Brown Butter Matcha Cookies

These Brown Butter Matcha Cookies are probably the best cookies that I have ever had. I'm not being dramatic! The earthiness of the matcha pairs PERFECTLY with the nuttiness that comes from browned butter. One of my favorite recipes.

These are the BEST cookies I have ever made. I'm serious!

I think I have an addiction to browning butter in all my recipes now… it adds such a nutty toasted flavour that pairs PERFECTLY with the earthy matcha. I made these so many times already and even for my brother’s birthday. It’s his favourite!

I was heavily inspired to develop this recipe after watching Claire Saffitz’s Dessert Person video of her brown butter cream cheese carrot cake. She described browning butter as an addiction: once you try it, you will want to add it to EVERY recipe. I definitely feel like that now.

Yes I am perfectly aware that there are tons and TONS of brown butter chocolate chip cookie recipes out there. But, not very many that involve matcha. Seriously, you have to try these!

Why brown butter? How to make brown butter

Browning the butter is not necessary but it sure does add an amazing nutty, toasty, and earthy flavour. The best part of using melted/brown butter in a recipe is that you don’t need to set your butter out in advance to soften! No creaming of butter and sugar either. Thus, you do not need a mixer for this recipe.

How the heck do we make brown butter?

1. Melt butter over low heat
2. Turn the heat up to medium high. It’ll start to boil and bubble. Don’t be alarmed! This is normal, but be careful of splatters.
3. The butter will foam and little brown bits will start to form on the bottom. Stir constantly.
4. Once the the brown bits turn golden, STOP and remove from the heat. You can easily burn browned butter.
5. Allow to cool and you’re ready to use it in this recipe!

What is Matcha?

Matcha is a Japanese finely ground green tea powder. I'll be honest, it's expensive! However, when it comes to baking, don't get too caught up in quality. I use the cheapest culinary grade matcha that I can get my hands on. Feel free to add more or less depending on your preference.

The Recipe

Ingredients:

• Dry Ingredients:
  • 153g all-purpose flour
  • 10g matcha powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
• Wet Ingredients:
  • 100g butter (for browning)
  • 70g white sugar
  • 50g raw or light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
• Extras:
  • 120g white chocolate, chopped (reserve ¼ for topping)

Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the Oven
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.

Step 2: Brown the Butter
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally as it foams and begins to turn golden brown. You’ll notice a nutty aroma and browned milk solids forming at the bottom. Remove from heat and let the butter cool.

Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, baking soda, and salt. This step ensures the dry ingredients are evenly distributed.

Step 4: Prepare the Wet Ingredients
In a separate large bowl, combine the cooled browned butter with the white sugar and raw sugar. Whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add the egg and continue whisking until the mixture lightens in color and thickens slightly.

Step 5: Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Stir until just combined—be careful not to overmix. Gently fold in the white chocolate chunks, saving about ¼ of the chunks for topping.

Step 6: Scoop and Decorate
Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough into balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Space them apart to allow for spreading. Press the reserved white chocolate chunks onto the tops of the dough balls for a professional touch.

Step 7: Bake to Perfection
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10–13 minutes. The edges should turn golden brown, while the centers remain soft. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

General tips

• Use a cookie scoop to get uniform sized cookies
• You can use white chocolate chips, but I personally like to use bars of chocolate. They’re higher quality, taste better, AND you can control the size.
• Chop the white chocolate into irregular pieces. Some small, some slightly bigger. Tiny shards accompanied with pools of white chocolate makes these even more special!
• Refrigerate the dough for ~30minutes. This limits the spread. No one likes thin cookies!
• Press the dough balls down slightly before baking. They won't spread too much but we also don't want golf balls!

Make them fancy(optional)

Cookies are not the most beautiful baked goods. We can agree on that right? They’re boring! But we can change that. While baking, I recommend taking them out at the 8 minute mark and dressing the cookie up with additional chocolate chunks lightly pressed in. I used Hershey’s cookies and cream chocolate bars but feel free to get creative! Pretzels, Oreo cookie pieces, or even chopped nuts would be delicious. Then bake for the remaining 5 minutes. Allow to fully cool.

If you like the whole sweet and salty vibe, you can even sprinkle over some flakey sea salt. I was feeling extra that day and decided to add gold leaf. It didn’t add any flavour but I definitely felt my opulent fantasy.

Freeze for cookies on demand!

You can store the cookie dough balls in the freezer and bake them when you have a sudden craving. Nothing beats a raining day than a fresh warm cookie.

When baking from frozen:
Bake at 155C (20 degrees lower) for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on them. Edges should be lightly golden! Alternatively, you can thaw the dough for 20 minutes and then bake as normal.

Final thoughts

Can we normalize adding browned butter to literally every recipe? Regular butter is canceled. These cookies are insanely easy. No setting out your butter ahead of time. No creaming the sugar and fat. NO SHENANIGANS.

I am not just saying this, but these are my favorite cookies of all time. If you decide to make these, tag me and feel free to let me know what you thought as well! Like always, shoot me a message if you have any questions. Enjoy!

More Matcha Recipes

Matcha White Chocolate Frog Donuts

Brown Butter Matcha Rice Krispie Treats

@erictriesit

Browned butter matcha cookies????????!! #recipe #matcha #food #foodtiktok #baking #bakingtiktok #cookies #tiktokfood #matcharecipe

♬ original sound - Josh Lepulu

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