If you love thick, bakery-style cookies with a crisp exterior and a soft, gooey center, these Levain-Style Matcha White Chocolate Cookies are for you! The bold, earthy notes of matcha blend beautifully with the creamy sweetness of white chocolate, creating a harmonious and indulgent flavor in every bite. These cookies are inspired by the famous Levain Bakery cookies, known for their oversized, chunky texture and irresistible chew.
Perfect for matcha enthusiasts and cookie lovers alike, these treats bring together rich flavors in an easy-to-make recipe. Enjoy them fresh out of the oven with a warm cup of tea or coffee, or store them for later to savor their delightful texture. Whether you’re baking for a cozy afternoon snack or impressing guests with a unique dessert, these matcha white chocolate cookies will be a crowd-pleaser!
Full Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups white chocolate chunks
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, matcha powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat cold cubed butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar until well combined and slightly creamy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the white chocolate chunks, ensuring even distribution.
- Scoop large dough balls (about ¼ cup each) and place them onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the tops look slightly underbaked.
- Allow cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cooking Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 27 minutes
Kcal: 350 kcal per cookie | Servings: 8 large cookies
Levain-Style Matcha White Chocolate Cookies: A Bakery-Style Delight
Levain Bakery is known for its thick, gooey, and indulgent cookies, and this recipe brings the same luxurious experience to your home with an irresistible matcha twist. These Levain-Style Matcha White Chocolate Cookies combine the earthy, slightly bitter flavor of matcha with the creamy sweetness of white chocolate, creating a perfect balance of flavors. If you love bakery-style cookies with a crispy exterior and a soft, almost cake-like center, this is the ultimate treat for you.
Matcha has been gaining popularity worldwide, not only for its unique flavor but also for its numerous health benefits. When combined with the richness of white chocolate, it creates a dessert that is both sophisticated and comforting. Whether you’re a matcha enthusiast or just looking for a new cookie recipe to impress family and friends, this Levain-inspired recipe is a must-try.
What Makes These Cookies Special?
These matcha white chocolate cookies are inspired by the iconic Levain Bakery cookies, known for their ultra-thick and chunky texture. Unlike traditional cookies, which are often thin and crisp, these cookies are large, dense, and packed with flavor. Their unique baking technique ensures that the center remains soft and slightly gooey while the outer layer has a light crunch.
There are several reasons why this recipe stands out from typical matcha cookies:
- Cold Butter Technique: Instead of using room-temperature butter, this recipe calls for cold cubed butter. This method prevents excessive spreading and ensures a thick, bakery-style texture.
- Minimal Mixing: Overmixing cookie dough can lead to a dense, tough texture. By mixing the ingredients just until combined, you retain a tender, melt-in-your-mouth consistency.
- Larger Dough Portions: These cookies are meant to be big and bold. Using at least ¼ cup of dough per cookie helps achieve the perfect thickness.
- Perfect Matcha-White Chocolate Balance: The slightly bitter and earthy taste of matcha beautifully complements the sweet creaminess of white chocolate, preventing the cookies from becoming overly sugary.
The Magic of Matcha in Baking
Matcha, a finely ground green tea powder, has been used in Japanese culture for centuries. Traditionally enjoyed as a tea, matcha is now a popular ingredient in desserts and baked goods. What makes it stand out from regular green tea is that it is made from whole tea leaves, meaning you consume all of its antioxidants and nutrients.
When used in baking, matcha adds a vibrant green hue and a unique, slightly grassy taste that pairs well with sweet flavors. Unlike regular cocoa or vanilla-based cookies, matcha brings depth and complexity to baked goods while still being subtle enough to blend harmoniously with other ingredients.
To get the best matcha flavor in these cookies, it’s important to use high-quality ceremonial or culinary-grade matcha. Low-quality matcha can have a dull, brownish-green color and a bitter, overpowering taste, which can affect the final flavor of your cookies.
White Chocolate: The Perfect Pairing with Matcha
White chocolate is often overlooked in baking, but it works beautifully with matcha. Unlike milk or dark chocolate, white chocolate is rich, creamy, and sweet, making it the perfect counterpart to the slightly bitter notes of matcha.
The cocoa butter content in white chocolate gives these cookies a buttery mouthfeel while balancing the earthiness of matcha. When baked, the white chocolate chunks melt slightly, creating pockets of sweetness in every bite. To elevate this recipe, consider using high-quality white chocolate rather than overly sweet, artificial white chocolate chips.
Tips for the Best Levain-Style Cookies
- Use Cold Butter for a Thick Texture – This technique prevents the cookies from spreading too much, keeping them thick and chunky.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough – Overmixing can result in tough cookies, so mix just until the ingredients are combined.
- Chill the Dough if Needed – If your kitchen is warm, chilling the dough for 15-30 minutes before baking can help the cookies hold their shape.
- Use White Chocolate Chunks Instead of Chips – Larger chunks melt more evenly and create pools of white chocolate inside the cookies.
- Don’t Overbake – These cookies may look slightly underdone when you take them out of the oven, but they will continue to cook as they cool. This ensures a soft, gooey center.
- Use a Kitchen Scale for Accuracy – Measuring ingredients by weight instead of volume ensures consistency in baking.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
These Levain-Style Matcha White Chocolate Cookies are not your average cookies. They are thick, chewy, and packed with flavor, making them an impressive treat for matcha lovers and cookie enthusiasts alike.
- They Look and Taste Like Bakery Cookies: If you’ve ever wanted to recreate luxurious bakery-style cookies at home, this recipe delivers exactly that. The thick and chewy texture combined with the bright green color makes them visually stunning and delicious.
- Perfect for Any Occasion: Whether you’re baking for a tea party, a holiday gathering, or simply a weekend indulgence, these cookies are guaranteed to impress.
- A Unique Take on Classic Cookies: If you’re tired of basic chocolate chip cookies, adding matcha and white chocolate gives them an elevated and gourmet twist.
Variations & Customizations
This recipe is highly customizable, so you can tweak the ingredients to suit your preferences. Here are some variations to try:
- Add Nuts – For extra texture, add macadamia nuts, almonds, or pistachios to complement the matcha flavor.
- Make Them Vegan – Replace butter with vegan butter and use dairy-free white chocolate to create a plant-based version.
- Try a Dark Chocolate Version – If white chocolate isn’t your favorite, swap it out for dark chocolate chunks for a bolder contrast with the matcha.
- Increase the Matcha Intensity – If you prefer a stronger matcha taste, increase the amount of matcha powder slightly, but be careful not to add too much, as it can become bitter.
Storage and Serving Suggestions
To keep these cookies fresh and maintain their chewy texture, follow these storage tips:
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- If you want to keep them fresh for longer, refrigerate for up to a week and warm them slightly before serving.
- For long-term storage, freeze the unbaked dough balls in an airtight container for up to 3 months. When ready to bake, let them thaw slightly before placing them in the oven.
Conclusion
These Levain-Style Matcha White Chocolate Cookies offer a unique and elevated take on the classic cookie. With their thick, chewy texture and the perfect blend of earthy matcha and creamy white chocolate, they are bound to become a new favorite in your baking repertoire.
Baking these cookies at home allows you to enjoy bakery-quality treats without the hefty price tag. Plus, they are incredibly fun to make and can be customized in countless ways. Whether you’re a matcha lover, a cookie enthusiast, or just someone who enjoys a delicious homemade dessert, this recipe is sure to impress.
Give these thick and chewy matcha cookies a try and experience the magic of bakery-style cookies right from your kitchen!