Who’s ready to get festive? These matcha Christmas cookies are so fun to make this holiday season! Not only does matcha offer a lovely natural green color for a Christmas tree cookie, but it also provides a subtle hint of its earthy green tea flavor in these cut out sugar cookies.
Whether you’re looking to impress your friends at a cookie swap, add something new to your dessert table, or just enjoy a cozy baking day with the kiddos, these cookies are the perfect choice. Just eight ingredients and easy to make!
Ingredients
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Matcha – If you’re reading this recipe, my guess is you’re familiar with matcha. But if not, matcha is a finely ground green tea powder. You may see both culinary grade and ceremonial grade matcha at the store; culinary grade is a slightly lower grade but works absolutely fine in this recipe.
- Dairy-free butter – Obviously, this is a dairy-free recipe site, hence this ingredient. If you’re not dairy free, though, you can just use regular butter. If you are dairy-free, I recommend using Country Crock plant butter sticks for baking. They work very well in this recipe. If you need a soy-free option, Earth Balance soy free sticks are a good choice.
- Optional garnishes – These are not pictured but include options like gel icing and candy pearls. These can be used to create “lights” on the Christmas tree if you’d like. You can also dust with powdered sugar instead too.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by preheating your oven and getting some baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Next, cream together the dairy free butter and sugar. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix until light and fluffy. I find this easiest to do with a stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer if that’s what you’ve got available.
In another bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – the flour, matcha, baking powder, and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and stir everything together.
Pour out the dough onto a floured surface, and sprinkle some flour on top. Roll the dough out until it’s about ¼- to ½-inch thick. Cut out your cookies with a Christmas tree cookie cutter, and put them on your parchment-lined baking sheets.
As a heads up, you can also make these as drop sugar cookies using a cookie scoop. I think the texture is better though as cut-out cookies.
Bake the cookies at 350 degrees F for about 8-11 minutes. Thinner cookies will be done on the earlier side; thicker cookies may require the full baking time.
Keep an eye on the edges of the cookies; you want to avoid them becoming a deep golden brown. Instead, pull when the edges are still green or just a light golden brown.
Let the cookies cool on the pan. Once cool, you can decorate if you’d like – totally optional! I used gel icing and candy pearls to make the faux lights look on the cookies.
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing these matcha Christmas cookies:
Store in an airtight container or ziptop bag at room temperature. For best quality, enjoy within 4-5 days. If you plan to save them longer than that, you can freeze them.
Yes. Freeze baked cookies in an airtight container or ziptop bag. Use within 3 months for best quality. Thaw on the counter when ready to enjoy.
Allergens in this Recipe
Disclaimer: Always double check ingredients and labels yourself prior to making a recipe. While I try to check all ingredients for allergens, there’s always the chance I may miss something, or manufacturer formulations can change.
As written, this recipe is dairy free. If you add optional garnishes – like gel icing or candy pearls – but sure to check allergen labels on those to ensure they meet your needs.
Depending on the choice of dairy-free butter, this recipe may contain soy or nuts. Simply choose a butter that does not contain these ingredients if you have issues with those allergens.
This recipe does contain wheat/gluten (in the flour) and eggs (in the egg). You may be able to make a wheat/gluten free version by substituting a gluten-free flour blend for the all-purpose flour.
More Cookie Recipes
If you’re looking for more delicious cookies to bake this season, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Chocolate chip pecan cookies
- Dairy free gingerbread cookies
- 4-ingredient peanut butter cookies
- Snickerdoodle cookies
- Molasses cookies
I hope you enjoy these! I think they’re such a fun and festive way to celebrate the holiday, and a little unique too. Great to share with friends and neighbors. If you get a chance to try it, please leave a comment or recipe rating below.
Matcha Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ½ cup dairy-free butter, softened (1 stick; you can use regular butter if you are not dairy free)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tbsp matcha
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp salt
Optional for garnish:
- Gel icing
- Candy pearls
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a mixing bowl, cream together the dairy-free butter and sugar.
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Add the egg and the vanilla and mix until light and fluffy.
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In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, matcha, baking powder, and salt.
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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix until combined.
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Place the dough onto a well-floured surface. Sprinkle a little flour on top, and roll the dough out about ¼-inch to ½-inch thick. Use a Christmas tree cookie cutter to shape the cookies, and transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheets.
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Bake cookies at 350 degrees F for 8-11 minutes, or until cooked through. Let cool on the pan.
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Optionally, once cooled, add gel icing and candy pearls to form the lights on the Christmas tree cookies. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Be sure to use softened dairy-free butter but not melted butter. If the butter is melted, the cookies can be difficult to roll out. You can chill the dough first if you have any issues.
- The exact baking time will vary based on how thick the cookies are rolled out. Keep an eye around the edges; don’t let them turn a deep golden brown. The cookies will still be cooked through when the edges are green or a very light golden brown.
- The exact number of cookies will depend on the size of your cookie cutter. I was able to get about 26 cookies, so that is what the nutrition analysis below is based on. Nutrition facts will vary based on cookie size.
- You can also make these as drop sugar cookies using a cookie scoop, rather than as cut-out cookies. I think the texture is better though as cut-out cookies.
Nutrition analysis (approximate per cookie): 81 calories, 3.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 70 mg sodium, 11 g carbohydrate, 0 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 1 g protein, Vitamin D: 0%, Calcium: 1%, Iron: 2%, Potassium: 0%
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