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.
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Cookies
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
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
These Matcha shortbread cookies were amazing! perfect level of sweetness and perfect crunch. We dipped them in white chocolate for a twist and they turned out amazing.
Thank you for making this match black sesame cookies 😀
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!
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 😀
Pls advise can I omit almond meal? If can’t, any other ingredient can be used as replacement ?
Thanks !
Hi Janet, You can replace with same amount of flour 😀
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
Hi Janet, instead of omitting, replace with same amount of flour 😀
Thank you very much for the advice 😀
Hope to see more simple recipes from you.
amazing i love matcha i will try it soon
Me too, matcha is so good! I hope you enjoy it
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.
Thank you so much for the comment and I am glad to know the recipe turned out great for you 😀
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!
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 😀
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.
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 😀
So happy to see this recipe. Yours with matcha which is my Favourite. Definitely will try, thank you for sharing 💕
Hi Joy, Thank you for visiting my blog. Hope you like the matcha cookie 😀
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. 🙂
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 😀
I’m really confused, there isn’t a temperature for baking the cookies?
Oh Sorry! Kat. I forgot to write it in. The temperature is 180 degree celsius.
Love this matcha sesame cookies. My daughter will love it greatly.
Thank you Elaine 😀
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 🙂
Thank you Kathleen, yes, they were all for me and I ate them all by myself 😀