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These matcha cookies have crisp buttery edges and soft chewy centers filled with a gooey white chocolate cream cheese filling. This uniquely delicious dessert bakes to perfection in less than 15 minutes. Serve them at your next cookie exchange, or holiday party, or just enjoy them as a snack!
If you’re obsessed with matcha recipes, you have to try my Matcha Cupcakes and Matcha Cheesecake next!
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Table of Contents
Calling all matcha lovers! I LOVE a good iced matcha latte – that earthy tea flavor with a touch of sweetness is just SO good. With this matcha cookie recipe, I combined that signature matcha flavor with a delicious white chocolate cream cheese filling to make the perfect cookies for all of my matcha lovers out there!
The sweet, creaminess of the white chocolate balances out the slight bitterness that matcha can have. The depth of flavor in these matcha cookies will have you devouring the whole batch!
This is my second recipe for my 12 days of cookies this year and I really want to do something other than your traditional classic chocolate chip cookie. I’ve always loved the green tea flavor of matcha so I decided to turn it into a delicious recipe and make these loaded green tea cookies.
Grab your measuring cup and bring your sweet tooth, it’s time to a batch of these buttery matcha cookies!
What is matcha?
Matcha is made from dried green tea leaves and is then ground into a powder (this is not to be confused with green tea powder). In taste, it’s a bit bitter and earthy yet still smooth.
There are two different kinds of matcha – culinary and ceremonial grade matcha. Ceremonial matcha is made from young tea leaves and is reserved for drinking. It’s the highest quality matcha and is used in Japanese tea ceremonies, hence the name.
When I think of matcha, my first thought is the famous Starbucks drink but the matcha powder used to make these delicious cookies is different from what is used to create the frothy beverage.
For this matcha cookie recipe, we use high-quality culinary-grade matcha instead of the latte mix. That’s the best matcha type for baking in my opinion and gets the best results!
What You’ll Need
- Mixing bowls
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
- Baking sheet
- Cookie Scoop
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Ingredient Notes
Filling
- Cream cheese – Make sure it’s room temperature for easier mixing.
- Powdered sugar – This adds sweetness but it also contributes to the cookies’ tenderness.
- White chocolate chips – This mellows out the matcha flavor and complements it well! You can use white chocolate chips or white chocolate bars, chopped up.
- Flour – To thicken the filling.
Matcha Cookies
- All Purpose Flour – A necessary ingredient in most baked goods. It provides structure.
- Culinary grade matcha powder – Be sure to use high quality culinary grade. The color and flavor are perfect for baking cookies and it doesn’t contain as much caffeine. This is what also gives these cookies their bright green color. Low quality matcha tends to have a bitter taste so choose wisely.
- Cornstarch – This softens the glutens in the flour which results in softer cookies. Cornstarch also adds a nice chewy texture to this matcha cookies recipe.
- Baking powder + Baking soda – These leaveners help the cookies spread and lift.
- Kosher salt – This brings out the other flavors.
- Salted butter – Make sure it’s room temperature for easier mixing. If you prefer, you can use unsalted butter here instead.
- Sugar – white sugar sweetness but sugar also contributes to the crisp edges of the cookie.
- Eggs – You need 1 large egg plus one egg yolk. Don’t skip the egg yolk because it makes the cookies super tender and chewy.
- Vanilla extract – This balances out the other flavors.
Tips for the Best Matcha Cookies
The best way to make the filling is to use an electric mixer. It helps
It’s good practice to sift the matcha when adding it to other ingredients. This will prevent clumping and you’ll get a more even vibrant green color.
Don’t overmix when adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. To get the perfect texture, mix the matcha cookie batter until just combined.
If you prefer flatter cookies, tap the pan immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven.
Don’t overbake the cookies. If the cookies are more brown than green, you’ve overbaked them. The cookies continue to bake even after coming out of the oven so take them out when the edges turn a golden brown.
How to Make Matcha Cookies
- Make the white chocolate cream cheese filling. Melt white chocolate according to package instructions until smooth. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and flour.
- Spoon out 1 tsp of the filling and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. You should have about 14 spoonfuls, there may be some filling leftover. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, matcha powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- In the bowl or stand mixer, cream together salted butter and sugar for 3 minutes until lighter in color. Then add the egg and egg yolk and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour mixture with the wet ingredients and mix until the flour is just incorporated.
- Scoop out 3 tbsps of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Gently press on the center to make an indent and place the cream cheese ball into the center of the cookie dough. Roll back into a ball to encase the dough around the filling.
- Place cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet (without parchment paper). Space cookies about 3 inches apart. Bake about 5-6 cookies at a time.
- Bake cookies 12-13 minutes, until the edges are set. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then remove them and let them cool for 20 minutes on a cooling rack.
- Drizzle with additional white chocolate (optional).
Substitutions and Variations
- Nuts: The crunch of macadamia nuts would go well in these chewy matcha cookies.
- Chocolate chips: Instead of a white chocolate center, you could throw chocolate chips in the cookie dough to make matcha chocolate chip cookies. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips would work too – you could even use white chocolate chunks.
- Sea salt: Want a sweet and salty combo? When the matcha cookies are fresh out of the oven, sprinkle them with sea salt.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover matcha cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for a week. They will last two weeks in the fridge. For longer storage, place in the freezer for up to 6 months.
More Cookie Recipes
For more sweet treats, try these delicious cookie recipes!
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Sugar Cookies
- Soft Sprinkle Cookies
- Cookie Monster Cookies
- Biscoff Butter Cookies
- Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chewy M&M Cookies
- Vanilla Bean Butter Pecan Cookies
Recipe FAQs
Culinary matcha can dry out baked goods so you should add more butter or oil to your recipe to account for that. (This recipe is perfect, just accurately measure your ingredients!)
You can use ceremonial tea to bake. However, the intensity of the flavor and the color may vary. I recommend using culinary-grade matcha for this recipe.
Matcha is complemented by a variety of flavors including chocolate, lemon, berries, and mint. So get creative with your own matcha dessert recipes!
More Cookie Recipes
- Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cookie Monster Cookies
- Biscoff Butter Cookies
- Honey Peanut Butter Cookies
- Chewy M&M Cookies
- Vanilla Bean Butter Pecan Cookies
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Let’s stay connected on social media and continue to cook together! Also, if you decide to make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and leave a comment below! Tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can see your creations! I hope that you love this recipe as much as we do!
Matcha Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 oz Cream cheese, (room temperature)
- ¾ cup + 2 tbsp Powdered sugar
- 3 oz White chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp Flour
Cookies
- 2¼ cup Flour
- 2 tbsp Culinary matcha powder
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Baking soda
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 cup Salted butter, (room temperature)
- 1¼ cup Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg yolk
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Instructions
- Make the white chocolate cream cheese filling. Melt white chocolate according to package instructions until smooth. Allow it to cool for 5 minutes, then use a hand mixer to combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and flour.
- Spoon out 1 tsp of the filling and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet. You should have about 14 spoonfuls, there may be some filling leftover. Place in the freezer for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, matcha powder, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
- In the bowl of stand mixer, cream together salted butter and sugar for 3 minutes until lighter in color. Then add the egg and egg yolk and vanilla extract. Continue to mix until fully combined.
- Add the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and mix until flour is just incorporated.
- Scoop out 3 tbsps of cookie dough and roll into a ball. Gently press on the center to make an indent and place the cream cheese ball into the center of the cookie dough. Roll back into a ball to encase the dough around the filling.
- Place onto a baking sheet. Space cookies about 3 inches apart. Bake about 5-6 cookies at a time.
- Bake in the oven for 12-13 minutes, until the edges are set. Allow cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes, then remove them and let them cool for 20 minutes on a cooling rack.
- Drizzle with additional white chocolate (optional).
Notes
- The best way to make the filling is to use an electric mixer. It helps
- It’s good practice to sift the matcha when adding it to other ingredients. This will prevent clumping and you’ll get a more even vibrant green color.
- Don’t overmix when adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. To get the perfect texture, mix the matcha cookie batter until just combined.
- If you prefer flatter cookies, tap the pan immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven.
- Don’t overbake the cookies. If the cookies are more brown than green, you’ve overbaked them. The cookies continue to bake even after coming out of the oven so take them out when the edges turn a golden brown.
- Nuts: The crunch of macadamia nuts would go well in these chewy matcha cookies.
- Chocolate chips: Instead of a white chocolate center, you could throw chocolate chips in the cookie dough to make matcha chocolate chip cookies. Semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips would work too – you could even use white chocolate chunks.
- Sea salt: Want a sweet and salty combo? When the matcha cookies are fresh out of the oven, sprinkle them with sea salt.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these and loved it! What do you suggest we do with the extra inner filling?
Also, can we freeze the dough to bake later?
Hi! I’m so glad that you loved this recipe! You can save the extra filling and use it in buttercreams, other cookie recipes, or roll it into candy and eat it frozen. It’s SO good. Also you can absolutely freeze the dough! Just store in an airtight container and let it come to room temperature prior to baking when you’re ready to use again.