Earthy matcha meets creamy white chocolate in these sourdough matcha cookies, upgraded with nutty brown butter for extra depth and richness. Brown butter and sourdough discard add subtle complexity that elevates this classic pairing into something truly bakery-worthy. This recipe makes a small batch of just 10 cookies – you might want to double it!
As soon as I went down the rabbit hole of baking with sourdough discard, starting with these miso sourdough chocolate chip cookies, I just couldn’t stop. Any cookie recipes I touch now have to turn into a sourdough cookie. This is just the beginning friends, because it is just too much fun pulling these striking vibrant green cookies out of the oven (for a fun red version, try these sourdough red velvet cookies!)
It sure doesn’t hurt that they are freaken delicious too! Crispy edges, soft and chewy center, lightly earthy, with pockets of creamy white chocolate – not too much though, just enough for a bit of extra sweetness. And that brown butter nuttiness, caramelized toffee-like note really takes it to the next level.
Ingredients for sourdough matcha cookies
Below is a picture of the 11 ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. If you want to skip ahead, the complete list of ingredients with quantities is in the recipe card at the end of this post, as always.
Notes on key ingredients
- You might wonder why I use brown butter for the majority of my sourdough cookie recipes. This is because browning the butter removes water in the butter to make room for the extra moisture you’ll add in the form of sourdough discard. And it also adds amazing flavor!
- Sourdough discard adds that subtle tang as well as moisture. All my sourdough discard recipes are tested with 100% hydration discard. You can use ripe sourdough starter as well, the acidity of the fed starter will be lower and your cookies will be less tangy, though you may or may not be able to detect it.
- I prefer to use only egg yolk and not whole eggs to make these cookies more chewy. Using whole eggs will yield more cakey cookies. Plus, removing the egg white also makes room for the extra moisture in the sourdough starter discard.
- I’m using culinary matcha powder for cooking and baking. There is no need to use a more expensive version (ie. ceremonial grade). But make sure you’re not using a matcha green tea mix which is typically already sweetened.
Make sourdough matcha cookies with me!
Follow along visually as we make this sourdough matcha cookie recipe if you love seeing each step in photos. Otherwise, you can skip ahead, detailed instructions are in the recipe card below.
Step 1
Brown the butter and set aside to cool.
Step 2
Add brown and granulated sugar to cooled brown butter.
Step 3
Cream sugar with brown butter for 2 mins until light in color.
Step 4
Add egg yolk, sourdough discard, and vanilla.
Step 5
Beat for 2 mins until creamy and fluffy.
Step 6
Sift flour, baking soda and matcha powder into the mixing bowl. Sprinkle kosher salt on top.
Step 7
Stir until the cookie dough forms.
Step 8
Add white chocolate.
Step 9
Stir to distribute evenly.
Step 10
Divide cookie dough with a 3-tbsp cookie scoop, refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 11
Bake one tray at a time at 350°F for 13 mins.
Baker’s tips
- Chilling the dough is essential. You can always choose to bake any cookies without chilling but this step allows the brown butter to solidify which helps curb spreading, and allows the flavor to develop giving you a much more complex and delicious cookie.
- Use a cookie scoop! I love my vintage 3-tablespoon scoop I picked up during one of my vintage shopping trips years ago. They make the perfect consistent size cookies that are not too big, not too small, just enough for an afternoon snack with tea. For large bakery size cookies, you can use a ¼-cup scoop!
- Overbaking is an absolute no-no: take the cookies out of the oven when the center is still slightly underbaked and allow the residual heat to finish baking your cookies for the best texture – chewy with soft and gooey center. But if you like crispier cookies, by all means, bake a couple extra minutes.
Sourdough Matcha Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Sheet
- Cookie Scoop
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 113 grams (4 oz) unsalted butter brown
- 50 grams (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 100 grams (½ cup) brown sugar light or dark brown
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) pure vanilla extract
- 60 grams sourdough starter discard 100% hydration, ~¼ cup
- 110 grams all-purpose flour ~¾ cup + 2 tablespoons
- 9 grams (1 ½ tablespoon) matcha powder
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) baking soda
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) kosher salt
- 86 grams (½ cup) white chocolate chip
Instructions
- Brown the butter – Heat unsalted butter in a light colored saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter melts, it will become foamy. When the foam subsides, you will see clear bubbles, start whisking continuously at this point to keep the milk solids from burning. When the butter is caramel in color and smells nutty – about 8 to 9 minutes – take it off the heat and immediately pour it into the stand mixer bowl and allow to cool.113 grams unsalted butter
- Beat in sugar – Once the butter has cooled down, add both granulated sugar and brown sugar to it. Beat with the paddle attachment for at least 2 minutes until light in color.50 grams granulated sugar, 100 grams brown sugar
- Incorporate sourdough starter – Add the egg yolk, vanilla extract, sourdough starter and continue beating for at least another 2 minutes until fluffy and creamy.1 large egg yolk, 3 grams pure vanilla extract, 60 grams sourdough starter discard
- Add dry ingredients – Sift flour, matcha powder and baking soda directly into the wet ingredient mixture in the stand mixer bowl. Sprinkle the salt on top. Stir until incorporated. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary.110 grams all-purpose flour, 9 grams matcha powder, 3 grams baking soda, 3 grams kosher salt
- Add mix-ins – Add the white chocolate chips, stir to distribute evenly. Stop the mixer and use a spatula to scrape the side and bottom of the bowl to ensure good distribution of chocolate chips throughout the cookie dough.86 grams white chocolate chip
- Scoop and chill – Portion the cookie dough with a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop and place them on a lined baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake – Place 6 dough balls on a baking sheet, and bake 1 batch at a time for about 13 minutes, until the edges of the cookies start to turn lightly golden and the center is still slightly underbaked.
- Cool – Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and allow the cookies to sit on the baking sheet to finish baking from the residual heat for 10-15 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- The cookie dough can be kept refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 6 months, once portioned.
- You can bake frozen dough balls without thawing, simply increase baking time by 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Store leftover cookies in an airtight container for 3-5 days to keep them fresh. For longer storage, you can freeze them for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
