Green Tea (Matcha) Chocolate Chip Cookies Redux

I love green tea. The flavor, that is - not much of a fan of actual green tea, except with copious amounts of honey. Or sugar. Any sweetener, really. But green tea flavor in desserts = amazing! To some extent, I'm sure it's an acquired taste, since there are loads of people who are massive fans of green tea flavor, but many who just can't get used to it. Green tea chocolate chip cookies, though, are a quick and easy way to experiment with using the flavor in baking! [Of course, finding the actual powder can be a bit of a hassle depending on where you are. Asian supermarkets tend to carry it, but if you don't have one nearby, I'm sure it can be found online.] I've made these cookies before, as seen here, but with a different cookie recipe. You can use any chocolate chip cookie recipe and add the green tea powder to taste, but this time I used this Olive Oil Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.

Green Tea Chocolate Chip Cookies, adapted from Crepes of Wrath

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tbsp green tea powder (I used 3 but found it to be a little strong fresh out of the oven. Experiment to find your preference!)

1 1/2 tsp salt (I cut it down to just 1/2 tsp, because I'd felt like the cookies were a tad salty the last time I made plain versions)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar (I substituted both sugars with a scant cup and a half of dark brown sugar)

2 eggs

1-2 tbsp milk (I used almond milk; it's all I had)

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F (although remember to adjust temperature/baking times based on your oven's performance. I baked them at 350 instead) Combine the flour, green tea powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, combine the sugars, vanilla, and oil, then beat the eggs in one at a time.

2. Gradually beat the flour mixture into the wet mix. Add milk as needed if dough is too sticky or dry.

3. Roll dough into balls, space them evenly on a greased/lined baking sheet, and then bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway. Let cool.

For one reason or another, the green tea taste was extremely strong right after baking, but it had faded significantly the next day. Nevertheless, they were delicious, and I definitely want to try making these with white chocolate chips someday - the combination sounds like a wonderful one!

And I have to say, though 3 tbsp green tea powder felt like a bit much taste-wise, it gave the cookies the most gorgeous green color :)