Green tea for a cookie? Why not?
Matcha or green tea powder is a popular product from Japan. Well almost all food in Japan have their green tea version. They have green tea breads, ice cream, cheese cakes and cookies. We went to Japan two months ago and was quite fascinated with how the Japanese utilize their matcha or green tea. So, I bought a small pack which costs around $3 for 100 grams. I forgot how much it cost in Japanese yen, I am a little dumb in currency conversion. Anyway, If you do not have the luxury of time to go to Japan, you can always buy the matcha or green tea powder at the Asian section of big groceries or you can also order online. Matcha green tea powder has a long shelf life. It can last up to 2 years if stored properly. This cookie recipe can be considered as a healthy treat since matcha or green tea contains anti-oxidant properties. It is also very easy and simple to make. I did not use a hand mixer for this one, just a wooden spoon or a wire whisk.
A little caution in using the matcha green tea powder, do not add more than what is required. It tends to give a bitter after-taste if too much is added in the cookie dough batter. I also chilled the cookie dough for about an hour. I did this so that the cookie would not spread and flatten too much when baked. I think most newbie baker are missing this part. The heat of the oven tends to make the cookies be very flat. The baked green tea cookies can be kept in an airtight jar for up to 5 days. But I think, they won't last that long because once you start eating one piece of cookie, you just can't stop. Just like me, I took a bite for picture-taking purposes and another one to satisfy my cravings.
Here is the step-by-step recipe:
Prepare the necessary ingredients.
Cream together the butter and sugar. Make sure that the butter is at room temperature.
This is how the creamed butter and sugar looks like.
Blend the eggs into the creamed butter. Mix well.
Add the green food coloring to the egg-butter mixture and stir well to combine.
In a large bowl, mix together the flour, matcha green tea powder, salt and baking soda.
Combine the egg-butter mixture (wet ingredients) into the flour-matcha green tea powder mixture (dry ingredients). Blend all ingredients well.
Fold in the white chocolate chips in the batter. Mix well.
This is how the cookie batter looks like. Let this rest in the chiller for about 30 minutes.
Roll the cookie dough into medium sized balls, spaced at 1-2 inches apart in a greased cookie sheet. Bake at a pre-heated oven for 10-12 minutes. Do not over bake.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cups unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons matcha green tea powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- green food coloring
Directions
- 1In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugars. Use a wooden spoon or wire whisk to do this.
- 2When the butter and sugar has been creamed together, add in the eggs and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- 3In a separate bowl, sift and stir together the flour, matcha green tea powder and baking soda.
- 4Mix together the egg-butter mixture into the flour mixture. Add in a small amount of green food coloring, just enough to make a green tint.
- 5Fold in the white chocolate chips into the batter.
- 6Scoop out uniform portions of the batter and shape into small balls. Flatten them a bit then bake at a 325 degree Fahrenheit pre-heated oven for 12 minutes. Do not over bake.
- 7Let cool on wire rack and enjoy your matcha green tea cookies.
