Yield: 6 marbled matcha sugar cookies // Total Time: 25 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. //
Thin yet super chewy sugar cookies, marbled with vanilla and matcha dough.
Small batch marbled matcha sugar cookies
Matcha cookies have been long requested in my Instagram and TikTok comments, and I can’t think of a better time to bring them out than for the holidays! They provide a nice natural green hue to these cookies and a slightly earthy flavor. If you’ve been here a while you probably know that I love marbled bundt cakes, which is exactly why I had to make these cookies marbled as well. (I just think it’s so fun!) Below you’ll find all the tips and tricks you’ll need to make these delicious small batch marbled matcha sugar cookies.
Why do you post small batch recipes?
I love making small batch bakes because they are the perfect size myself and others who don’t have a lot of people to bake for in their home. Small batch helps cut down on waste and eliminates the feeling that all that excess dessert MUST be eaten. Here on my blog I post a lot of small batch bakes with a mix of some 8-10″ single layer cakes from time to time. All my recipes can easily be doubled or tripled to fit your need, so long as you use grams to measure!
Recipe tips
Weigh your ingredients
- Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient and can easily throw off a recipe. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
Mix the dough carefully
- When adding in the flour, only fold the mixture just until no flour streaks remain. Overmixing the dough leads to more gluten formation, which can make the cookies super tough and chewy. You’ll want to be extra careful when you add in the matcha as well!
Underbake for perfect cookies
- Cookies continue baking after they have been taken out of the oven. If you used a 3 tbsp. cookie scoop & use an oven thermometer, these will be ready to take out at the 10 minute mark!
Cookie scooting
- The secret to perfectly round cookies? It’s cookie scooting! Right when the cookies come out of the oven, take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is just slightly larger than your cookies and place it over one of the cookies. Gently swirl the bowl around the cookie to make the cookie perfectly round (and slightly thicker). And that’s all there is to it!
Room temperature ingredients
- You’ll want your cold ingredients at room temperature for this recipe so that they all come together to form a nice, cohesive dough. That includes the butter, egg yolk, and milk. Take them out at least 30 minutes at up to 1 hr. 30 min. before starting the recipe. To bring an egg to room temperature quickly, you can place it under hot water for 1 minute. To bring butter to room temperature quickly, slice it, place it on a plate, and microwave it in 5-second intervals. For milk, you can also microwave it in 5-second intervals until it’s no longer cold (but not hot!)
Ingredients and substitutions
All purpose flour: for structure and chewiness.
Baking powder: for helping the cookies rise.
Salt: to help balance and bring out the sweetness of the cookies
Unsalted butter: for tenderness and flavor. You can use salted butter in place of the unsalted, just be sure to omit the extra salt from the cookies.
Powdered sugar: for sweetness and for keeping the cookies extra soft and chewy.
Light brown sugar: for sweetness and for moisture.
Egg yolk: for binding and for moisture.
Milk: for moisture. I use whole milk but since you will only need 1 tbsp. here, feel free to substitute in your favorite milk or dairy alternative!
Vanilla: for flavor. I use and love this vanilla extract!
Granulated sugar: for coating the sugar cookies. You can skip this step if you’d like a cookie that has less crackles and is more smooth.
Matcha powder: the star of the show! Lends a slight earthy flavor to the cookies and gives them that natural green hue.
How to: small batch marbled matcha sugar cookies
Here are the steps to follow to make these cookies. You can find the complete recipe (which is printable!) at the end of this blog post.
1. Beat the butter and sugar. In a small bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar and light brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (~2 min.)
2. Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until combined.
3. Add dry ingredients. Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together just until no flour streaks remain.
4. Split the cookie dough. Use a 1 tbsp. cookie scoop to create 6 small vanilla cookie dough balls. To the remaining cookie dough, add in the matcha powder and gently stir together just until combined. Use a 1.5 tbsp. cookie scoop to dish out 6 matcha cookie dough balls, then split each in half.
5. Marble the cookie dough. Grab two halves of the matcha cookie dough and one of the vanilla cookie dough balls. Roll them together to form a ball, then roll each ball in granulated sugar. Repeat until you have 6 marbled cookies.
6. Bake. Place the cookie dough on a lined baking sheet evenly spaced apart, then bake.
7. Get perfect cookies. Once the cookies come out of the oven, I recommend “scooting” them. This just means take a bowl, cup, or biscuit cutter that is slightly larger than the cookie, place it on top of the cookie, and swirl the bowl around to make the cookie a little more round.
8. Serve and enjoy!
Small batch marbled matcha sugar cookies Q & A
Can I double this recipe?
- Of course! Obviously they will not be small batch anymore but small batch isn’t always what we need! I even more strongly recommend measuring by weight if you are going to double the recipe for the best results.
Can I make these cookies ahead of time?
- Definitely! I’d recommend shaping them into balls, then placing them in the smallest airtight container they can fit into. Keep them in the fridge no more than 2 days. When you’re ready to bake them, simply roll them in sugar and bake!
How should I store these cookies?
- These cookies will taste the best on the day that they are baked, but can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale, and here’s an article about why I use a kitchen scale, and why you should too!
A note on oven temperature
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you! I use this one.
Tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here!
Did you make these small batch marbled matcha sugar cookies?
If you made these small batch marbled matcha sugar cookies I would love to see them and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Small Batch Marbled Matcha Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 90 g all purpose flour (¾ c.)
- ½ tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 56 g unsalted butter room temperature (¼ c.)
- 45 g powdered sugar (¼ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 50 g light brown sugar (¼ c.)
- 1 egg yolk room temperature
- 1 tbsp. milk room temperature
- ½ tsp. vanilla
- 1 ½ tsp. matcha powder
- 25 g granulated sugar for coating (2 tbsp.)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or with a silicone baking mat.
- In a small bowl, beat together the butter, powdered sugar and light brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (~2 min.)
- Beat in the egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.
- Add in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Use a rubber spatula to fold the ingredients together just until no flour streaks remain.
- Use a 1 tbsp. cookie scoop to create 6 small vanilla cookie dough balls.
- To the remaining cookie dough, add in the matcha powder and gently stir together just until combined. Use a 1.5 tbsp. cookie scoop to dish out 6 matcha cookie dough balls, then split each in half.
- Grab two halves of the matcha cookie dough and one of the vanilla cookie dough balls. Roll them together to form a ball, then roll each ball in granulated sugar. Repeat until you have 6 marbled cookies.
- Evenly space the cookies apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Immediately after taking the cookies out of the oven, you can take a bowl that is slightly larger than the cookies and swirl it around over the cookies to make them a little more uniform and circular.
- Serve and enjoy!
