Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate and Macadamia Nuts

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.

this to try later

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.

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.👇

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.

Some Vanilla Extract for 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.

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.

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

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.

See guidelines at USDA.gov for instructions on the safe handling of fresh ingredients.

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