These vegan matcha cookies simply are the BEST! They are soft, gooey and the matcha flavor pairs SO well with the vanilla white chocolate chips. They are easy and quick to prepare and make for such a great plant-based snack or dessert.
One more recipe for all the matcha lovers 💚
And this might be my favorite matcha recipe so far! Or, do I say that for each of my new matcha recipes?
Anyway, these vegan matcha cookies are really really good.
They feature one of my favorite flavor combos: matcha + vanilla white chocolate chips, which is absolutely amazing.
Matcha is naturally a little bitter, but thrives when combined with anything vanilla flavored. I make this vanilla matcha latte whenever I crave these flavors, but I am more than happy to add more vanilla-matcha deliciousness to the blog.
They taste bright yet earthy and are generously studded with sweet white chocolate chips to balance out all that delicious green tea flavor.
They will even please anyone new to matcha!
I also love how easy and quick they are to make. Many matcha cookie recipes require to brown some butter first and also chill the dough before baking. But not these ones! They are made completely vegan (meaning without butter and eggs), which makes them a little simpler to handle. But no one will know they are completely plant-based!
They remain soft and chewy, even after resting and cooling down. The white chocolate chips firm back up after chilled, which provides such a pleasant contrast with the gooey cookie dough texture. So delicious!
Great cookie recipe for Easter, Mother's day or even Christmas. They have a fun catchy look with their nice green color, which makes them great for any occasion, to share with friends or to give as a gift.
Hope you have fun baking! 🙂
What is matcha and where to find it
Matcha simply is dried green tea leaves that are ground to a fine bright green powder. You can find it in most health stores or even in larger stores nowadays. I get mine either online or at Whole Foods Market.
Matcha is kind of expensive though. You will want a high-quality matcha, but definitely aim for a culinary grade when baking, you will save some money (keep ceremonial grade for lattes!). Keep your matcha powder in a cool and dry area to avoid the humidity to get into the powder and create clumps.
Opposed to sipping on a cup of green tea made with leaves, in case of matcha tea, you will actually consume the entire leaves. This provides stronger flavors, but also, you will benefit from ALL the nutrients from green tea, such as powerful antioxidants.
Matcha has a subtle bitter flavor and hints of earthiness. Some people might even describe it as grassy, but I don't feel like it tastes that way at all. Matcha has a strong flavor that you may need to get used to, but the more you consume it, the more you will want to have some!
Ingredients you will need
- All-purpose flour.
- Almond flour: You will need a finely ground refined almond flour (which means ground without skins).
- Matcha powder: use a culinary grade. Ceremonial grade will work too, although more expensive.
- Baking powder: leveling agent.
- Ground flax seeds: I grind my own seeds using a high-speed blender, but you can buy it already ground at the grocery store (store already ground flax seeds in the fridge).
- Plant-based milk: I used plain oat milk, but any kind will work.
- Maple syrup: agave nectar or brown rice syrup should work too.
How to make them
Make the cookie dough
In a small bowl, combine the ground flax with the water and whisk to combine. Let it sit until ready to use. It should form a loose gel, similar to beaten eggs.
Combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder and matcha powder in a large bowl. In a medium bowl, start by melting the coconut oil, then add the maple syrup, plant-based milk, vanilla extract and add the flax mixture. Stir well to combine.
Pour the wet over the dry and stir to combine without over-mixing. Add the white chocolate chips and gently fold them into the batter.
Shape and bake
Pre-heat the oven to 350º and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Using an ice cream scoop (medium size - about 3 tablespoons per cookies), divide the batter in between 12 cookies and transfer over to the prepared baking sheet. Don't press the cookies; just leave them in a dome shape.
Bake in the oven for 13-14 minutes.
Let the cookies cool down for at least 10 minutes right on the baking sheet before enjoying (they will keep cooking a little and set during that time).
Watch how to make them
Baking tips
- If you have the option, use culinary grade matcha powder as opposed to ceremonial grade. Ceremonial grade is higher quality and better for lattes, but also more expensive. Culinary grade is good enough for baking!
- You might want to sift the matcha powder when adding to the dry ingredients to help break up the clumps (I actually forgot to sift while taking the pictures, but it was still fine). Be sure to combine well the dry ingredients together before adding the liquid (I like to press on the flour mixture with the back of a spoon whenever I see a clump of matcha).
- Add the vegan chocolate chips when the batter is almost all combined so you don't end up over mixing, which could create tougher cookies.
- The raw cookie dough is super sticky, which is normal! But, it might make it harder to shape into cookie domes. I highly recommend using an ice cream scoop to ease the process.
- You can easily adjust how much matcha powder you add to the dough without interfering with the baking process. I used 1.5 tablespoons, but if you are new to matcha, then consider using only 1 tablespoon for a milder flavor. You can go up to 2 tablespoons for a stronger flavor too. The white chocolate chips will balance really well the matcha flavor even if you add more, I think.
- These vegan matcha cookies are meant to be soft and gooey. Keep them in a "dome" shape so their center stays soft (don't press on them). Also, don't overcook them!
What vegan white chocolate chips to use
Vegan white chocolate chips can be hard to find, depending on where you live. I usually buy these vegan white chocolate chips from Pascha online, but they are not that cheap. There are also these vegan chocolate chips from DeeBest that are cheaper, although I don't like the ingredient list as much.
But, as of this week, Enjoy Life just put some vegan white chocolate chips out on the market! Still need to see where they will be available, stay tuned!
Substitutions to the recipe
There is not that much room for swapping ingredients in baking recipes, but you could try using regular dark chocolate chips instead of the white ones. It would make for a very delicious combination of flavors too!
Other options include nuts, especially macadamia, but also chopped or slivered almonds.
A lot of the sweetness from the cookies comes from the chocolate chips, so expect cookies that are not that sweet and more bitter if using nuts instead white chocolate chips.
I haven't tried making these cookies gluten-free, but I'm thinking that this 1:1 gluten-free flour from Bob's Red Mill might work well.
Storage tips
Once completely cooled down, keep these vegan matcha cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2 days. For longer storage, keep in the fridge (up to 5 days).
They can also be frozen, which is definitely the best way to keep them fresh longer. You can just take them out of the freezer and let them thaw for a few minutes at room temperature or even use the microwave for a few seconds (then all the white chocolate get all melty and soft, yum).
More matcha recipes you might like
- Coconut matcha no bake energy balls
- Vanilla matcha latte
- Mini matcha brownie cups
- Matcha oatmeal
- Iced blueberry matcha latte
Try these vegan cookies next!
- Red velvet cookies
- 3-Ingredient peanut butter cookies
- Thumbprint cookies
- Coffee bean cookies
- Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
- Sweet potato breakfast cookies
- Vegan lemon cookies
- Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies
- Cinnamon cookies
- Vegan sandwich cookies
I hope you like these matcha white chocolate cookies as much as we do! If you try them, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how they were. Your feedback is so helpful!
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Vegan Matcha Cookies with White Chocolate
Ingredients
For the matcha cookies
- 1 tbsp ground flax seeds (+ 2 tbsp water)
- 1 cup almond flour - finely ground and refined
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tbsp matcha powder - high-quality culinary grade
- ¼ cup coconut oil - melted
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ½ cup plant-based milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup vegan white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 350º. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Start by combining the ground flax seeds with the 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Whisk and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and matcha powder. Stir well and ensure there are no clumps of matcha left (you can also sift the matcha powder).
- In a medium bowl, melt the coconut oil (use the microwave, 15 seconds at the time until fully liquid), then add the maple syrup, plant-based milk, vanilla extract and the flax-water mixture. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and stir until mostly combined. Add the vegan white chocolate chips and keep stirring until incorporated into the batter.
- Using a medium size ice cream scoop (or about 3 tablespoons), divide the batter into 12 cookies and place on the prepare baking sheet. Do not flatten the cookies; just leave them in a dome shape. Bake for 13-14 minutes, then let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes.
Video
Notes
- Once completely cooled down, store the cookies at room temperature for up to 2 days. For longer storage, keep in the fridge. Can also be frozen.
- 1 ½ tablespoon of matcha will give you cookies with a moderately strong matcha flavor. If you are new to matcha, then you can start with 1 tablespoon or even go up to 2 tablespoons if you are a pro.
- Be sure not to over mix the batter and not to over bake them to keep them gooey and soft. Also, let them cool down for at least 10 minutes before eating so they can set and finish up cooking.
- I used these vegan white chocolate chips from Pascha that I bought online. These vegan chocolate chips from DeeBest are cheaper and also found online, although I don't like the ingredient list as much. If you cannot find them easily, then feel free to swap for regular dark chocolate or even chopped nuts, especially macadamia, although they won't be as sweet without chocolate.
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