MATCHA WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES
it’s a matcha moment!
16 cookies
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter (preferably unsalted)
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 tbsps matcha powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs + 1 yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
The Blistered Peppers Take:
I met one of my closest friends in a very odd way. She interned for me at Barneys New York - RIP. Since then we’ve been workout buddies in lockdown, helped plan each others’ weddings, and taking countless walks around the city stopping for coffee at Blue Bottle or matcha at Cha Cha. Yes, it’s a little basic but their matcha turmeric latte is out of this world.
Anyways… one of my most vivid memories of my friend early on is that she used to bake these matcha white chocolate cookies. They looked like they were out of a Dr. Suess storybook, but they were addictive. I just wanted to eat one after another after another. This year for her birthday I wanted to make her a matcha dessert, and while this idea originally was browned butter matcha brownies with white chocolate ganache, it slowly evolved after trial and error - ultimately, resembling what she used to make for me: Matcha White Chocolate cookies!
If matcha isn’t having its moment, I don’t know what is. Either you love it or you hate it and I’m telling you now, if you hate it…you’re wrong. But, what IS matcha?! Guys, it’s green tea. Yea, it’s that simple. It’s green tea (special green tea) ground into a powder. And if you’re a tea and/or coffee drinker and aren’t walking around with your matcha latte - like I was above - then you haven’t LIVED! Nervous about the flavor? Don’t be - that’s where I come in. Dip your toes into matcha with these cookies. Its natural nuttiness and touch of bitterness, mixed with the browned butter and rich white chocolate ganache, is the combo you never knew you needed. I have friends who hate matcha, but LOVE these cookies.
Where do you get matcha? Anywhere! But better quality matcha will avoid a chalky texture. My go-to matcha is Navitas.
BP tips:
Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
Do not whisk (except for the flour/dry ingredients), instead use a rubber spatula
Make sure to pass both the dry ingredients and the matcha powder through a fine mesh sieve, otherwise your batter may be clumpy
Steps:
Preheat the oven to 350. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large pan over medium heat, brown the butter. Let it melt, stir it often, and suddenly you will see the butter start to foam and shortly after it’ll brown (approximately 4 minutes).
As you see the butter turn gold, turn off the heat and keep stirring, the butter will continue to ‘brown’ but you don’t want to over do it!
Immediately transfer the butter to a large heat-proof bowl. Add 1 cup of the white chocolate. Stir constantly until the chocolate has melted and has a smooth consistency. Next add the matcha, passing through a fine mesh sieve, then stir well until combined.
In a separate large bowl, combine the sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract. Whisk until no clumps of sugar remain, then add in the matcha mixture until well combined.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk the salt, baking powder, and flour - remember to also pass this mixture through a fine mesh sieve to avoid clumpy batter!
Fold half of the flour mixture into the sugar/matcha mixture. Mix until no dry spots remain, then add the remaining flour mixture. Fold again until no dry spots remain.
Finally, fold in the remaining 1 cup of white chocolate chips.
Let the dough rest for 20 minutes so it is a little less wet/sticky.
Using a cookie scoop, add the individual cookies to the baking sheet.
The dough may be a little sticky so I suggest using your fingers to push down any ‘peaks’ in the dough so the cookies are more uniform and round.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 5-7 minutes.
Typically, I sign off with “Enjoy while warm!” But to be honest, these cookies are great once room temp as well!
