The Best Matcha Crinkle Cookies (No Chilling!)
These matcha crinkle cookies are the perfect softness and chewiness with a strong matcha flavor! The best part of this cookie recipe is that it does NOT REQUIRE CHILLING THE DOUGH. Whether you’re looking for a creative Christmas cookie flavor or just want some matcha cookies in your life, this easy recipe is for you! *Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.
What Are Crinkle Cookies?
Crinkle cookies are often seen around Christmastime, usually as chocolate crinkle cookies. The “crinkle” in the name refers to the cracked powdered sugar pattern on the surface of the cookies. The cookies are typically more rounded in shape with a soft and chewy texture, instead of flat and crispy.
What is Matcha?
Matcha is a powder made from super finely ground shade-grown green tea leaves. Unlike brewing regular green tea, where you steep leaves and then remove them before drinking, matcha powder is meant to be consumed. Typically, you would whisk matcha with hot water to suspend the powder. You can drink it just like that or add more water for a thinner tea. You could also make a matcha latte (my preference) by adding sweetener and some sort of milk instead of water. Check out my perfect vegan matcha latte recipe to give it a try!
Like coffee, different blends of green tea leaves result in different flavor profiles of matcha. It can be earthy, umami, bitter, and/or sharp tasting. I love trying different blends to see which matcha flavors I like the best! Looking for more information and recommendations for matcha? Check out my Beginner’s Guide to Matcha post.
What Matcha to Use for Baking Cookies?
So, now that we know that different blends of matcha have different flavors, what matcha should you use for baking? I recommend using a matcha blend that has a very strong earthy flavor. Bitter matcha, which I do not enjoy drinking, actually works pretty well in baking. The matcha that I used in this recipe is Maeda-en Ceremonial Matcha.
Should I use Ceremonial or Culinary Grade Matcha for Baking?
If you read my Beginner’s Guide to Matcha post, then you’ll know that the “grades” of matcha were actually made up to market matcha to Western audiences. They’re not used in Japan! And there are no regulations or standards on what those labels should mean! So instead of going strictly by “culinary” labels for cooking, my advice is to go by flavor.
Now, when it comes to baking, which uses much more matcha than drinking, you don’t want to be using up your most expensive matcha. Unfortunately, though, although culinary and ceremonial labels may not be helpful, quality is still important.
The Costco matcha? Sencha naturals? NOT GOOD. When you open the bag, you’ll notice the matcha is a much lighter yellow-ish color and not bright green. The flavor is also very weak, which means your cookies will not only not look vibrantly green, but they will not taste enough like matcha!
It might take some trial and error to find the best-tasting matcha for baking that’s also good for your budget. If you’ve got one you like, please let me know. My wallet will thank you.
Help! The Powdered Sugar Melted on My Cookies!
This baking tip goes for all crinkle cookies, not just the matcha ones. You HAVE to roll your cookie dough in granulated sugar before you dip in powdered sugar. This is a step that I, too, have been tempted to skip. But without that granulated sugar coating the cookie dough, the powdered sugar will completely dissolve as your cookie bakes.
Tips and Tools for Making No Chill Crinkle Cookies
Most crinkle cookie recipes call for chilling the dough because it’s so sticky and soft. Chilling the cookie dough makes the dough easier to work with. This matcha crinkle cookie recipe does fine without chilling, but there are a few tips and tricks that will help.
Tip one: When you cream the butter and sugar, cream the baking soda and baking powder with it. Stella Parks of Bravetart does this and has explained the science much better than I can. But the main point is that my cookies always end up more evenly puffed up when I cream my leaveners with the butter and sugar. No flat cookies for this recipe.
Tip two: Use a cookie scoop! It evenly portions out every cookie dough ball, meaning less time the dough stays in my warm little hands, potentially melting all the hard work I put into aerating my butter.
Tip three: Keep your kitchen cool. If you’re baking in a hot, 80-degree kitchen, I’m not sure you’re going to have any choice but to stick that dough in the fridge. You know your baking conditions the best, so you do you.
Make Grinch Cookies
If you’d like to turn your matcha crinkles into Grinch cookies, it’s actually super easy. Before baking and after rolling in your sugars, stick a red heart sprinkle at the top of your cookie dough ball. Simply bake as normal and you’ll get the cutest Grinch cookies! Take a look:
More Matcha Recipes
If you enjoyed these matcha crinkle cookies, check out my other recipes below:
- Matcha Shortbread Slice and Bake Cookies
- Perfect Vegan Matcha Latte
- Matcha Horchata Latte
- Matcha Mochi Waffles
Best Matcha Crinkle Cookies (No Chilling!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup softened, unsalted butter (114g)
- 1 cup sugar (200g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups flour (260g)
- 2 tbsp matcha, See notes
For rolling:
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (50g)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream room temperature butter with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add in eggs and mix until homogenous.
- Sift matcha into your flour and pour into your mixing bowl, slowly mixing until all ingredients are incorporated.
- Using a cookie scoop, scoop 1.5 tbsp balls of dough.
- Roll the balls in the granulated sugar, then the powdered sugar.
- Place on your baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes.
Video
@mochimommyblog Replying to @tan.sin_cos.127 okay okay, full recipe is on the blog, but here’s the bare bones: Ingredients: 1 stick unsalted butter 1 cup sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1/8 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 eggs 2 cups flour 2-3 tbsp matcha (depending on how strong you like matcha flavor) For rolling: 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup powdered sugar 1 tsp matcha (optional) Method: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cream room temperature butter with sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add in eggs and mix until homogenous. Sift matcha into your flour and pour into your mixing bowl, slowly mixing until all ingredients are incorporated. Sift tsp of matcha and powdered sugar and set aside. Using a cookie scoop, scoop 1.5 tbsp balls of dough. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar, then the matcha powdered sugar. Place on your baking sheet and bake for 11 minutes. #matcha #bakingwithmatcha #matchacookies #crinklecookies #matchadesserts #matcharecipes #christmascookierecipe
♬ You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch (From “Dr. Suess’ the Grinch 2018”) – Starlite Singers
So quick, easy, and delicious! I used 2 boxes of Trader Joe’s matcha packets and added some white chocolate chips for a holiday party. They were packed with matcha flavor and absolutely raved about.
Yay! Glad you liked it! And yessss, isn’t the Trader Joe’s single serving matcha packets so surprisingly good??
Hi! Would Jade Leaf Culinary Grade Matcha be good to use in this recipe?
I’ve never tried their matcha so I can’t say! I recommend something strong and more bitter, but it’s up to your tastes!
I made these as one of the cookies for the baked goods tins I gifted friends and family this year for Christmas, and they turned out amazing! They were pretty and tasted delicious, they are now my new personal favourite cookie. Thank you for the recipe!
Such high praise! I’m so happy to hear you liked them!
Pingback: Matcha Chiffon Cake Recipe - Mochi Mommy
Hi, I am in New Zealand ( I am Japanese). I want to try your recipe but you mentioned ” one stick butter” and cup, table spoon etc… Are you in US? If so, those are US measurement? Depend on countries, we have different cup and teaspoon size. So, I can’t guess those measurements. NZ one cup means 250cc, one table spoon is 15cc, one tea spoon is 5cc… I guess yours are different. It’s pity, I want to try baking those but I don’t know exactly how much I need those ingredient.
Hi there! Yes, I am US based and this recipe was based on US measurements (and also ingredients available to me). You are welcome to try using your measurement conversions. 1/2 cup butter is the same as 4oz in weight, if you have a scale that can do oz.
this is the first review i have ever left on a recipe because WOW these are so incredibly delicious I am blown away. my cookies didn’t really spread that much but the taste is out of this world
Pingback: Toasted Milk Powder Chocolate Chip Cookies - Mochi Mommy
I love crinkle cookies and these are a great variation. Fun for the holidays.
I had Sweet Matcha Green Tea Powder in the pantry so I modified the recipe a bit-
3/4 cup Sweet Matcha Green Tea Powder.
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons of sugar.
Thanks!
The flavour is really good but I’m not sure what went wrong as my cookies did not have that crinkling and did not spread out like I want to.
I did follow all your tips.
Can I make the dough ahead of time and freeze them?
Yes! You can prescoop the dough and freeze them. When baking from frozen, make sure you put them in the oven right after you put the sugar on. If you let it sit, the thawing dough will melt the powdered sugar. Add 1-2 minutes to bake time as well.
Pingback: Monday-made-matcha-moment – StefThomas DishedOut
These cookies are great! I think it’ll be a new favorite to bake for every occasion or just because. I made two batches. One with regular flour you see in the baking aisle and finer flour that’s usually used for pizza crust bc I ran out of the former. The pizza flour doesn’t taste any different it was just harder to keep together. In this case, maybe would have helped to use the refrigerator.
My boyfriend said it was kind of rich and I think so as well. So maybe the next time I make these, I’ll put two table spoons of the matcha in the dough.
I thought chocolate would be fun to add, but my brother who is a trained chef and baker said to use cocoa powder because chipswould overpower the matcha. I ended up using a touch of Hersey’s dark cocoa powder in the powdered sugar coating. I’m not sure if it helped but maybe the chocolate cut down on the sweetness of the powdered sugar. I’ll keep doing this.
Overall, I’m glad I found your recipe! Thank you for sharing.
Hi!! I just made these cookies and they were SO DELICIOUS! I was wondering how long do these cookies last stored room temperature?
Yay! So glad you liked them. They last 3-5 days, but you can actually freeze them after they’ve been fully baked if you need to save them for a longer time.
Can you provide weight measurements for this recipe?
I used high quality culinary matcha so I pulled it back up one table spoon. They turned out perfect, with a really nice green tea flavor.
I made and gifted these cookies last Christmas and everyone loved them! 😍
Would it also be possible to make it with gluten-free flour?
Hi, I haven’t tried it so I don’t know, but if you do, let me know if it works for you!
I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF Flour and it works great 🙂
Thanks for letting us know! I’m glad it worked out!
Hi do you remember how long you baked it for or was it the same amount of time ?
Pingback: Red Bean (Azuki) Crinkle Cookies - Mochi Mommy
These are so good! Warning for beginner bakers like myself – learn the proper method for creaming butter and sugar. I have a mini kitchen aid mixer that I was excited to use for the first time. I’m unsure if I creamed them correctly. Also used matcha powder I bought in Japan so only did 2T and WOW the flavor is incredible. I think my oven needs a little more than 11 minutes or I didn’t cream correctly so cookie is kinda dense and gritty. Baking is def a science so next time I’ll try to hone in the techniques. When you dip them into the powdered sugar after the granulated sugar, don’t shake off the excess! Overall, this is a great recipe that yields great flavor. Might try adding 1/2 tsp of pandan extract next time too!
Pandan extract sounds amazing! These cookies are meant to be dense, so I think you got that part correct, although I’m not sure what would lead to grittiness. It could possibly be if the sugar and butter weren’t fully creamed then the sugar granules could stay crunchy within the dough. I would say be careful not to overbake, though, as this could lead to the cookie drying out and potentially that “gritty” texture. The cookies will be soft when coming out of the oven, but harden more as they cool down. Good luck on your next batch! It sounds like it still turns out great even with imperfections!
I made these for a graduation party, and they were delicious. Everyone seemed to really like them, they were the first dessert to disappear. I am not sure what I did wrong but they did not flatten when baking, so after the first batch of almost balls I flattened the rest, regardless taste was great!
Hey. Instead of butter, will cooking oil works? Thanks!
Hi, unfortunately no, oil will not work for this recipe.
Pingback: Matcha Latte Cookies with Chantilly Cream Frosting - Mochi Mommy
Any tips on how to prevent the granulated sugar coating from burning/caramelizing during baking?
Hi Danica! Interesting, I don’t know if I’ve ever come across that problem; usually I have the opposite where the powdered sugar melts. I would think your oven may run a bit hotter than the temperature indicates. Make sure you’re not using aluminum foil to line the pans – I recommend parchment paper or silicone, and make sure the tray is not too close to the heat source. Those are the only tips I can think of!
I have to buy matcha online by weight.
So how much does 3 tablespoon of matcha powder weigh in grams?
Hi, I understand this recipe doesn’t require chilling the dough, but can I chill it?
Hi, yes of course you can certainly chill it!
Recipe was easy to follow and cookies turned out perfectly!!!
Very easy to make and delicious!
My cookies came out flat, why? 😭
Oh no, I’m sorry! Bakes vary depending on whether you weighed ingredients, how hot your kitchen is, what baking pans you used, etc. There are so many different factors, I couldn’t guess unless you’d like to give me more details.
I changed the measurements into gram and use less sugar. Rest I followed the recipe
Using less sugar could’ve been the culprit – any change to the recipe could have big differences. For weighing flour, usually for me 1 cup is around 125 g.
Easy to make and very delicious! Made them for my family cause I love matcha and they all loved them! Nice chewy interior and the perfect amount of sweetness.
Perfect every time! My most requested cookie! Has made matcha lovers of everyone!
Flavour was excellent however found the dough incredibly dry so I had to add an extra egg which made all the difference. Great recipe though
What should the final consistency be like? After 11-16 mins my cookie still seems not cooked in the center and its like a fudgey brownie like consistency still.
They are fairly soft straight from the oven but will harden up a little when cooling. I would say fudgy is maybe too underbaked but after 16 minutes they should definitely be done. How did they end up after cooling?
Pingback: Easy Pistachio Matcha Latte Recipe (Iced or Hot) - Mochi Mommy
Worked out really well!
Hi! I have a quick question. I am making this recipe for someone who cannot have dairy, so I would have to use vegan butter. Will that change it greatly? Or will the recipe still relatively taste the same? Thank you so much! The recipe looks delicious
I personally do not like the taste of vegan butter, but the matcha should be strong enough so that you won’t notice a big difference, I would think. I’ve never baked it with vegan butter, so I can’t say for sure if it will change the texture. If you give it a try, please let me know!
I’m happy with this recipe because I love Matcha! I prefer it less sweet so I didn’t roll it with the sugars. Instead, I sprinkled powder sugar after baking/cooled. It didn’t look crinkled but tasted great with matcha richness! I plan to share these cookies with my book club. Thank you!
Thanks for taking the time to leave the review Mia! I’m glad the recipe worked out for you.
I keep coming back to this recipe over and over again — the cookies are a hit with my family and friends each time. So quick, easy, and delicious!!!!
Ahh thanks so much for the review and affirmation! So glad it’s become worthy of a repeat recipe.
Very easy and very delicious! Your information about matcha is helpful. After the cookies cool, I “glue” on a tiny red candy heart, and then I have Grinch cookies.
hi, thank you so much for the recipe!
question: if i use salted butter instead of unsalted, do you think it would make up for choosing not add the 1/2 tsp salt?
Yes, in fact you might find the cookies a little more salty, but it should still be fine!
I made these today for someone who’s kids like Matcha. They turned out great. I used 2 tbsps of Seein brand matcha (ceremonial grade) that I bought from Amazon
Yay! Thanks for the review!
Can I use whole wheat all purpose flour? Are there any adjustments that I need to make if that is the type of flour that i’m using?
Delicious and festive for the holidays.
Made these to go on a holiday dessert table and every single one was gobbled up. They were easy to make and bake, and delicious!