Matcha green tea powder adds grassy complexity to these gluten-free Vegan Matcha Cookies. You only need six ingredients and one bowl to make these gorgeous green treats.
I've been playing around with adding matcha to different recipes lately and I'm excited to share some of those soon, but for now, let's enjoy these easy, healthy vegan matcha cookies with pistachios.
Today is our wedding anniversary and I'm celebrating being Mrs. Asakura for the last five years with these Japanese-inspired cookies. Don't you love the gorgeous bright green color?!
They're as delicious as they are pretty, too. The almond flour gives them an almost shortbread texture without butter or oil.
The pistachios add a fun crunch and a sweet nuttiness.
Maple syrup sweetens them just enough to be a treat, but not enough to overpower the delicate matcha flavor.
And the matcha flavor! Can we talk about that for a minute? If you haven't tasted good matcha, you're in for a treat. (Okay, even if you have tasted good matcha, you're still in for a treat.)
Matcha is bright, almost grassy, and just slightly bitter, in a very interesting and enjoyable way. It definitely has a flavor all its own.
Where can I buy matcha powder?
I got lucky and found this brand at my local asian market. If you don't have an asian market or a health food store near you, amazon has a lot of options.
Be careful, though. There are a lot of products out there labeled "matcha powder" but have a bunch of other ingredients added. Look for pure matcha powder with nothing else added.
A good rule to remember is that good matcha isn't cheap and cheap matcha isn't good!
Ingredients
We only need six ingredients to make these cookies.
- Almond flour
- Oat flour
- Maple syrup
- Matcha powder
- Salt
- Pistachios
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities and full instructions.
Instructions
First we'll preheat the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Next, whisk the dry ingredients together.
Add the maple syrup and stir it into the dry ingredients.
Stir the pistachios in. The dough will be crumbly.
Scoop up the dough with a tablespoon and use your hands to roll it into balls. Place the dough balls on your lined baking sheet.
Use your hand or the bottom of a glass to flatten the balls to ½ inch thick.
Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Don't over-bake them or they will be bitter and crumbly.
Let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before taking a bite and rolling your eyes in matcha-gasmic joy.
Substitutions
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and whole food plant-based as written. I have not tried making any substitutions for any of the ingredients, but here's what I think might work.
- Pistachios - instead of pistachios, you could use chopped macadamia nuts or vegan white chocolate chips
- Flour - white whole wheat flour might work in place of oat flour if you don't need these to be gluten-free
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week or refrigerate for up to 10 days. The cookies might become slightly chewy after being stored, but will still be delicious.
These can also be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 2 months.
Vegan Matcha Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- ¼ cup oat flour
- 1 ½ Tablespoons pure matcha powder
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup unsalted pistachios, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oat flour, matcha powder, and salt.
- Add the maple syrup and stir until no dry spots remain.
- Mix the pistachios in, if using, until they’re evenly distributed. The dough will be crumbly.
- Scoop dough by rounded tablespoons (about 21g dough per scoop), roll into balls, place the balls on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten to ½ inch thick (about 2 inch diameter). If dough sticks to your hands, you can wet them slightly before handling the dough, or use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to flatten the balls.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Let them cool on the pan for 10 minutes before handling them.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, refrigerated for up to 10 days, or frozen for up to 2 months. The cookies might become slightly chewy after being stored, but will still be delicious.