Delicate and sweet Matcha Sugar Cookies with a fresh, earthy flavor. These soft and chewy sugar cookies perfectly blend the sweetness of sugar with the earthiness of matcha.
This post is part of The Sweetest Season event and is dedicated to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Please see below for more details on how to donate this Christmas.
Table of contents
Matcha Sugar Cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookies to make! Like most matcha lovers, I’m a big fan of all things matcha – and these sugar cookies take the cake!
These Japanese chewy matcha cookies use simple ingredients and are super simple to make, taking only a few minutes to prepare. Made with authentic Japanese green tea powder, they have a distinct matcha flavor, without being bitter or too grassy in flavor.
Matcha powder adds a unique aroma and a subtle, earthy sweetness, setting them apart from traditional chewy sugar cookies. So, if you’re a sugar cookie lover, this flavor might just become your favorite one yet!
Pair your matcha sugar cookies with some Homemade Matcha Ice Cream or a sweet and floral Matcha Sakura Latte. Or try the gooiest fudgy Matcha Brownies with white chocolate chips.
Looking for more unique cookie flavors? Check out these sweet & spicy Gochujang Caramel Cookies or these chewy Ube Cookies.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Earthy Flavor: These Matcha Sugar Cookies are made with high-quality culinary grade matcha, which gives them a fresh and earthy flavor. Green tea powder also gives them a natural and vibrant green color.
- Soft & Chewy Texture: These green tea cookies have a soft and chewy texture, perfect to be served with green tea or matcha latte. The balance between the chewiness and the subtle crispness on the edges makes these cookies irresistible.
- Easy to Make: This matcha cookie recipe is not only delicious but also incredibly easy to prepare. They are perfect for a quick treat or a baking session with friends and family.
- Perfect for Storing: These Matcha Sugar Cookies maintain their flavor and texture beautifully at room temperature, making them ideal for storing for up to 1 week. They can also be frozen for longer term storage.
Ingredient round-up
- Matcha powder – the key ingredient in this recipe. High quality culinary matcha powder is needed for this recipe. Since all flavor comes from green tea powder, it’s essential to use a good quality and pure matcha powder. You can also use ceremonial grade matcha powder, but it’s much more expensive than culinary grade.
- Flour – Plain all purpose flour is needed for this recipe. Self-rising flour cannot be used.
- Baking soda – is needed to give these buttery matcha cookies their soft and chewy texture. Baking soda also helps them spread and become flatter.
- Sugar – I recommend using plain granulated sugar in order to maintain the bright green color of these matcha cookies. Brown sugar would make the cookies more brown in color.
Substitutions & Variations
This chewy matcha sugar cookie recipe is great because it can be changed to fit your taste. Here are some ideas on what ingredients you can add or swap to switch it up:
- Vanilla extract – optional, but a teaspoon of vanilla extract adds a lovely subtle and floral aroma.
- Green food color – Although I recommend using a good quality matcha powder for a naturally green color, you can also use food coloring. Add 1-2 drops of gel food coloring for a more beautiful green color.
- White chocolate – You can either mix in some white chocolate chips or use melted chocolate to dip the cookies in.
How to make this recipe
1. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy.
2. Sift in the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, without overmixing.
3. Use an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop to form cookie dough balls.
4. Roll each matcha cookie through sugar, then press down to flatten slightly and bake until golden brown on the edges.
Success Tips & Tricks
- Quality Matcha Powder: For the best flavor in your Matcha Sugar Cookies, use high-quality culinary grade matcha powder. The purity and grade of the matcha will significantly enhance the earthy, vibrant flavor of these buttery sugar cookies.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure that all ingredients, especially butter and eggs, are at room temperature before starting. This helps in achieving a smooth, consistent dough, which is key to making perfect cookies.
- Do Not Overmix: When combining your ingredients, mix just until they are just incorporated. Overmixing can lead to tough cookies. Gentle mixing ensures your cookies make a tender, chewy texture.
- Flatten By Hand: These cookies do not spread very much during baking, so flatten them by hand to your desired thickness. This helps in achieving flat cookies with a delightful chewy center and slightly crisp edges.
Frequently asked questions
Place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature fo up to 1 week.
Yes, these cookies are great for freezing. Place in an airtight container or wrap in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Sugar cookies become tough if you use too much flour or you overmix the cookie dough. For best results, I recommend using a kitchen scale in grams and mixing the dough with a spatula.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you will love these too:
Looking for more easy to make cookie recipes? Check out these super simple Drop Sugar Cookies!
If you’ve tried this recipe out, please don’t forget to rate and comment on this post. I love hearing from you, so feel free to reach out to me on social media as well and tag me in your posts!
Recipe
Easy Matcha Sugar Cookies (Green Tea Sugar Cookies)
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 medium egg room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar*
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon culinary matcha powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
Extra
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter until pliable and soft. Mix in the egg, salt and sugar until fully combined. If desired, add vanilla extract at this stage and mix well.
- Separately, in a medium bowl sift the flour, baking soda and matcha powder. Use a whisk to fully combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, then mix until a sticky cookie dough forms. Do not overmix, and stop mixing once the dough is combined.
- Use a small ice cream scoop to form 12 matcha cookie dough balls.
- Add the extra ¼ cup of sugar to a deep plate or bowl. Roll each cookie dough ball through sugar until fully coated.
- Place the sugar cookies on the lined cookie sheet, at least 1 ½ - 2 inches apart. The cookies spread while baking, so they need space.
- Optional, for thinner cookies, gently press them down with your palm to flatten to about ½ inch thickness.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges look a little golden. The cookies will be quite soft whilst hot, so let them cool on the sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Sugar – brown sugar can also be used, but it will make the cookies more brown in color.
- Nutritional value is estimative and is calculated per serving, without any optional ingredients. This recipe makes 12 cookies.
Nutrition
The Sweetest Season
This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap co-hosted by Erin of The Speckled Palate and Susannah of Feast + West. Every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes to make and give.
This year we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids' Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.
Another exciting thing is that Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2023, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer
About Cookies for Kids’ Cancer:
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer. Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
How it all started:
When 2-year-old Liam Witt was diagnosed with childhood cancer in 2007, his parents Larry and Gretchen were shocked to learn of the lack of effective treatments for pediatric cancers due to lack of funding. They pledged to support the funding of research for safer, more effective treatments for children battling cancer. With the help of 250 volunteers, his mom Gretchen baked and sold 96,000 cookies, raising more than $400,000 for research. Word spread, and people nationwide began asking, "How can I help?" From that giant cookie bake, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer was born.
Fast Facts:
- Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease of children in the U.S.
- More than 40,000 U.S. children are actively battling cancer right now.
- The average age of a child diagnosed with pediatric cancer is 6.
- The combined 12 major groups of pediatric cancers receive 4% of the National Cancer Institute's (NCI) federal budget.
- ⅔ pediatric cancer patients will develop long-term side effects, many life-threatening—a result of the treatments that "cured" them.
- Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is committed to funding research for new, improved and less toxic treatment options for kids.
- There are 300,000+ new cases of cancer affecting children worldwide annually. That’s more than 800 new kids affected every day.
Matching
Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, who will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2023, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!
Erin says
What stunning cookies! I've never considered adding matcha to my sugar cookies, but I've got to give it a go now for sure! My kids will love the brilliant green color of them, too.
Thank you for bringing such a unique and delicious cookie to our collaboration this year, Hanelore! I hope you and yours have the happiest holiday season!
Hannah says
Will it taste bad if I use lightly salted butter?
Hanelore Dumitrache says
Hi Hannah, if you use lightly salted butter just leave out the extra 1/4 tsp salt in the recipe and it'll taste just right! Happy baking 🙂