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You are here: Home / Sweets & Breads / Matcha Black Sesame Cookies 

January 15, 2018 By Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles 25 Comments

Matcha Black Sesame Cookies 

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I originally posted Matcha black sesame cookies in 2016. Cookies are not really a food that originated in Japan but I decided to put a Japanese spin on it. Western style sweets such as cakes and cookies are called “Yogashi” and they are very popular in Japan.

Matcha and black sesame seeds cookies on an oval plate with tea

Matcha Black Sesame seed cookies

It seems that Matcha (Japanese green tea powder) has gained a lot of popularity and it has kind of become a food trend to use Matcha powder in sweets (e.g. matcha cookie, Matcha madeleine, Matcha ice cream, etc) and drinks like Matcha lattes. This matcha black sesame cookie is very easy to make and are a super tasty Japanese infused sweet treat. They are so delicious, crispy, and crumbly (‘saku saku’ texture)

Matcha black sesame cookie ingredients, plain flour, butter, matcha, almond mill, egg, black sesame seeds and sugar in small bowls

Matcha Black Sesame Cookies

So what is Matcha? Because it is one of the food trends, many of you may already know what it is so I am not going to give a long lecture of what matcha is. Matcha literally means powdered green tea. It is made from camellia sinesis, the same as black tea and oo long tea. What makes Matcha differ from those two teas is that Matcha is not fermented but it is steamed, dried, and then milled very finely into powder form.

4 panels of photos showing process making the cookies

One of the reasons that Matcha is so popular is that Matcha has a lot of health benefits. Matcha is high in antioxidants and helps to boost memory and lose weight as it increases metabolism and helps the body burn fat without any negative side effects, such as high blood pressure or increasing heart rate. And the good thing for people like me who love baking is that Matcha can be incorporated into baking so easily because it is in powder form.

4 panels of photographs showing process of making matcha black sesame cookies part 2

How do you choose good Matcha though? There are many grades of Matcha; high ceremonial grade to cooking and low grade matcha. I am not a master of Matcha but when I purchase Matcha I usually look for where it is made, the colour of the Matcha, how finely grounded it is, and the price. I always buy matcha that is made in Japan. I believe the Matcha made in Japan is the best quality you can get. Matcha are mainly made in Uji, Kyoto, and Nishio, Aichi prefecture in Japan.

4 panels of photo showing process of making the cookies 3

Also the colour of the Matcha powder is important. If you can see a sample of the matcha, check the colour of the powder. Good quality matcha has a vibrant green colour where as poor quality matcha is a dull yellowish green. This is due to whether the matcha has been properly grown or not. Two to six weeks before the leaves are harvested to make matcha, they are covered to become shaded. That shade protects the leaves from direct sunlight and the leaves are forced to over produce chlorophyll which gives matcha that vibrant green colour. High quality matcha is grounded really fine and smooth. And Matcha in general, is not cheap. You get what you pay for.

Matcha black sesame cookie piece pinched by a hand

For cooking I use superior culinary grade matcha from Matcha Wellness. It is made in Japan and has a vibrant green colour which gives my baking a really nice green colour. And you don’t need a lot to get the nice green colour in your cooking. Any left over of the matcha should be stored in a sealed container and in the refrigerator because Matcha is sensitive to light and heat.

photo improvement comparison, left is 2017 and right photo is taken in 2016

If you liked my recipe for Matcha Black Sesame seed cookies, please rate it and leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Youtube, Pinterest, Facebook , Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest happenings on Chopstick Chronicles. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChopstickChronicles so I can see your wonderful creations!

Matcha Black sesame seeds cookie

Matcha Black Sesame Cookies

updated recipe for easy and delicious Matcha black sesame seeds cookies
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: matcha, matcha cookie
Servings: 48 cookies
Calories: 40kcal
Author: Chopstick Chronicles

Ingredients

  • 100 g Butter room temp *1
  • 90 g caster sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 30 g almond meal
  • 165 g plain flour
  • 2 tsp matcha powder or 5 g
  • 1 tbs black sesame seeds
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

  • Sift the flour and matcha together and add almond meal. Set aside.
  • Place the butter and caster sugar in a bowl and mix well until the colour of the butter becomes whitish and creamy (I used a stand mixer with the whisk attachment).
  • Add the egg to the bowl and beat well.
  • Change the attachment to a blade attachment and add sifted flour and almond meal to the bowl. *2
  • Add black sesame seeds as well and combine them all together but try not to over mix.
  • Separate the dough into two and form into two balls.
  • Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and roll it into a long round 4 cm in diameter or square shape then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. *3
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
  • Cut the cookie dough into 5mm thick slices then place on a baking tray lined with baking paper.
  • Bake for 25 minutes then remove from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. *4

Video

Notes

*1 leave the butter at room temperature for 30 minutes prior to beginning cooking
*2 if you don’t use a stand mixer, use a wooden spatula instead.
*3 I left it over night. It was easier to cut the dough.
*4 Baking time is indication only. It is depends on the oven used. I like slightly browned cookie but if you like browned darker, cookie dough need to be left longer than 25 minutes. 

Nutrition

Calories: 40kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 5mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @chopstickchronicles or tag #chopstickchronicles!

Filed Under: Sweets & Breads Tagged With: black sesame, cookies, matcha, matcha cookies

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says

    May 21, 2016 at 8:05 AM

    Well with your dad and daughter not being fans of butter cookies, that just means more for you 😉 These are so beautiful, Shihoko! Perfect with a cup of tea 🙂

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      May 21, 2016 at 7:22 PM

      Thank you Kathleen, yes, they were all for me and I ate them all by myself 😀

      Reply
  2. elaine|ChinaSichuanFood says

    May 21, 2016 at 5:42 PM

    Love this matcha sesame cookies. My daughter will love it greatly.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      May 21, 2016 at 7:23 PM

      Thank you Elaine 😀

      Reply
  3. Kat says

    June 13, 2016 at 9:04 AM

    I’m really confused, there isn’t a temperature for baking the cookies?

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      June 13, 2016 at 6:44 PM

      Oh Sorry! Kat. I forgot to write it in. The temperature is 180 degree celsius.

      Reply
  4. Jess Jo says

    December 9, 2016 at 9:34 AM

    Hi! Just drawing attention to the fact that the recipe doesn’t specify when to add the black sesame seeds. I assume it’s together with the flour at the end. 🙂

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      December 9, 2016 at 7:42 PM

      Hi Jess, Thank you. I must have forgotten to specify. Your assumption is right. I need to change the format of all recipe card. So I will fix it all together. Thank you 😀

      Reply
  5. Joy says

    December 16, 2016 at 9:52 AM

    So happy to see this recipe. Yours with matcha which is my Favourite. Definitely will try, thank you for sharing 💕

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      December 17, 2016 at 12:30 AM

      Hi Joy, Thank you for visiting my blog. Hope you like the matcha cookie 😀

      Reply
  6. Gosha Nagashima says

    January 16, 2018 at 3:37 AM

    Perfect timing!
    Found this recipe in my mailbox just in the right moment… ! Done, still hot, delicious!
    Thank you Shihoko-san for all your wonderful recipes, + it is a pleasure to follow you on IG 🙂
    My best wishes to you.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      January 16, 2018 at 9:48 AM

      Hello Gosha san. Thank you so much for following me on IG and try out my cookie recipes. It’s my pleasure to share Japanese food recipes with you 😀

      Reply
  7. cakespy says

    January 30, 2018 at 9:45 PM

    These are wonderful! I’ve been having a matcha craving lately so I was delighted to come across these. I love how they look like mint chocolate chip but boy oh boy are they a different flavor experience!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      February 2, 2018 at 9:10 PM

      Hi Cakespy, it does looks like mint flavour don’t they? I guess the lighting of the photo. Real one was little darker than the photos 😀

      Reply
  8. Stavrina says

    February 9, 2018 at 2:21 AM

    These are the best cookies I have ever tried. Simple to make, wonderful taste and texture and the combination of matcha and black sesame is divine. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      February 9, 2018 at 4:16 AM

      Thank you so much for the comment and I am glad to know the recipe turned out great for you 😀

      Reply
  9. pablo says

    March 18, 2018 at 5:51 AM

    amazing i love matcha i will try it soon

    Reply
    • Chopstick Chronicles says

      March 18, 2018 at 7:40 AM

      Me too, matcha is so good! I hope you enjoy it

      Reply
  10. Janet says

    August 13, 2018 at 10:18 AM

    If I do not hv almond meal, can I omit Or replace with some other ingredients? Coz I don’t bake frequently so have limited ingredients. Thanks

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      August 15, 2018 at 6:36 AM

      Hi Janet, instead of omitting, replace with same amount of flour 😀

      Reply
      • Janet says

        August 15, 2018 at 1:42 PM

        Thank you very much for the advice 😀
        Hope to see more simple recipes from you.

        Reply
  11. Janet says

    August 14, 2018 at 12:06 AM

    Pls advise can I omit almond meal? If can’t, any other ingredient can be used as replacement ?
    Thanks !

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      August 15, 2018 at 6:36 AM

      Hi Janet, You can replace with same amount of flour 😀

      Reply
  12. Lisa says

    December 7, 2019 at 2:35 AM

    Going to make these and while reading the recipe I was wondering if 1 tsp or teaspoon matcha powder is 5 grams in weight? I weighed it out and is way more than 1tsp. Just cross checking

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles says

      December 7, 2019 at 8:11 AM

      Thank you Lisa for asking and bring my attention to the recipe. Yes you are right. I will fix the recipe. You need about 2tsp 😀

      Reply

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