Bian Matcha - Recipes
Matcha White Chocolate Cookies: The Easy, Chewy Recipe
Matcha in baking is the perfect contrast: the grassy, slightly bitter notes and jade-green colour of the tea, softened by white chocolate that melts in your mouth. These matcha white chocolate cookies are chewy in the middle, lightly crisp at the edges, and they keep a beautiful green colour when you bake them just right.
The secret to a good matcha cookie is the matcha itself. A delicate grade gets lost in the oven; you need a bold profile that holds up against butter, sugar and heat. Bian Matcha's Barista No.1 Uji Latte is exactly that: built for milk and cooking, in a 100 g size, it's the most affordable matcha in the range for baking without breaking the bank.
Recipe card
Ingredients
- 250 g (2 cups) All-purpose flour
- 8 g (1 tbsp) Bian Matcha Barista No.1 (sifted)
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 115 g (1/2 cup) Unsalted butter, softened
- 150 g (3/4 cup) Sugar (half white, half brown)
- 1 Egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 150 g (1 cup) White chocolate chips
Always sift the matcha before adding it: the powder forms little green lumps in the dough if you skip this step. A fine sieve, ten seconds, and the colour comes out even.
Recommended tools
No café gear needed here, just good matcha. Here's what we recommend at Bian Matcha for this recipe:
🍵Step-by-step method
- 1Preheat the ovenPreheat to 180 °C (350 °F) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 2Mix the dry ingredientsIn a bowl, whisk together the flour, the sifted Barista No.1 matcha, baking powder and salt. The matcha should tint all the flour an even green.
- 3Cream the butter and sugarIn a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the sugars for 2 to 3 minutes, until pale and creamy.
- 4Add the egg and vanillaBeat in the egg, then the vanilla, until smooth.
- 5Bring the dough togetherAdd the dry ingredients in two additions, on low speed or with a spatula, just until a dough forms. Don't overmix.
- 6Fold in the white chocolateFold the white chocolate chips into the dough with a spatula.
- 7Shape the cookiesRoll into balls of about 2 tbsp and place them on the sheets, well spaced: they spread as they bake.
- 8Bake and coolBake for 10 to 12 minutes: the edges are set, the centre still soft. Let rest 5 minutes on the sheet before moving to a rack.
The Bian Matcha tip: pull the cookies as soon as the edges are set, even if the centre looks underdone. Overbaking browns the matcha and dulls its green colour; it's the number-one mistake with matcha cookies.
Variations and ideas
Once you've nailed the base, matcha cookies adapt endlessly:
🍪 Extra chewy
Chill the dough for 30 minutes before shaping: the cookies spread less and stay thicker and chewier.
🌾 Gluten-free
Swap the flour for a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose blend. The texture stays tender, the flavour unchanged.
🍓 Matcha raspberry
Add 40 g of crushed freeze-dried raspberries with the white chocolate: the tartness wakes everything up.
🌰 Extra indulgent
Replace half the white chocolate with macadamia nuts: matcha, white chocolate and macadamia is unbeatable.
Frequently asked questions
Which matcha should I use for cookies?
A bold, culinary-friendly matcha, not a delicate ceremonial. Barista No.1 keeps its taste and colour through butter, sugar and heat, and its 100 g size makes it affordable for baking. Save your Ceremonial No.3 for drinking straight.
Why do my matcha cookies lose their green colour?
Two reasons: baking too long or too hot, which browns the matcha, and a low-quality matcha that was already dull to begin with. Bake at 180 °C, pull the cookies as soon as the edges set, and start with a bright green matcha.
How much matcha per batch?
About 8 g (1 tbsp) for 18 cookies gives a present but balanced matcha flavour, offset by the white chocolate. For a deeper, greener, grassier result, go up to 10-12 g.
How do I store the cookies?
In an airtight container at room temperature, they keep for 5 days. The raw dough freezes well in balls: bake straight from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
My cookies taste bitter, why?
Either the matcha is overdosed, or it's too bitter a grade. With good matcha and the right amount, the tea's bitterness is light and balanced by the white chocolate. If in doubt, our guide to choosing your matcha helps you find your way.
Can I make this recipe egg-free?
Yes: replace the egg with 60 g of unsweetened applesauce or a "flax egg" (1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water, rested 10 minutes). The cookies will be a touch denser.
