Each year, I have a favorite new cookie. For 2023, it's this one. Soft and chewy, these matcha cookies are delightful to make and equally fun to eat. You can serve them as is or use them for ice cream sandwiches, writes Sawako Okochi in Love Japan, a cookbook she authored with her husband Aaron Israel and collaborator Gabriella Gershenson. Sawako and Aaron are the chef owners of Shalom Japan, a restaurant in Brooklyn that cleverly merges the foodways of their heritage to create their unique Japanese American sensibilities. Their book released in 2023 and is full of fresh flavors and personal stories. The photography was done by Yuki Suguira.

This cookie recipe has many virtues. As a "slice-and-bake" recipe, you can prepare the dough way in advance -- literally months ahead, then thaw and bake. You can play with the recipe. I added chocolate to some of the dough, for example. And, you can make them as small or big as you want, though the first time out, I stuck with Sawa and Aaron's instructions. Below are some tips for when you make their recipe.

Choosing Matcha for Cooking

There are many grades of matcha and they can be expensive, particularly the "ceremonial" grade variety. Culinary grade matcha is less expensive but the color and flavor may not be fabulous. I suppose you can always use a little more. For this cookie, I purchased matcha that split the difference. The "Everyday" matcha by Rishi is middle of the road, sort to speak; it can be used for beverages or cooking. This container was about $10. Matcha now often comes sweetened for convenient drinks. These cookies require unsweetened, plain matcha powder.

Weigh or not weigh ingredients?

A scale rarely lies. When a recipe has weight measurements listed, use them, especially when a recipe comes from a restaurant because that's what they're using on a daily basis. Weight measurements will get you close to their results. This is especially important when it comes to measuring flour. My steadfast digital scale by OXO can handle up to 11 pounds (5 kg). For lighter and smaller items such as spices or matcha, which may not register on a scale so readily, use a digital scale suitable for coffee, if it's handy. Or, simply measure the ingredient by volume, as I did with the matcha.

Forming dough logs

Forming the logs can be a little hard, depending on the size of your plastic wrap. Position the plastic wrap on your work surface as a diamond shape so you have plenty of width to play with. Use your hands to shape the log roll up the plastic wrap from the bottom up relatively tightly but with a little give. Then use your hands to smooth and shape the log. A ruler is very useful to keep nearby.

Moreover, this is a hands-on recipe because you gently press on the dough as well. It gives the cookie a charming handmade quality that using a glass would not. You're looking at a quarter-baking sheet that measures 9-by-13 inches.

Variations

For fun, I added about 2 tablespoons of chopped dark chocolate (85% cacao, from Trader Joe's) to one-quarter of the dough. Make sure to chop up the chocolate to ¼-inch pieces or smaller. Note that the chocolate dough log will longer than the others. My husband and I loved them both. So much so that I added the slice-and-bake matcha cookies to my 2023 holiday cookie selection for a tasty burst of spruce green cheer.

2023 Holiday Cookie Platter

To recap, the above platter of sweets include:

Slice-and-Bake Matcha Cookies (this recipe!)
Flourless Almond Cookies (grain free and 5 minutes to prep!)
Persimmon Spice Cookies
Petit Palmiers with Viet Cinnamon
Candied Orange Peels

Print Recipe

Slice-and-Bake Matcha Cookies

If you are a Japanese speaker, these cookies are called 抹茶クッキー. The recipe has been slightly adapted from the one published in Love Japan by Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel, with Gabriella Gershenson. At least 2 hours of chilling are needed so make sure to work in advance of serving. You’ll yield about 40 cookies.

Ingredients

170 g (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
100 g (½ cup) packed light brown sugar
100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
80 g (¼ cup) honey
1 large egg at room temperature
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
335 g (2 ¼) cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon high-quality matcha powder

Instructions

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk, beat the butter on medium-high speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn the mixer off, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar, then increase the speed to medium-high and whisk until thoroughly combined and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the honey, egg, and vanilla. Whisk on medium-high until the ingredients are fully incorporated.
Remove the mixing bowl from the machine.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and matcha powder directly into mixed ingredients. Using a large spatula, until the flour is just blended. Do not overmix. If the mixture is crumbly, use your hands to press it into a ball.
Prepare four pieces of plastic wrap, each measuring about 12 × 16 inches. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions [about 207 grams each] and place one in the center of each piece of plastic wrap. Shape the dough into a rough log about 8 inches long. Fold the plastic over the log the long way, then shape into a uniform cylinder, gently smoothing and rolling, until the log is about 10 inches long and a uniform width. Twist the ends of the plastic tightly. This should compress the log back to about 8 inches.
Repeat with the remaining 3 portions of dough. Place the dough logs on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours until completely chilled and firm, or freeze in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months, and place in the refrigerator 1 hour before baking.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Remove a log from the refrigerator. Slice into 10 equal pieces, roughly ½ to ¾ inch thick. Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart, then press down on each cookie using the palm of your hand, shaping it into a 2-inch disk. The pressed cookies should have at least 1 inch separating them. If you are baking more than one log, repeat this step as needed.
Bake until the cookies are puffy but not browned, 5 to 6 minutes. (If you are baking two sheets at a time, switch their positions and rotate halfway through.) Let cool on the baking sheet to set, about 10 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely. The cookies should be soft and slightly chewy. They will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a week.