour mellows out the sweetness from the white chocolate chunks. It's the perfect balance of sweet and almost savoury.
I have to admit, I love these matcha cookies more than classic chocolate chip cookies. They just have so much matcha flavour and they’re a unique spin on a classic cookie. I hope you love these as much as I do!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- These matcha white chocolate cookies are very easy to make. No chilling needed.
- They’re soft and chewy cookies with crisp edges when fresh out of the oven.
- Matcha and white chocolate are a perfect flavour combination. The sweetness of the white chocolate balances out the slight bitterness of the matcha powder.
- These matcha cookies freeze well. They can be made in advance and baked whenever you’re in the mood for a fresh, warm cookie.
Tools
- Electric hand mixer - An electric hand mixer or a stand mixer makes creaming butter and sugar together very easy. There isn't really a better way to aerate the batter without it. It's a kitchen essential if you bake often!
- 4-tablespoon cookie dough scooper - I recommend using the biggest cookie dough scooper or ice cream scooper you can find for the best bakery-style cookies. Using a scooper means all your cookies will be about the same size and you never have to touch the cookie dough with your hands. A 4-tablespoon scooper is perfect for me (I would even go bigger but scoopers that big are hard to find) but a 3-tablespoon scooper is also acceptable.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Matcha powder - Use a high-quality culinary grade matcha powder or ceremonial grade matcha powder (my personal preference). Use your favourite matcha powder that has a vibrant green colour and sweet taste.
- Milk powder - This is an optional "secret" ingredient that gives baked goods a slightly rich and milky flavour. I would recommend it but you can omit it if you don't have it on hand.
- Baking powder - Both baking powder and baking soda help the cookies puff up and stay nice and thick.
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Unsalted butter - Let the butter soften to room temperature before using it. You'll be creaming it with the sugars to incorporate lots of air into the batter so that your cookies turn out fluffy and soft.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg - Let your egg come to room temperature before using it to ensure that it combines smoothly with the rest of the mixture.
- Vanilla extract - This adds a lovely creamy flavour when combined with the matcha.
- White chocolate - Roughly chop your chocolate into small chunks and set aside a handful for pressing into the tops of each cookie for picture-perfect cookies.
How to make matcha white chocolate cookies
Prep - Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Mix dry ingredients - In a small bowl, stir together the flour, matcha powder, milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar - In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat softened butter until very creamy. Add sugar and cream together with the mixer until very creamy and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
Add eggs - Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again until combined.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients - Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and briefly mix with the hand mixer until almost combined with some flour patches left.
Fold in chocolate - Add the chopped chocolate and finish folding the dough together with a silicone spatula until just combined. Don't overmix.
Scoop cookie dough - Using a 4-tablespoon ice cream scooper, scoop out balls of cookie dough and place them on your baking sheet, leaving about 2" between each cookie for spreading.
Bake - Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle is still very soft. In the last 2 minutes of baking, press a few extra white chocolate chunks on top of each cookie (optional).
Cool - Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Storage
These matcha white chocolate cookies can be stored in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 4 days.
The unbaked cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for about 1-2 days.
Freezing
To freeze the cookie dough - Scoop out the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet. Place the entire sheet in the freezer for about 30 minutes or until the dough balls are firm. Transfer the cookie dough balls to an airtight container, freezer bag, or wrap them well with plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil, and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before baking.
To freeze baked cookies - Place the cookies in an airtight container, freezer bag, wrap them well with plastic wrap and/or aluminum foil and freeze them for up to 1 month. Thaw completely at room temperature or reheat until warm before serving.
Tips & tricks
- Use room temperature ingredients. Your butter should be softened and eggs should be at room temperature before using them. This allows them to mix together seamlessly without curdling.
- Cream the butter and sugars together very well. You want to whip lots of air into the batter so that your cookies are fluffy and thick rather than flat and thin.
- Use a large cookie scooper. If you find that your cookies don't spread nicely and look like the ones from bakeries, you're likely not using enough dough for each cookie. There simply isn't enough dough to spread if they're too small. I wouldn’t use a scooper smaller than 3 tablespoons. Personally, a 4-tablespoon scooper is perfect.
- Press extra chocolate pieces on top of the cookies. Add the chocolate pieces a few minutes before the cookies are finished baking to get picture-perfect cookies.
- Use a large circular ring or fork to make your cookies perfect circles. This is completely optional but if you want perfectly round cookies, use this tip! Immediately after taking your cookies out of the oven, use a circular cookie cutter or any round bowl that’s slightly larger than your cookies and swirl your cookies around inside the ring to knock any uneven edges into a perfect circle. You can also use a fork to push in any uneven edges.
Frequently asked questions
Browning in the oven is natural as cookies bake. For vibrant green matcha poweder, use a high-quality matcha powder with a bright green colour to begin with. They will still brown slightly but it helps if you start with a naturally greener matcha powder. I find that most culinary matcha powders tend to run more brown. If all else fails, you should check your oven to make it doesn’t run hotter than the temperature you set and bake your cookies on the middle rack.
Matcha goes well with other mix-ins such as dark chocolate, dried fruits like cranberries, and nuts like macadamia nuts.
The light and creamy flavour of white chocolate allows the flavour of matcha to shine without overpowering it. It also add sweetness to the slightly bitter and earthy matcha flavour. Matcha and white chocolate really are a perfect pairing!
Yes, you can make the cookie dough about 1-2 days ahead of time. Scoop them into balls and store them in the fridge until you're ready to bake them. You can also freeze the cookie dough for up to 1 month before baking.
More matcha recipes to try
- Matcha Mochi Cookies
- Matcha Muffins
- Matcha Madeleines
- Matcha Basque Cheesecake
- Matcha Linzer Cookies
- Matcha Mille Crepe Cake
- Matcha Strawberry Cake
Recipe
Matcha White Chocolate Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 180 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder, ceremonial grade or high-quality culinary grade
- 1 tablespoon milk powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 115 g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 100 g white chocolate, roughly chopped, plus a handful extra for topping
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, matcha powder, milk powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric hand mixer to beat softened butter until very creamy. Add sugar and cream together with the mixer until very creamy and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add eggs: Add in the eggs and vanilla extract and mix again until combined.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients: Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture and briefly mix with the hand mixer until almost combined with some flour patches left.
- Fold in chocolate: Add the chopped chocolate and finish folding the dough together with a silicone spatula until just combined. Don't overmix.
- Scoop cookie dough: Using a 4-tablespoon ice cream scooper, scoop out balls of cookie dough and place them on your baking sheet, leaving about 2" between each cookie for spreading.
- Bake: Bake cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are set but the middle is still very soft. In the last 2 minutes of baking, press a few extra white chocolate chunks on top of each cookie (optional).
- Cool: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- There's no need to chill this cookie dough before baking but if it's too sticky, it doesn't hurt to chill it for about 30 minutes before scooping.
Kirra
Can I use white chocolate chips instead of chopped white chocolate?
Gail Ng
You can! Chocolate chips just have a coating on them makes them keep their shape so they won't melt in the same way as chopped chocolate but they work just fine!
Noemie
Truly exceptional recipe. Thank you so much!
Kerry Rotherham
I made these this evening and oh wow, they’re delicious and really easy to make! Thank you for posting this recipe! My kids love them!
Emily
These turned out amazing. I may try slightly less sugar next time because I don't like my sweets too sweet. I'm also hoping to find the milk powder to use next time, but they were fantastic even without it!
Jeanne Sangadi
I super in love with this cookies! Best matcha cookie recipe I've ever had! Just wondering if we could tweak it by browning the butter and how would it affect the spreadability and texture of the cookie? Thanks x
Ann Jones
Followed the recipe to a tee and the result was perfection and matcha goodness!
c c
Love this recipe so much, during my first attempt I didn’t have a hand mixer and the cookies came out a little flat with very crispy edges. I modified the measurements by increasing the matcha one tbsp to replace the milk powder and used 50g of brown sugar to replace 1/3 of the white sugar. The second attempt was perfect and looked more like what I expected; very vibrant color and cakey top. (might be in part because I bought an electric hand mixer). Thank you for the recipe and if you have a sweet tooth try these cookies with strawberrry buttercream <3
Holly Ormond
So yum and will definitely be making them again!
Dominique
Hi, if i want to make 20 cookies, can i double all the ingredients? Please guide, thanks xx
Gail Ng
Yes, double the recipe!
Anonymous
can i use non fat milk powder for this?
Gail Ng
Yes!
Diana A.
Thank you for posting this recipe! The cookies came out perfectly and had a very balanced taste, the white chocolate chips complemented the matcha very well. Although I hand mixed everything, they still came out great (even though the process was much longer & I substituted the "milk powder" for a few oz of actual milk). I would recommend adding a few more chocolate chips on the top before baking. I chilled the dough for about half an hour and baked my cookies for 12 minutes- they had a nice golden brown color with a gooey center. I simply left them in the oven for a few minutes (oven wasn't turned on anymore) to let them 'rest' and they came out how I wanted them to! Highly recommend giving this recipe a shot & this will definitely become my new go-to recipe if I'm craving any matcha cookies anytime soon. Thank you!
Monique
Was it just me or did the cookies taste too bitter, like the baking soda??
linta
how long and what temp to bake these frozen cookie dough?
Gail Ng
Thaw the frozen dough in the fridge or at room temp for about an hour or so just so that they're not rock solid and then I would bake them at 325F for a few minutes longer than fresh cookie dough (about 13-15 minutes).
Anonymous
So is it 1 month after baking or 1 month before you bake it...?
Gail Ng
Are you referring to how long you can freeze them for? If so, it's 1 month for both baked and unbaked cookies. You can keep them for even longer but 1 month is personally good to prevent freezer burn.
Inna
Hello, Gail. Wonderful cookies. Can you please share the brand and name of matcha you are using. I want to have also rich in color and taste cookies. My matcha seems that not so good as yours even ceremonial grade.
Thanks
Gail Ng
Hi! I use either the Ikuyo matcha from Ippodo Tea (anything from Ippodo is great) or the ceremonial matcha from Paragon Tea Room. I've used both with this same recipe and they both work really well 🙂
Tina
Hey! Would love to know the matcha powder you use, if you dont mind. I used 2$ matcha once and it turned brown. Also would love to know how many grams each cookies has? Thanks!
Gail Ng
I usually use matcha powder from Ippodo Tea or Paragon Tea Room. Definitely use ceremonial-grade matcha powder! Culinary grade is cheaper but it's not as vibrant and tends to skew brown and also doesn't have the same kind of matcha flavour. I'm not sure how many grams each cookie has but I use 1 tablespoon to make about 10 cookies but you can always use more if you'd like!
Emma
this is a very stupid question but can you use coffee creamer instead of powdered milk?
Gail Ng
not a stupid question! if you don't have milk powder, just omit it instead of substituting it 🙂
Ns
how many cookies does this make? i'm planning to bake about 50 cookies for a fundraiser.
Gail Ng
This makes about 10 cookies (based on 4 tablespoons of dough each). Scale as needed 🙂
Ray
I followed the recipe exactly and thought the dough looked a bit dry but I trusted the process and they came out perfect.
They are maybe a little too sweet for me, but the sugar in the recipe makes the texture absolutely beautiful (light crispiness on the outside and soft on the inside).
When adding the white choc chunks I also sprinkled on a little flaky sea salt and it is a really nice balance, especially considering how sweet these are!
I slapped my baking tray down on the bench at the end so they deflated into a lovely bakery texture on top too.
I could sell these, they look and taste that good
Thank you for the recipe!!!!!
Pororo
So delicious, but I find them a little bit too sweet. I'll use less sugar next time!! 🙂
Lisa
These cookies are delicious! I made them for the first time yesterday. I actually made them to take to work for St Patricks day (since they are green, plus most of my coworkers have never had matcha anything and this would be a good introduction). I cant wait to share them with my coworkers 😀
Andrea
Hello,
Can I use cane sugar or other sugar substitutes?
Gail Ng
Cane sugar should be fine as long as the crystals are just as fine as granulated sugar and not the larger granule variety - depends on the brand!
Julie Nguyen
Hi, I just made the cookies using your recipe and even though it turned out amazing, I can't really taste the matcha flavor. I was wondering if the brand of the matcha matters, and what you used to make these cookies. I used a cheap matcha powder from the grocery store called "Jade Leaf Matcha Powder - Culinary Grade".
Gail Ng
The matcha powder definitely matters! I recommend using a good quality ceremonial-grade matcha powder - there's a big difference in flavour and colour. Culinary-grade matcha is marketed for baking but I don't recommend it because it doesn't taste like proper matcha to me and the colour is too brown. I usually use a ceremonial-grade matcha from Ippodo or Paragon Tea Room at the moment (I think the one I used for these photos was the Ikuyo matcha from Ippodo Tea).
Vi
These cookies look amazing! I can’t wait to make them. May I ask the brand of matcha powder you use?
Gail Ng
Right now I'm using a ceremonial grade matcha from Paragon Tea Room but I also love any matcha from Ippodo Tea 🙂
WLim
Could I replace milk powder with milk or something else?
Gail Ng
If you don't have milk powder, you can just omit it!
Leah
I just made these, omitting the milk powder, and they came out delicious! I was initially nervous because the dough seemed too flour-y, but the texture and taste came out just perfect! Thank you!
Em
Is there a difference in measurement if I use gluten free flour?
Gail Ng
I don't have experience working with gluten-free flours (sorry!) so I can't say for certain. It would be the same if you use a 1 to 1 flour like the Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour. Let me know if you give it a try with a different flour!
Pk
Can i use stand mixer with paddle attachment?
Gail Ng
Yes, of course! I would still switch to a spatula at the end to mix in the chocolate chunks so that you don't overmix it 🙂
Keke
What if I don't use milk powder? Because its kind of tricky to find milk powder for baking in my country
Gail Ng
You can just omit it if you can't find it!
Amy Chen
I just made these for thanksgiving, and it is an easy and delicious recipe to follow. I'm very much an amateur baker and this is by far the best thing I have ever made. Cookies are delicious, I was initially worried that it would taste very milky due to the milk powder, but no, you can really taste the matcha and white chocolate. Highly recommend!
Erika
Does it matter if the milk powder is whole or nonfat?
Gail Ng
It doesn't matter! 🙂
Nick
Hello, I don’t know if this makes sense, but is it possible to use a mixture of both brown or just white sugar like the recipe itself? I’m trying to dial down the sweetness. But does it make a difference to mix both? Have you tried?
Gail Ng
I haven't tried but you should be able to use a mix of both without a huge difference in the end result. Brown sugar just tends to make cookies chewier and spread a little less. I didn't use it here to avoid "muddying" the green colour of the matcha with brown but you can certainly give it a try!
Liza
I don’t think I’ve ever written a review on a recipe but this one I couldn’t pass. It’s amazing!!! Like seriously amazing
So soft and creamy and chewy yet perfectly set and cooked. Thank you so much for this recipe!
E
i've been making these cookies a lot lately but with the older version, is there a way to access that?
Gail Ng
Hi! I can email you the older version! I would highly recommend trying this new and improved version as well if you can 🙂
Petey
Can you make a "Gideon" version of this
Gail Ng
Good idea!! Gideon's cookies are soo good. I'll try 🙂
Sarah Youn
Is the flour 180g??
Gail Ng
oops! yes, it is