Matcha Sugar Cookies

Learn an easy way to make Matcha Sugar Cookies! This simple recipe is flavored with vanilla and naturally colored with a fun green and white marble design.

I wasn't even trying to post another matcha recipe this year but here we are.

There's just so much to love about these marbled green tea sugar cookies.

First, They're Naturally Colored

These cookies are the real deal. Instead of artificial food coloring, matcha green tea powder gives these sugar cookies their green hue.

Why run out for food dye you'll never use again?

If you're anything like me, you probably already have some matcha in your kitchen. As an added bonus, you'll also get an extra kick of nutty and herbaceous flavor from the green tea. There's really no drawback here.

Second, These Matcha Sugar Cookies are Indulgent

This isn't one of those "healthier" versions of a cookie. It's just a cookie. Period.

I don't have any issues with bumping up the nutrients in sweet treats, but it's not like you can't have "regular" desserts, too. Sometimes it's more about feeding your soul than getting enough fiber. Know what I mean?

That being said, if you're looking for whole-grain cookies, there are already plenty of them here on the site. Try Tahini Cookies or Chia Jam-Filled Thumbprints. They have a good mix of nutritional appeal and mouthwatering flavors.

For today, though, I'm going indulgent. Are you with me?

Third Reason I Love These: No Need for Icing

Now don't get me wrong. I love a good iced sugar cookie. It's just the time and effort it takes to decorate them.

That's why I love this easy marbling technique.

Marbled Matcha Sugar Cookies are the ultimate last-minute holiday recipe because you can skip the entire decorating step. These cookies come out of the oven holiday-ready. No icing or sprinkles necessary.

Make Them for the Holidays or Anytime

These sugar cookies may be ideal for Christmas, but don't count them out for St. Patrick's Day, Easter, or Mother's Day, either.

Cookies are always a good idea. That's one thing I know for sure.

How to Make Marbled Matcha Sugar Cookies

1) Prepare Regular Sugar Cookie Dough

First, mix softened butter and sugar. Then, beat in the eggs and vanilla. Finally, stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.

You can use a hand or stand mixer or an old fashioned bowl and spoon to mix everything together. Use your hands at the end to press the mixture into a ball of dough. Then, chill it for an hour in the refrigerator.

2) Add the Matcha Coloring

To make the green tea coloring, whisk together melted coconut oil and matcha powder.

Separate a fourth of the chilled dough and pour the matcha mixture over it. Mix the matcha into the dough, using your hands at the end to knead the dough and disperse the green color evenly throughout.

Add the green portion back to the bowl with the uncolored dough and refrigerate for another 15 minutes.

3) Press and Knead to Marble the Cookie Dough

Next, take out both pieces of chilled dough and place them on a cutting board or another flat surface. Dust with flour to prevent sticking if needed.

To start the marbling process, break the green dough into small pieces and press them onto the sides of the larger, uncolored piece of dough.

Then, use your hands to knead the green color into the dough to create the marbling effect. Be careful not to over-mix, or you'll end up with cookies that are completely green instead of marbled.

Once the dough is marbled, it should look something like this:

This process will heat up the dough again, so I recommend transferring it back to the fridge to chill for another 15 minutes at this point.

4) Slice the Dough into Fourths

Once chilled, transfer the dough to a cutting board and slice into four pieces. Keep one piece out and transfer the rest to the fridge until you need them.

There are a couple of reasons I like to work with only a small portion of the dough at a time.

For one, it's easier to roll out and work with a smaller piece.

Secondly, it also helps maintain the marbled look of the cookies, since you're not continually blending all of the dough together after each round of cuts.

Overworking the dough can make all of it turn green, so in general, you want to minimize how much you're handling the dough once you've blended both of the colors together.

5) Roll Out the Dough, Cut, and Bake

Now you're ready to roll out your first portion of the cookie dough. It should be somewhere between a quarter and a half-inch thick.

Cut the dough into any shapes you want. I used a small bowl to make round cookies that are about 2 ½ inches in diameter. Traditional cookie cutters also work.

Spread cookies at least an inch apart on ungreased sheets and bake for about 6 minutes, or until the bottoms start to turn golden in color.

Finally, cool cookies on a wire rack before you eat them. (Dipped into a glass of almond milk, obviously.)

Can You Make Marbled Matcha Sugar Cookies Ahead of Time?

Make the dough up to 24 hours in advance of baking. Cookies can be baked up to a week in advance.

What's the Best Way to Store Matcha Sugar Cookies?

Store these sugar cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and they should last up to a week.

Can you Cut these Sugar Cookies into Different Shapes for the Holidays?

For sure! Any type of cookie-cutter will work for this recipe. Just be sure to watch cookies closely while they're in the oven. Baking times vary depending on the size and shape.

Can you Make this Recipe Vegan?

It's fairly simple to adapt this recipe to be vegan.

Use softened vegan butter or coconut oil instead of butter. Make sure your sugar is organic and swap in flax eggs.

Why Should you Chill Cookie Dough in the Fridge?

While I was developing this recipe, I wondered why everyone said to keep sugar cookie dough in the fridge when you weren't working with it.

Turns out, this trick is because chilling the cookie dough helps control how much it spreads during baking. This also helps improve the flavor, color, and texture of the finished product.

You're more likely to get that crave-worthy crispy outside and chewy inside we're all after when you make time for chilling.

Worth every minute.

Looking for More Matcha Recipes?

Try these:

• 5-Ingredient Matcha Energy Balls
• Toasted Coconut Iced Vanilla Matcha Latte
• Lentil Grain Bowls with Matcha Dressing
• Vanilla Bean Matcha Latte
• Mango Matcha Margaritas
• Coconut Matcha Energy Bars

Marbled Matcha Sugar Cookies

Marbled Matcha Sugar Cookies are naturally colored with green tea to create a marbled design, so there’s no icing or sprinkles necessary.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: Holiday

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 6 minutes

Chill time:: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 6 minutes

Author: Stephanie McKercher, RDN

Equipment

• ▢
  Oven

Ingredients

• ▢ ¾ cup butter softened
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 vanilla bean scraped, or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¾ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
• ▢ 1 tablespoon matcha

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Instructions

• Mix butter and sugar in a large bowl. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt. Press to form a dough. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
• Whisk melted coconut oil and matcha in a small bowl and set aside. Remove a fourth of the dough from the refrigerator and place it in another bowl. Pour the matcha mixture over the portion of dough and knead to disperse the green color evenly. Transfer the green dough back to the bowl with the uncolored dough portion, cover, and refrigerate 15 minutes.
• Break the green portion of dough into small pieces and press it onto the sides of the larger, uncolored piece of dough. Knead to create the marbling effect, being careful not to over-mix. Cover and transfer the dough back to the refrigerator 15 additional minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Dust a large cutting board with flour. Transfer the chilled dough to the cutting board and slice into 4 pieces. Return all but one of the pieces to the refrigerator until you need them.
• Add more flour to the surface of the cutting board if needed and roll out the first piece of dough until it is ¼-inch to ½-inch thick. Cut the dough into desired shapes and spread them at least one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 6 minutes, or until the bottom edges turn golden. Remove from the oven and cool. Repeat with remaining portions of dough until used.

Notes

Storage: Store leftover Matcha Sugar Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

 

Vegan variation: Use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of butter. Use organic sugar. Use flax eggs instead of eggs.

 

I learned this marbling technique from a tutorial on mybluprint.com.

Tried this recipe? Tag me on Instagram!Mention @GratefulGrazer or tag #gratefulgrazer.

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