These Matcha Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies are a perfect choice for holiday cookie baking thanks to their festive green hue and warm wintery chai spices! I feel like all things “Grinchmas” are having a moment and these cookies are perfectly Grinch-colored. They are one of my personal favorite cookie recipes that I’ve ever shared here on my blog.
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIES
The idea for this recipe came after baking chai-spiced sugar cookies several times during the holidays. I thought adding matcha powder to the chai spiced sugar cookies would make for such a fun holiday twist. Matcha has gained a lot of popularity in recent years and I always have some in my tea cabinet.
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIE INGREDIENTS
- All-purpose flour
- High quality matcha powder – for festive green cookies
- Baking soda and baking powder
- Salt
- White sugar
- Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and allspice for the chai spice flavor
- Unsalted butter (2 sticks!) – we can’t sugar cookies without lots of butter!
- Egg
- Vanilla extract
WHAT IS MATCHA POWDER + WHAT MAKES IT SPECIAL
Matcha is a form of green tea made from ground tea leaves. Matcha is mixed with hot water to make tea as opposed to steeping a tea bag in hot water with traditional green tea. According to an article in Time Magazine about the health benefits of matcha, “drinking brewed green tea is a bit like boiling spinach, throwing away the spinach and just drinking he water.”
But let’s be honest here, we aren’t adding matcha powder to these chai-spiced sugar cookies for the health benefits. We’re here for the fun green color and the extra depth of flavor that the matcha gives the cookies with its earthy, grassy, slightly sweet, pleasantly bitter qualities.
I incorporated the matcha powder by whisking it into my flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt mixture so that it would tint the color of the flour green.
CHAI SPICED FLAVORS
The chai spice flavors come from a mixture of warm spices that includes ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and allspice.
The chai spice is whisked in with the sugar so that its flavor can really permeate the cookies. You will even reserve a small amount of the chai spiced sugar to roll the cookies in before baking.
PREPARING THE DOUGH + BAKING THE COOKIES
The dough is prepared by creaming together the butter and chai spiced sugar and then adding the egg and vanilla. The flour mixture is slowly incorporated on low speed until the green dough has come together. Do not skip chilling the dough in the fridge for an hour or so before baking!
After the dough has chilled, it’s rolled into balls before going for a spin in the chai spiced sugar mix.
They only need about 9-10 minutes in the oven. I swear by my Williams Sonoma Gold Touch cookie sheet paired with a Silpat silicon liner for perfectly baked cookies.
SOFT + CHEWY SUGAR COOKIES
Check out the inside of the cookies! They are crisp around the edges but oh so chewy and buttery in the center.
I hope you’ll add these Matcha Chai Spiced Sugar Cookies to your holiday or winter baking list!
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIE RECIPE
MATCHA CHAI SPICED SUGAR COOKIE PINNABLE
MORE HOLIDAY BAKING RECIPES
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Chocolate Cupcakes
Cranberry, White Chocolate and Pistachio Blondies
Carrot Cake Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting
