Brown Butter White Chocolate Matcha Cookies

It’s been such a long time since I’ve revisited this matcha cookie recipe. I first developed this recipe for matcha cookies a few years ago when I was first beginning my love affair with matcha and specifically matcha desserts. That love has since grown, so I wanted to take a chance to improve this recipe with all the knowledge I’ve gained in the past few years. I tested this recipe a few times over the past week, and made some huge adjustments that improved not only the texture but taste of this recipe.

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

I’ve added notes and tips to the ingredient list, so make sure to read through them.

• Flour – This is the main dry ingredient. The balance between this ingredient and butter are what helps create the perfect cookie texture.
• Baking soda – Baking soda helps the cookie spread. Make sure to use baking soda, not baking powder.
• Salt – Brings out the flavor of the other ingredients.
• Matcha powder – The addition of matcha powder balances out the sweetness of the sugars in this cookie. It also gives the cookie its pretty green color. My favorite matcha brand is Aiya Matcha. I used their culinary grade matcha powder for this recipe. Use cookingtherapy10 to get 10% off your purchase!
• Butter – I used browned butter for this recipe. Brown butter is when you heat butter on the stove until it turns a golden yellow color and brown specs begin to form at the bottom of the pan.
• White sugar – White sugar encourages browning and spread in the cookie.
• Brown sugar– Brown sugar adds moisture and makes the cookie more chewy.
• Vanilla extract – Adds flavor to the cookie. You can substitute vanilla extract with vanilla paste.
• Eggs – I used room temperature eggs in this cookie recipe because they are easier to incorporate.
• White chocolate chips – Any type of white chocolate should work for this recipe!

Tools you will need for these matcha cookies

• 2 baking sheets – You will need 2 baking sheets so your cookie dough can be placed 2 inches apart. Be careful not to crowd the baking sheet.
• 2 mixing bowls – One is for dry ingredients, and one is for wet ingredients.
• Parchment paper – Parchment paper makes it easier to clean your baking sheets after you’re done baking, and it prevents your cookie from sticking to the baking sheets.
• 1 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop – An ice cream scoop makes scooping cookie dough so much easier. I would highly recommend it.

Making my matcha cookies

These matcha cookies take a little bit of patience and time, but they are well worth it. Then brown your butter. Use a light colored pan to heat your butter over medium heat until it turns a golden yellow color. Pour it into a heat proof bowl and set aside. Next step is to combine your dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, and matcha powder into a medium-sized bowl. Make sure to sift your matcha powder to prevent clumping. Set aside.

Combine your brown butter, brown sugar, and white sugar into a large bowl. Add in your vanilla extract and eggs. Whisk until it is a light and creamy texture (~1 minute). Finally combine your wet and dry ingredients and stir with a spatula until a green dough forms. Add in your white chocolate chips and combine.

Rest your dough for 1 hour in the fridge to allow the liquid to rehydrate the dough. (If you want flatter cookies, rest the dough for less time) This will allow your cookies to bake more evenly. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. After resting, use a 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop to scoop cookie dough onto your baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes. You are looking for the bottoms to be a light brown color. Once out of the oven, cool for 10 minutes before transferring onto a cooling rack. Cool the cookies for another 15 minutes before serving. Cooling the cookies will help the cookies hold its shape.

Tips for making the best matcha cookies

Make sure the brown butter is not too hot

Cool down the butter before combining with the rest of your wet ingredients, so the heat from the butter doesn’t cook the eggs. Additionally, butter that’s too hot will create a greasier cookie.

Why do I use brown butter?

Brown butter creates a cookie with a crispy outside and a chewy center. It also adds an extra nutty flavor to the cookies.

Which pan should you use to brown butter?

Make sure to brown your butter in a light coloured pan so you can see the color of the butter as it browns. This helps to prevent you from burning the butter.

Why do you need to sift the matcha powder?

Sifting the matcha powder prevents clumps from forming and results in a more even green color.

How to get the perfect thin, chewy texture

Whisk your wet ingredients until you get a light and creamy mixture. This is the key to getting crispy and chewy cookie. If you are looking for a crispier texture, see my crispy matcha cookie recipe.

Rest the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes

Resting the dough allows the liquid to distribute throughout and ensures the cookie bakes more evenly. It also helps to cool down the dough, so your butter melts at a slower rate. The faster your butter melts, the more your cookies spread in the oven. If you want a really chunky cookie, add more flour. If you like a thinner cookie, rest it for a shorter amount of time.

Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough

The key to getting consistent round cookies is an ice cream scoop. It is the cleanest, most efficient way to form the cookies.

Use an oven thermometer

The other key to getting perfect cookies is the correct temperature. The other reason my cookies used to burn is that my oven is 50 degrees higher than what it says on the oven dial. That’s why getting an oven thermometer was a life changer. It’s a $7 well worth it.

How do you store cookie dough?

Freeze cookie dough for safe storage and pull out in case of cookie emergencies. You don’t need to thaw them before baking. Simply put them on a baking sheet and throw them in the oven.

How do you store cookies?

Cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. They can be stored up to 7 days in the fridge and 2 months in the freezer. A good hack for storing soft cookies like these is add a piece of white bread to the container. The moisture from the bread helps the cookie keep its texture.

Did you make my matcha cookies?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

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