These matcha black sesame Neapolitan cookies are naturally colorful and packed with match black sesame flavor! Read through the post below for ingredient information and and a modification to make ube neapolitan cookies, or jump straight to the recipe card.

Hello, Readers! I am BACK with yet another flavor variation on Sarah Kieffer’s Neapolitan Cookies. This time it’s matcha black sesame. I brought these to a holiday cookie exchange party, and someone called them “camo cookies.” I guess they’d be great for a safari or… military… themed.. party? Is that a thing?

Anyway, I love these cookies because their texture is chewy, rather than puffy. You can REALLY taste each flavor as well. If you’re new to baking with matcha and black sesame, or if you just want more detailed information about exactly which brand I used, read through the notes below.

What Matcha to Use for Baking Cookies?

The matcha I used for these cookies is Maeda-en’s Ceremonial Matcha. It’s honestly very strong and too bitter for me to enjoy drinking, but it works perfectly in baking. The matcha flavor is strong enough not to be overpowered by the other cookie flavors, and the sugar in the recipe balances out the bitterness. It is, however, rather pricy. I have also substituted their cheaper Universal Quality matcha from the same brand and had decent results as well.

I explained a lot more about how to choose matcha for baking vs. drinking in my strawberry matcha cookie post. But the bottom line is, choose the matcha that tastes the best in your recipe. Ignore the actual labels from matcha marketing.

For other matcha taste test recommendations, you can check out my Instagram video, and my Ultimate Guide to Matcha for more information!

Where to Get Black Sesame for Baking?

I almost always use black sesame paste for my recipes. Many recipes call for grinding black sesame seeds yourself, but I think using paste is easier and better in most cases. I can never seem to grind the seeds well enough to get a good dispersion of black sesame in my baked goods. The paste also gives a darker color, stronger flavor, and is easier to mix into many doughs.

I get my black sesame paste from my local Asian market. However, you can definitely find it on Amazon.

If you already have seeds and want to use that, feel free to substitute that instead. Just know that you need to measure the 1 tbsp of black sesame AFTER you grind them; not before.

Origins of the Matcha Black Sesame Cookie Recipe

This recipe is based off Sarah Kieffer’s Neapolitan Cookie recipe. It’s also available in Sarah’s cookbook, 100 Cookies, which I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend.

Modification – Make Ube, Matcha, Black Sesame Halloween Monster Cookies

For a fun twist on these cookies, add 1/8 tsp of ube extract to the white cookie dough. After baking, press eyeball sprinkles into the hot cookies. I also put a tablespoon of chocolate chips into a ziploc snack bag and sealed it well. I put the baggie into a bowl of hot water and let the chocolate melt. Then I snipped the corner off and made “stitches” with the melted chocolate onto my cookies.

More Black Sesame Recipes

If you loved these cookies as much as my kids do, check out these other black sesame flavored treats!

matcha black sesame neapolitan cookies
5 from 1 review

Matcha Black Sesame Neapolitan Cookies

Mochi Mommy
Based off Sarah Kieffer's neapolitan cookie recipe, these sugar cookies are naturally colored and flavored with matcha and black sesame paste.
Servings: 10 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 47 minutes
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 stick room temperature unsalted butter, 114g
  • 3/4 cup sugar, 150g
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 egg yolks, see note
  • 1 1/4 cup flour, 170g
  • 1 tsp black sesame paste
  • 1/2 tsp matcha for baking

Instructions
 

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer or with an electric hand mixer, cream room temperature butter with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until smooth, light in color, and fluffy in texture.
  • Add egg yolks and beat until homogenous.
  • Add flour and mix until a dough forms.
  • Split dough in thirds.
  • Add matcha to one third of the dough and mix until the color is evenly green throughout.
  • Add black sesame paste to another third of the dough and mix again until the color is evenly dispersed. Leave one third of the dough plain (option: for my Halloween monster cookies, I added 1/8 tsp of ube extract for a purple dough instead of leaving it white).
  • You can eyeball this next step of swirling the cookie dough colors together, but if you want very even cookies, divide each colored dough into 10 smaller portions. Take one portion of green, one gray, and one of the white cookie doughs and roll them into a ball.
  • Repeat with the remaining cookie dough until you have 10 swirled cookie dough balls.
  • Place cookies on a lined baking sheet about two inches apart. Chill in the fridge while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • When oven is ready, bake for 12 minutes or until cookies easily lift off the tray. Leftovers keep in an airtight container at room temperature.

Notes

I’ve also used one egg instead of two egg yolks for this recipe. I like the all egg yolk texture better and finds that it spreads/puffs less, but I know sometimes you just don’t want leftover egg whites, so substitute at your own discretion.
For my Halloween monster/Frankenstein cookies, add 1/8 tsp of ube extract to the remaining 1/3 of the dough. I also added eyeball sprinkles and used melted chocolate to make “stitches.”
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a star rating and review below!