Matcha Butter Cookies

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These Matcha Butter Cookies are the sophisticated fusion treat that brings Japanese elegance to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration! Imagine delicate, melt-in-your-mouth butter cookies with a gorgeous natural green hue and earthy, slightly sweet matcha flavor that’s absolutely captivating. They’re like if shortbread went to a zen tea ceremony and came back ready to party!

What makes these cookies truly special is their luxurious texture. The high butter content creates that crumbly, sandy mouthfeel that literally dissolves on your tongue. Each bite delivers a gentle matcha flavor—not bitter, not overpowering—just a beautiful green tea essence balanced perfectly with sweet vanilla and rich butter notes.

The visual appeal is stunning too. That vibrant emerald-green color is 100% natural from the matcha powder, making them Instagram-worthy without any artificial dyes. Whether you shape them into classic rounds, slice-and-bake logs, or use cookie stamps for decorative patterns, they look like they came from an upscale bakery. Plus, they pair beautifully with tea, coffee, or even a glass of cold milk!

Why You’ll Love This

• Speed: Simple one-bowl dough ready in 15 minutes, then chill and bake—no mixer required!
• Flavor: Sophisticated earthy matcha balanced with buttery sweetness—not your average cookie
• Cost: Culinary-grade matcha goes far (one tin makes 5+ batches) and tastes restaurant-quality

Pro-Tips for Success

Matcha Quality Matters: Use culinary-grade matcha powder for baking—it’s more affordable than ceremonial grade and perfect for cookies. Sift your matcha before adding it to remove clumps and ensure even color distribution. Old matcha turns brownish-green, so check the expiration date for that vibrant emerald hue!

The Butter Temperature Sweet Spot: Your butter should be cool room temperature—soft enough to mix easily but not greasy or melty. If it’s too warm, the dough will spread too much during baking. Test by pressing your finger into the butter—it should leave an indent without your finger sinking in completely.

Chill for Perfect Texture: Don’t skip the chilling step! Cold dough prevents excessive spreading and creates that signature crisp-yet-tender texture. If you’re short on time, pop the dough in the freezer for 20-25 minutes instead of refrigerating for an hour. The cookies will hold their shape beautifully!

What You’ll Need

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 27 minutes
Yield: 28-30 cookies
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

Cookie Dough:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, cool room temperature (227g / 2 sticks)
• ½ cup powdered sugar, sifted (60g)
• ¼ cup granulated sugar (50g)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (5ml)
• ¼ tsp almond extract (optional, enhances the matcha flavor)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (240g)
• 2 tbsp culinary-grade matcha powder (12g)
• ¼ tsp salt (1.5g)

Optional Toppings:

• White chocolate for drizzling
• Powdered sugar for dusting
• Extra matcha powder mixed with powdered sugar for coating
• White chocolate chips pressed into dough before baking

Instructions

1. Prep Your Ingredients
Ensure your butter is at cool room temperature—soft but not greasy. Sift the powdered sugar and matcha powder separately to remove any lumps. This ensures smooth dough and even green color throughout.

2. Cream Butter & Sugars
In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon or hand mixer to beat the butter with both sugars for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. You want it pale and increased in volume. This creates that signature tender, crumbly texture.

3. Add Extracts
Mix in the vanilla extract and almond extract (if using) until fully incorporated. The almond extract is subtle but enhances the matcha’s nutty undertones beautifully—highly recommended!

4. Combine Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, sifted matcha powder, and salt until the matcha is evenly distributed with no streaks. The mixture should be a uniform pale green color.

5. Form the Dough
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two additions, stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula after each addition. Mix just until the dough comes together with no visible flour streaks. Don’t overmix or cookies will be tough instead of tender!

6. Shape the Dough
You have options here! For slice-and-bake: shape dough into a 2-inch diameter log, wrap tightly in plastic wrap. For cutouts: flatten into a disk and wrap. For hand-rolled: skip directly to chilling in the bowl. Choose based on your preferred cookie shape!

7. Chill Thoroughly
Refrigerate the wrapped dough for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days. For logs, you can freeze for 20-25 minutes for easier slicing. Properly chilled dough is the secret to cookies that hold their shape and have perfect texture.

8. Preheat & Prepare
When ready to bake, preheat your oven to 325°F (165°C)—note the lower temperature for tender cookies! Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lower heat prevents over-browning and maintains that delicate texture.

9. Shape Your Cookies
For slice-and-bake: cut chilled log into ¼-inch thick rounds. For cutouts: roll chilled dough to ¼-inch thickness and use cookie cutters. For hand-rolled: scoop 1 tablespoon portions and roll into balls, then flatten slightly with your palm or the bottom of a glass.

10. Arrange & Decorate
Place shaped cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets—they won’t spread much. If desired, press a few white chocolate chips into the top of each cookie for contrast, or use a cookie stamp to create decorative patterns before baking.

11. Bake to Perfection
Bake for 11-13 minutes. The cookies should look set around the edges but still slightly soft in the center. They should NOT brown—if edges start browning, they’re overbaked. The bottoms should be barely golden at most.

12. Cool & Set
Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes—they’ll be very delicate when hot. Then carefully transfer to a wire cooling rack. They’ll firm up beautifully as they cool, developing that perfect crisp-tender texture. Cool completely before decorating or storing.

13. Optional Finishing Touches
Once cooled, you can: drizzle with melted white chocolate in a zigzag pattern, dust lightly with powdered sugar, or roll edges in a mixture of powdered sugar and matcha for extra visual appeal. Get creative with your St. Patrick’s Day presentation!

Storage & Reheating

Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. These cookies actually improve after a day or two as the matcha flavor mellows and deepens. Place parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking.

Maintaining Crispness: Add a sugar cube to your storage container to absorb excess moisture and keep cookies perfectly crisp. Replace the sugar cube every few days. This old baker’s trick works wonders for maintaining that delicate, crumbly texture!

Freezing (Baked Cookies): These freeze exceptionally well! Layer between parchment in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before serving. The texture remains perfect after freezing—you’d never know they weren’t freshly baked!

Freezing (Cookie Dough): The dough log freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil. Slice and bake directly from frozen, adding 2-3 minutes to baking time. This is perfect for having fresh cookies on demand!

Make-Ahead Magic: Prepare the dough up to 3 days ahead and keep refrigerated. Bake cookies up to 1 week before your event and store airtight. They taste better after resting anyway! For hand-rolled cookies, scoop balls onto a tray, freeze solid, then store in a freezer bag.

Gifting Idea: Layer these in a clear glass jar alternating with white chocolate cookies for a stunning green-and-white presentation. Tie with a green ribbon and attach a tag that says “Matcha Made in Heaven.” They make sophisticated St. Patrick’s Day gifts for tea lovers!

Pairing Suggestions: These cookies are divine with hot green tea, matcha lattes, or even Irish breakfast tea for a fun fusion! The earthy matcha flavor also pairs surprisingly well with champagne or sparkling wine for elegant St. Patrick’s Day brunches.