Matcha Latte Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Eric Kim

Updated Dec. 7, 2023

Matcha Latte Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes plus cooling
Prep Time
25 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(1,167)
Notes
Read community notes

This is a matcha latte in cookie form. Atop the chewy, Grinch-green cookie sits a cloud of ermine icing, an old-fashioned boiled-milk frosting (like the kind you might find in midcentury American baking and grocery-store cupcakes), whose sugared lightness balances out the more intense, bittersweet base. Out of the oven, these cookies might look puffy, but as they cool on their pans, they will continue to cook and deflate, becoming their truest chewiest selves. If you want to skip the frosting, a little powdered sugar is a lovely, snowy finish.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 20 cookies

    For the Cookies

    • cups/185 grams all-purpose flour
    • ½teaspoon baking soda
    • tablespoons matcha powder
    • tablespoons pure vanilla extract
    • ½cup/113 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1tablespoon creamy peanut butter
    • ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
    • ¼packed cup/50 grams light brown sugar
    • ½teaspoon coarse kosher salt (such as Morton)
    • 1large egg, at room temperature
    • Nonpareil sprinkles (optional)

    For the Frosting (optional)

    • ¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
    • 3tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • Small pinch of coarse kosher salt
    • 1cup/237 milliliters whole milk
    • 1cup/227 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (20 servings)

247 calories; 15 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 26 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams dietary fiber; 18 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 95 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Matcha Latte Cookies Recipe (2)

Preparation

Make the recipe with us

  1. Step

    1

    Make the cookies: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. In a large bowl, stir the matcha and vanilla into a paste using a wooden spoon or flexible spatula. Add the butter, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and salt, then beat until pale green and fluffy. Switch to a whisk and beat in the egg until smooth.

  2. Step

    2

    Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold until just combined. Refrigerate the dough, uncovered, while the oven heats.

  3. Step

    3

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

  4. Step

    4

    Using a #40 (1½-tablespoon) cookie scoop or two spoons, scoop out 1½-inch rounds and place them a couple of inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake until puffed and no longer wet-looking on top, about 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the pan. (Unfrosted cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.)

  5. Step

    5

    If you’d like, make the frosting when you’re ready to serve the cookies: In a medium saucepan off the heat, whisk together the granulated sugar, flour and salt. Whisk in the milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture starts to bubble, about 4 minutes, then continue whisking the mixture as it boils until thick like pudding, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer this hot mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

  6. Step

    6

    Beat on high speed until the bowl feels cool to the touch. It may take up to 10 minutes. With the mixer on medium-high speed, add the butter 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until smooth before each addition. When all of the butter has been incorporated, add the vanilla, then raise the speed to high and beat until very fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes.

  7. Step

    7

    Using a butter knife or spoon, frost each cooled cookie and top with sprinkles if you’d like. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4

out of 5

1,167

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

TJP

Just made these and they are delicious. I didn’t have peanut butter on hand so used tahini, which was subtle, delicious and my guess is that it works better with matcha anyway. A winner!

Calvina

What are the good substitutes for peanut butter if we are making them for allergies?

tyrannosauri

We did half of the peanut butter that the recipe suggested and upped the matcha by 1 teaspoon and they turned out amazing! Can’t taste the peanut butter, and the matcha flavor is perfectly strong. The frosting is a perfect match. For those asking for peanut butter substitutes, I really think you could sub with any nut butter or omit completely and the cookies will still turn out okay.

Nina

as a lazy person, making ermine frosting was too much for me. to add some sweetness, i chopped up a 100g bar of white chocolate and mixed it in with the flour. it balances the great base flavour and allows the cookies to keep longer!

Wes

I made these to soften the blow of how bad Real Housewives of Potomac has gotten, so that I could eat them while I watch. They are so, so good but I think the recipe calls for too much frosting, which would normally be fine, but you can't really save it. So, I got rid of it (kind of like how I wish RHOP would get rid of Gizelle and Robyn)!

jess

For best green color: use ceremonial matcha, not culinary grade, and roll in matcha-sugar mixture before baking

Shelley

Sunflower or almond butter are great substitutes for allergies.

Sarah W

Very good! But they are more peanut butter in taste then matcha

Leo

Halved the amount of frosting, which ended up being closer to a good quantity for me - think I would have had trouble using the whole thing. Substituting oat milk for whole here worked fine for me, but took a bit more time on the stove (+2/3 mins), YMMV.

Alex

Instead of frosting, I added a half bag of white chocolate chips with the final fold of flour. My coworkers loved them!

Lindsay H

I made these following the recipe exactly and they were PHENOMENAL. I don’t know why people were complaining about the peanut flavor being too strong — it’s 1 T in 20 cookies! I thought the matcha flavor was perfect. I worried that kids would be put off by the color/flavor so I called them “Grinch cookies” and they loved them. I only had enough butter to make a third of the recipe for frosting, but that was actually perfect for the full amount of cookies - an ample amount but not overwhelming.

Jenny

Morton kosher salt is saltier than Diamond Crystal (the one most professionals use but less available nationwide). Use more salt if using Diamond Crystal.

Beth W

Because I didn't have any, I switched the matcha powder for 1 T ashwagandha powder and 1/2 T cardamom. This is a beautiful cookie, and I'm looking forward to having matcha next time I make them!

Erin

Delicious and fun to make. I'm at high elevation, and I followed the recipe as followed except I added 1 fewer tbsp of flour and added a splash of water to the dough after incorporating the wet ingredients. For those curious about storing after icing, I refrigerated cookies in a single layer so icing could set (they taste pretty decent cold too). Also, the matcha flavor really shines through after these sit for a day!

em

I’ve now made these exactly following the recipe and swapping the peanut butter for tahini, both are excellent. One thing I learned: do not refrigerate the dough overnight, the matcha started to oxidize and turn brown. The cookie still tasted good, but it was a very muddy green-brown.

SJG

so delicious! a bit too much icing as others have said. swapped out peanut butter for almond and coconut butter and it was great

J Lin

I am an Eric Kim stan. These cookies are phenomenal. Use good, bright green matcha and unsweetened peanut butter for best results in color, matcha earthinesss, and sweetness (for those who love not-too-sweet sweets).

AnnaBee

Delicious. Halved the frosting as others suggested, and found it was still plenty.

AlyssaM

I don't particularly care for the earthy overtones of drinking matcha, but nevertheless I was intrigued to make these. Maybe it's because green is my favorite color and I've never tried making ermine frosting. Either way, I'm so glad I tried these. I guess I love matcha in cookie form. The frosting is incredibly light and buttery and I love that I get to pile it high onto the cookie. I made using my scale, with a #20 scoop, which I then cut each dough ball in half. Made 24 cookies this way.

Deisy

I made these over Christmas and two months later I am still thinking no dreaming about them. I made a ton of different cookies for my Christmas cookie boxes and these were easily everyone’s top. Peanut butter was excellent; wouldn’t recommend omitting unless absolutely necessary. Bless you, Eric.

Annie Butkiewicz

As a big matcha fan, I was a little disappointed that these cookies had a more PB forward flavor than matcha. I’d consider making it without or adding tahini instead. Otherwise great texture!

Soph

Made them and they were phenomenal! Left out the pb due to allergies, and subbed frosting for regular buttercream. Amount of vanilla is concerning at first but it does not overwhelm the matcha. Only had a matcha latte mix available from Trader Joe’s and it did just the trick. Baked for 12 min on the dot, I wouldn’t recommend leaving it in the oven for much longer (ruins the chew). Doesn’t necessarily need the frosting either. Super simple and easy to make! Going to be a new go to!

is it supposed to be dry?

my cookies turned out bone dry, it was dry from the batter. what would have I missed?

jesse

These were a big hit at my house, they barely lasted two days on the counter. Next time I’ll use slightly less peanut butter.

Mary

Just to share - leftover ermine frosting keeps well in fridge for at least a week, and can be used to frost other cookies too! Today I had almond biscotti with a schmear of cool frosting - delicious!

euh

Where did I go wrong with the frosting? The flavor was good but in spite of following the directions step by step - and mixing for at least five extra minutes - the frosting remained slightly lumpy and wet. It just couldn’t incorporate enough to let air get trapped by the butter.

Mary

I replaced peanut butter with 1 tblsp Koy pistachio butter (w lovely green color). I also reduced vanilla extract to 2 tsp, and combined salt w flour before folding in. Made frosting as directed. Frosted/sprinkled a few cookies immediately. Cookies were gorgeous and delicious! Like a cookie version of a cupcake. I refrigerated remaining frosting and frosted/sprinkled cookies over next few days. Chilled frosting was firmer, also very tasty! [Buttercream may be refrigerated up to 1 wk?]

Isha

Bourbon Vanilla Extract for both the batter and frosting elevates these to a whole new level! Amazing. Used 85% butterfly unsalted butter and they turned out luxurious, rich yet easy to scarf down 4 in one go!

Cali

These were phenomenal!! One of my favorite new cookie recipes I've tried in a while. The frosting takes time, but is SO worth it - the perfect topping for the cookie. I also topped a few with just powdered sugar - easier to store and deliver for the holidays, but would highly recommend the frosting.

tahini & dark chocolate

I used tahini instead of peanut butter and added some chopped dark chocolate bar & skipped the frosting. Lovely cookies!

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Matcha Latte Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my matcha cookies Brown? ›

Why do my matcha cookies turn brown? Browning in the oven is natural as cookies bake. For vibrant green matcha poweder, use a high-quality matcha powder with a bright green colour to begin with. They will still brown slightly but it helps if you start with a naturally greener matcha powder.

What matcha do they use at Starbucks? ›

What Starbucks calls its "matcha powder scoops" are essentially a sweetened blend, featuring sugar as the first ingredient and ground Japanese green tea as the second. Allegedly, the U.S. blend contains more sugar than tea (Canada's is unsweetened).

How many calories are in Matcha green tea cookies? ›

Meiji Matcha Green Tea Flavour Cookies (3 biscuits) contains 19g total carbs, 17.7g net carbs, 8.6g fat, 1.8g protein, and 162 calories.

How to make matcha taste good? ›

First, try using more of it. Cheap matcha is usually lower in quality, so using more of it can actually help improve the taste. Next is mixing it with other ingredients. Adding sweeteners, milk, or even other teas can help improve the taste, so just get creative on this one.

Is it OK to drink old matcha? ›

However, matcha powder will taste its best within the first month after it's been opened. After that, it will begin to lose flavor and even its health benefits. You can still safely consume the matcha powder after its expiration date, it just won't taste nearly as umami-rich or flavorful.

Is it OK to drink day old matcha? ›

Because Matcha powder doesn't have any fat for bacteria to thrive on. If stored correctly it can still be consumed after its initial Best by date. Old matcha tends to taste stale and dull.

Does Dunkin' use real matcha? ›

Not quite — your favorite chain coffee shops like Starbucks and Dunkin' do use real green tea powder in their matcha drinks but with all the added sugars used in their powder blend, it's technically not traditional Japanese matcha green tea powder and therefore it lacks a lot of the health benefits that real ceremonial ...

What does matcha do for you? ›

Contains fiber, which promotes healthy digestion. Contains vitamin C, chromium, magnesium, selenium and zinc. May help reduce blood sugar and cholesterol. May boost the metabolism to help you burn more calories.

Does matcha make you burn more calories? ›

Thermogenesis is the rate at which the body burns calories. With matcha green tea powder, thermogenesis jumped from 10 percent to 43 percent. That means matcha green tea can safely increase the rate at which you burn calories, which is exactly what you need for weight loss without worrying about strain on your heart.

Why is matcha tea so many calories? ›

When prepared as a tea, it is an extremely low-calorie beverage but consumers that prefer a matcha latte will need to monitor the milk and flavorings that are added to their drink as this can make it a relatively calorie-dense drink.

How many calories is in 1 tsp of matcha? ›

On its own, matcha powder only has about two to seven calories in a single teaspoon, and if you prepare your morning matcha with hot coffee and no additives, then you can enjoy it without worry.

Is matcha better with water or milk? ›

Please don't put milk in your good matcha, especially if you're drinking it for health reasons. The milk sticks to the polyphenols, which alters (not in a good way) the bioavailability (how well your body can absorb nutrients) of the matcha, and all the goodies just flush through.

Why does my matcha turn brown? ›

Why does matcha turn brown? This is due to the oxidation process which is perfectly normal. If you want to keep your matcha powder fresh, simply store it in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.

Why are my cookies turning brown? ›

Be sure you're using a thick, good quality baking sheet, too, as thin dark ones promote browning and will cause cookies to bake faster and burn more easily. Use parchment paper to avoid over-greasing the pan. If there's a surplus of cooking spray, it can cause cookies to spread too much.

Why does matcha change color? ›

The chlorophyll content changes over time since the matcha was ground. Because matcha is a micro-powder with a large surface area, it tends to cause a relatively significant color change compared to sencha (a type of green tea). This change is referred to as the 'fading' of matcha.

Does matcha get oxidized? ›

Shelf Life: Since matcha is a stone-ground green tea, the leaves can oxidize quickly due to the higher surface area. Oxidation, turns vivid green matcha yellow, and the flavor starts to turn flat, and bitter. How long the matcha was stored is important to know - old matcha is not going to taste as good as fresh matcha.

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