These Matcha Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies are a perfect choice for holiday cookie baking thanks to their festive green hue and warm wintery chai spices! I feel like all things “Grinchmas” are having a moment and these cookies are perfectly Grinch-colored. They are one of my personal favorite cookie recipes that I’ve ever shared here on my blog.
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIES
The idea for this recipe came after baking chai-spiced sugar cookies several times during the holidays. I thought adding matcha powder to the chai spiced sugar cookies would make for such a fun holiday twist. Matcha has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and I always have some in my tea cabinet.
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- All-purpose flour
- High quality matcha powder – for festive green cookies
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- White sugar
- Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and allspice for the chai spice flavor
- Unsalted butter (2 sticks!) – we can’t sugar cookies without lots of butter!
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
WHAT IS MATCHA POWDER + WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL
Matcha is a form of green tea made from ground tea leaves. Matcha is mixed with hot water to make tea as opposed to steeping a tea bag in hot water with traditional green tea. According to an article in Time Magazine about the health benefits of matcha, “drinking brewed green tea is a bit like boiling spinach, throwing away the spinach and just drinking he water.”
But let’s be honest here, we aren’t adding matcha powder to these chai-spiced sugar cookies for the health benefits. We’re here for the fun green color and the extra depth of flavor that the matcha gives the cookies with its earthy, grassy, slightly sweet, pleasantly bitter qualities.
I incorporated the matcha powder by whisking it into my flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt mixture so that it would tint the color of the flour green.
CHAI SPICED FLAVORS
The chai spice flavors come from a mixture of warm spices that includes ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice.
The chai spice is whisked in with the sugar so that its flavor can really permeate the cookies. You will even reserve a small amount of the chai spiced sugar to roll the cookies in before baking.
PREPARING THE DOUGH + BAKING THE COOKIES
The dough is prepared by creaming together the butter and chai spiced sugar and then adding the egg and vanilla. The flour mixture is slowly incorporated on low speed until the green dough has come together. Do not skip chilling the dough in the fridge for an hour or so before baking!
After the dough has chilled, it’s rolled into balls before going for a spin in the chai spiced sugar mix.
They only need about 9-10 minutes in the oven. I swear by my Williams Sonoma Gold Touch cookie sheet paired with a Silpat silicon liner for perfectly baked cookies.
SOFT + CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES
Check out the inside of the cookies! They are crisp around the edges but oh so chewy and buttery in the center.
I hope you’ll add these Matcha Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies to your holiday or winter baking list!
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE
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Matcha Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 36 cookies 1x
- Category: cookies
- Method: baking
Description
These soft and chewy chai spiced sugar cookies are made with matcha powder for a perfectly Grinchmas holiday cookie!
Ingredients
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons matcha powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cardamom
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, matcha powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt and then run mixture through a sifter.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and allspice. Remove 1/4 cup of the mixture and set aside for rolling the dough balls in later.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in large bowl with a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugar on medium high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- Once butter and sugar are combined, add the egg and vanilla extract and keep mixing until fully incorporated. You may need to scrape down sides.
- Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly start to add the flour mixture, 1/2 cup at a time until all flour has been added. Again, you might need to scrape down the sides. Once dough is ready to go, place in the fridge to chill for about at least 30 minutes. You could even leave it overnight if you wanted to make the dough ahead of time. Just be sure to cover it in plastic wrap.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into small balls that are about 1-inch in diameter. You can use your hands or a small cookie scoop. Roll the balls in the reserved sugar spice mix and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicon baking liner. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let rest on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack using a flat spatula.
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIE PINNABLE
MORE HOLIDAY BAKING RECIPES
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Chocolate Cupcakes
Cranberry, White Chocolate and Pistachio Blondies
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Yum, these look delicious!! I’ve made chai spiced sugar cookies before but never though to add matcha to them!
And I LOVE my Silpat. In addition to baking cookies on it, we use it for French fries and breaded chicken cutlets. 😛
You must try!
And thanks for the tip on other uses for the Silpat!
I’m a huge texture person when it comes to cookies and those sound perfect — crisp edge and chewy buttery center? Yes, please!
They are so good! Several of my friends have a) tried my samples and b) baked their own and everyone loves! 🙂
Also, they’re good without the matcha if you don’t have any on hand.
those cookies = in my recipe queue.
How should the sugar be divided, it says dived but not how? Do you divide it in half? Also what if I don’t have a silpat, will my cookies still turn out okay?
Color was a little off. I expected a greener color, but the taste was good….not too sweet and good texture.