Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (2024)

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These crunchy yet soft and chewy matcha green tea cookies with white chocolate and macadamia nuts captivate with their irresistible and unique flavor combination. The perfect match for your afternoon coffee or tea.

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4.88 from 32 votes

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Matcha powder is a Japanese green tea powder traditionally consumed as a ceremonial tea. However, it has become more and more popular as an ingredient for many sweet and savory dishes.

It is often found in recipes for baking, desserts and shakes, resulting in delicious treats with an unmistakable fresh and vibrant green color. If you are fan of confectionaries that are less sweet with a subtle bitterness, aromas of vanilla and nuts, you will love this matcha cookies recipe.

Looking for more recipes with matcha? Check out my Matcha Shortbread Cookies recipe given as a variation in my German Shortbread Cookies Recipe.

Another fantastic idea is the Matcha Oreos Recipe by Jason Licker posted on Food 52. Or how about a vegan Vanilla Almond Matcha and Chocolate Lava “Shake” as published by Half Baked Harvest.

Why we love this Matcha Cookie Recipe

  • The slightly bitter and vegetal, yet fresh and subtle flavor of the the green tea matcha powder pairs amazingly well with the vanilla aromas of the white choclate, as well as the rich and buttery flavor of the macadamia nuts.
  • Even though this is a treat, we love the health benefits of matcha and macadamia nuts.
  • The vibrant green color.
  • This matcha cookie recipe is simple and easy to make.
  • The cookie dough freezes well.
Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (2)

What you need

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make these delicious green tea cookies with white chocolate and macadamia nuts. Detailed measurements can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.👇

Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (3)

Flour - just regular all-purpose flour. My personal favorite is Bob's Red Mill unbleached all-purpose flour.

Baking Soda to make the cookies slightly fluffy.

The Butter should be room temperature or melted. You can also use browned butter for an even richer butter flavor. I explain how to make brown butter in my German Shortbread Cookie recipe post.

Organic Cane Sugar is my choice for this cookie recipe. Organic cane sugar is unrefined and less processed than conventional sugar. However, you can also use conventional refined sugar, coconut sugar or brown sugar.

The egg is the binder for these cookies.

Matcha Powder - I used Culinary Grade Matcha Powder for this recipe. Depending on the quality and grade of your green tea powder, you might have to reduce the amount of matcha powder given in the recipe. More details are provided in the FAQ section below.

White Chocolate Chips - either chips or roughly chopped white chocolate will work.

Macadamia Nuts - either halved or roughly chopped.

SomeVanilla Extractfor the flavor (not in the picture). I personally prefer extract from vanilla pods instead of artificial flavoring. You can use 1 package of vanilla sugar instead.

Salt as a natural flavor enhancer.

Tip! Matcha powder can be pricy. Unless you use it frequently, which justifies buying a larger amount, I recommend buying as much as you need at a bulk store.

How to bake Matcha Cookies

This cookie recipe with matcha is very easy to make. Firstly, preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit / 180° Celsius, prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper and follow the steps below.

Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (4)
  1. In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract and salt until creamy.
  2. Add the flour, baking soda and matcha powder and knead all ingredients into a smooth cookie dough.
  3. Fold in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips using a spatula or cooking spoon.
  4. Use a medium cookie spoon/ice cream spoon to form the cookie dough balls, roughly the amount of 1 heaped tablespoon. Place them on the parchment paper and leave at least 2 inches / 5cm between each cookie.
  5. Slightly flatten the cookie dough balls and bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes.
  6. Let the cookies cool down for 3-5 minutes. Then transfer them onto a cooling rack and let the green tea cookies rest for another 10 minutes.
Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (5)

Some More Cookie Favorites

  • German Butter Cookies - Fraenkisches Butterzeug
  • German Shortbread Cookies
  • Vanilla Crescents with Nuts
  • German Spritz Cookies with Bitter Chocolate and Orange

FAQ

Are Matcha Cookies healthy?

Matcha is said to have multiple health benefits, but this is still a cookie recipe and all sugary foods should be consumed in small amounts. That being said, amongst other health benefits, Matcha powder is very rich in valuable antioxidants, boosts metabolism, is high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. The green tea powder is also known to have a calming and stress-reducing effect - even when consumed through cookies 😉

What does Matcha taste like?

Matcha green tea powder is slightly bitter with a vegetal taste. It pairs excellent with vanilla, chocolate, citrus and fruit flavors and is therefore a popular ingredient for baking and desserts.

Do Matcha cookies have caffeine?

Yes, the caffeine in 1 teaspoon of Matcha tea powder can vary between 34mg to 68mg. However, its effects are not quite the same as the caffeine in coffee due to the relaxing effect of the amino acid L-Theanine found in the green tea powder.

Can I use Matcha green tea powder for baking?

Yes, Matcha green tea powder is what I used for this recipe.

Which Matcha powder should I use?

The Japanese green tea powder can be found in different grades of quality. Two commonly available grades are the Culinary Grade and Ceremonial Quality.

The Ceremonial Quality is meant to be consumed as

tea and is the highest quality available. You can use it for baking, however, the Culinary Grade Matcha is designed to be used in shakes, desserts, cakes, cookies and other sweet as well as savory foods and drinks.

You can use any grade. However, depending on the quality of the matcha powder (even within one grade), you might have to adjust the amount given in the recipe.

Are Macadamia Nuts healthy?

The Australian Macadamia nut is high in monosaturated fats, can lower inflammation, is loaded with healthy nutrients.

I have a nut allergy, can I leave the macadamia nuts out of this recipe?

Yes, please leave the macadamia nuts out and bake just white chocolate matcha cookies! They will still be delicious.

Can I use dark or milk chocolate chips instead?

Yes of course. I personally love the flavor combination of white chocolate and Matcha. I find that other chocolate can overpower the subtle aroma of the matcha and does not allow you to experience the full flavor palette. That being said, if you only have dark or milk chocolate chips available or prefer the taste, go for it.

Should I chill the cookie dough before baking?

That depends on your preference. Do you like your cookies thicker and chewy? If so, refrigerate the cookie dough prior to baking. If the dough is chilled, the butter will melt slower, keeping the cookies thicker. The result is a soft and chewy matcha cookie.
If you like your cookies slightly crunchy, bake them without chilling. Your matcha cookies will be more flat and crispy, with a soft core.

Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (6)

Storage and Food Safety

Store baked cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for 4-5 days.

To freeze the unbaked cookie dough, form the dough balls and place them on a piece of parchment paper. Place the paper with the cookie dough balls in the freezer for roughly 30 minutes until slightly frozen. Transfer the cookie dough balls into an airtight container or freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.

To bake cookies from frozen dough, place the dough balls on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Defrost at room temperature for roughly 1-2 hours and bake as per the instructions given in the recipe.

Seeguidelines at USDA.govfor instructions on the safe handling of fresh ingredients.

Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (7)

Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (8)

Matcha Cookies

Author: Lexa

These crunchy yet soft and chewymatcha green tea cookieswithwhite chocolateandmacadamia nutscaptivate with their irresistible and unique flavor combination. The perfect match for your afternoon coffee or tea.

4.88 from 32 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 12 minutes mins

Total Time 22 minutes mins

Course Cookies & Cakes, Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 15 cookies

Calories 225 kcal

Tools

  • Hand Mixer (or Stand Mixer)

  • 2 Baking Sheets

  • Parchment Paper

  • 1 Mixing Bowl

  • 1 Dough Spatula

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon corn starch (or potato starch)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
  • ¾ cup organic cane sugar
  • 2 Eggs
  • 3 teaspoons matcha powder
  • ½ cup white chocolate chips
  • cup macadamia nuts
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit / 180° Celsius and prepare two baking sheets with parchment paper.

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat sugar, butter, egg, vanilla extract and salt until creamy.

    ¾ cup unsalted butter, ¾ cup organic cane sugar, 2 Eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon salt

  • Add the flour, baking soda and matcha powder and knead all ingredients into a smooth cookie dough.

    2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 3 teaspoons matcha powder, 1 tablespoon corn starch

  • Fold in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips using a spatula or cooking spoon.

    ½ cup white chocolate chips, ⅓ cup macadamia nuts

  • Use a medium cookie spoon to form the cookie dough balls, the amount of 1 heaped tablespoon. Place them on the parchment paper and leave at least 2 inches / 5cm between each cookie.

  • Bake in the preheated oven for 12 - 15 minutes.

  • Let the cookies cool down for 3-5 minutes. Then transfer them on a cooling rack and let the green tea cookies rest for another 10 minutes.

Notes

  • The flavor intensity of matcha powder varies with the quality. Reduce or increase the amount of matcha powder according to your liking and quality of the green tea powder.
  • If you like it more crispy, go towards the maximum baking time. However, your cookies might turn out more brown and less green.
  • The amount of sugar given in the recipe is for cookies that are less sweet.Increase the amount of sugar if you like it sweeter.

NUTRITION FACTS

Calories: 225kcal (11%) | Carbohydrates: 26g (9%) | Protein: 3g (6%) | Fat: 13g (20%) | Saturated Fat: 7g (44%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg (12%) | Sodium: 160mg (7%) | Potassium: 51mg (1%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 13g (14%) | Vitamin A: 327IU (7%) | Vitamin C: 1mg (1%) | Calcium: 17mg (2%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)

Keywords green tea cookie, Japanese green tea., Macadamia nut cookies, Matcha baking recipes, Matcha cookie recipe, Matcha white chocolate cookies, Recipes with Matcha

Tried this recipe? Show me how it turned out!Mention @Lexas_Recipes or tag #lexas_recipes!

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Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts - Lexa's Recipes (2024)
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