Matcha White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Perfectly chewy cookies with aromatic matcha powder and indulgent white chocolate.

Matcha is finely ground Japanese green tea powder made from dried processed green tea leaves. Generally consumed as a hot tea, matcha has also become increasingly popular in desserts and beverages. There are all type of matcha desserts such as cookies, cakes, ice cream and smoothies. Depending on the grade of matcha, it can be slightly bitter with grassy aromatic notes. There are different grades of matcha. For this recipe, you'll want to use a culinary grade of matcha since you'll be baking with it and not consuming it directly as a tea. Culinary grade is a more cost effective option with plenty of flavor but does have more bitter qualities which is why it's perfect to pair with sweet white chocolate.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened at room temp

2 eggs, at room temp

1 1/2 tbsp unsweetened culinary grade matcha powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/ 2 cups white chocolate chips

You can use any type of culinary grade matcha powder you can find for this recipe. I'm using matcha powder from Matcha Love which I was able to order from Amazon but you can also find options at your local Asian grocery store. Note that matcha powder does not have a long shelf life. Proper storage and using within its expiration date will yield you the best results.

Cookie dough should be a beautiful green color without adding any artificial food coloring.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Sift flour, baking soda, salt and matcha powder in a large bowl, set aside.

3. With a stand or hand mixer, beat butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a large mixer bowl until creamy. Slowly mix in eggs, one at a time until the eggs are incorporated. Do not over mix after eggs have been mixed in.

4. Gradually stir in the dry mixture and chocolate chips until cookie dough is formed.

5. Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop the dough into balls; about 1- 2 tbsps of cookie dough depending on how big you would like the cookies.

6. Place cookies two inches away from each other onto the lined baking sheet.

7. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes or until the edges are fully set and the middle is only slightly soft to yield chewier cookies.

8. Remove from oven, cool on a baking sheet and allow cookies to rest for about 5 mins before eating.

Note** If you prefer taller cookies, you can refrigerate the cookie dough for about 10 - 15 mins right before baking.

Enjoy!