Soft in the middle, gently grassy, with pools of white chocolate that melt into the matcha. These are the cookies that quietly convert the people who think they do not like matcha, because the white chocolate rounds off any edge and leaves just the colour and a clean, tea-like flavour behind. They are also very hard to stop at one.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan) and line two trays.
- Cream the butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy.
- Beat in the egg and vanilla.
- Fold in the flour, matcha, bicarbonate of soda and salt until just combined.
- Stir through the white chocolate chunks.
- Scoop heaped tablespoons onto the trays, spaced well apart.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set at the edges but still soft in the middle. Cool on the tray for five minutes before moving.
Tip Ceremonial matcha keeps the colour bright and the flavour clean. Sift it in with the flour so it never clumps.
You will need
The trick to soft centres
Pull them from the oven while the centres still look a shade underdone and the edges are just set. They carry on cooking on the hot tray for a few minutes after, which is exactly what keeps the middle soft. Leave them on the tray for five minutes before you move them, or they will break while they are still fragile.
Colour and flavour
Sift the matcha in with the flour so it never clumps, and it gives the dough an even, natural green. Ceremonial grade keeps the colour bright and the flavour clean rather than bitter, which matters in a bake where a harsh matcha has nowhere to hide. If the green fades a little in the oven, that is normal, it settles as they cool.
How much matcha to use
Baking mutes matcha, so a cookie needs more of it than a drink does to taste of anything. Too little and you get a pale, faintly grassy cookie that could be pistachio. Too much and it turns bitter and chalky. The amount in the card is the sweet spot for a standard batch, but if you like it bolder, add half a teaspoon more and no further. The white chocolate is not just for looks either. Its sweetness balances the tannin in the tea, which is why these work where a matcha and dark chocolate cookie can taste stark.
Make it yours
Dark chocolate works if you prefer less sweetness, though white is the classic pairing. A pinch of flaky salt on top before baking makes them taste more grown up. And the raw dough balls freeze well, so you can bake two at a time straight from frozen, adding a minute or two to the time.
Common questions
Why did my cookies turn brown, not green?
Two usual causes: too little matcha to hold the colour through baking, or an oven running hot and over-browning the edges. Use a good spoonful of a bright ceremonial or culinary matcha, and pull the tray the moment the edges set rather than waiting for colour.
Can I use culinary grade matcha?
Yes. Culinary grade is made for exactly this, and the white chocolate covers any extra astringency. Ceremonial grade gives a cleaner, brighter result if you have it, but you do not need to bake with your best tin.
Can I freeze the dough?
Easily. Roll the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, then bag them up. Bake straight from frozen and add a minute or two to the time. It means fresh cookies whenever you fancy two rather than twenty.
A hot matcha latte alongside is almost too much matcha. Almost. If you are new to baking with it, the grades guide explains which tin to reach for.
