Matcha Snowball Cookies are the perfect fusion of a classic holiday favorite and sophisticated Japanese tea culture, creating something that’s both familiar and wonderfully unique. These delicate, crumbly cookies are made with butter, ground almonds or pecans, and high-quality matcha green tea powder that gives them a beautiful pale green color and earthy, slightly sweet flavor. Like traditional Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes, they’re rolled in powdered sugar while still warm, creating that signature snowy appearance that makes them look like little winter snowballs. The matcha adds a gentle bitterness that balances the sweetness perfectly and gives these cookies a grown-up sophistication that coffee and tea lovers especially appreciate. They melt in your mouth with a tender, shortbread-like texture, and the combination of buttery richness, nutty depth, and the unique flavor of matcha makes them absolutely addictive. These cookies are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges when you want to bring something different, for serving at elegant tea parties, or for gift giving to friends who appreciate more adventurous flavors. They’re also naturally quite beautiful with their soft green interior peeking through the white powdered sugar coating.
Serving Quantity: Makes about 36-40 cookies
Cooking Time:
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Chilling time: 30 minutes
- Baking time: 14 minutes per batch (28 minutes total)
- Cooling and coating time: 20 minutes
- Total time: 1 hour 38 minutes
Nutrition Information (per cookie):
- Calories: 95
- Total Fat: 7g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Cholesterol: 12mg
- Sodium: 25mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fiber: 1g
- Sugars: 4g
- Protein: 1g
- Antioxidants: High from matcha
- Iron: 2% of daily value
Ingredients
- 1 cup of unsalted butter at room temperature
- Half cup of powdered sugar plus 2 cups for rolling
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Half teaspoon of almond extract (optional)
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons of high quality culinary matcha powder
- Quarter teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of finely ground almonds or pecans
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- Extra matcha powder for dusting (optional)
- White chocolate for drizzling (optional)
Choosing Quality Matcha
The quality of your matcha makes a huge difference in these cookies. Look for culinary grade matcha, which is specifically meant for baking and cooking. Ceremonial grade matcha is too expensive and delicate for baking. Good culinary matcha should be vibrant green, not yellowish or brown. It should smell fresh and grassy, not musty or fishy. Japanese matcha is generally highest quality, though there are good options from other countries. Store matcha in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer because it oxidizes and loses color and flavor when exposed to air and light. Sift matcha before using to break up any clumps. Old or low-quality matcha will make your cookies taste bitter and look dull, so invest in decent quality.
Preparing the Dough
In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until it’s creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. The butter should be soft enough to leave an indentation when pressed but not greasy or melted. Add the half cup of powdered sugar and beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color. It should look almost whipped. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract if using. Beat until incorporated. The almond extract enhances the nuttiness but is optional if you’re not a fan of its flavor.
Incorporating Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, matcha powder, salt, ground nuts, and cornstarch. Whisking thoroughly distributes the matcha evenly so you don’t get pockets of intense green or bitter flavor. The cornstarch makes the cookies extra tender and creates that melt-in-your-mouth texture. With your mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in two or three additions, mixing just until combined after each addition. Don’t overmix or your cookies will be tough. The dough will look crumbly at first but should come together when pressed. If it seems too dry and won’t hold together, add a teaspoon of milk. If it’s too wet and sticky, add a tablespoon of flour.
Chilling the Dough
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead it gently a few times to bring it together into a smooth ball. The warmth of your hands will help it come together. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Chilling serves two purposes. It makes the dough easier to handle and shape into balls without it sticking to your hands, and it allows the flour to hydrate and the flavors to meld. You can chill for up to 3 days if you’re making these ahead. Just let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before shaping if it’s very firm from long refrigeration.
Shaping the Cookies
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. The relatively low temperature prevents the cookies from browning too much, which would detract from their delicate appearance. Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator. Pinch off pieces about a tablespoon in size and roll them between your palms into smooth balls. They should be about one inch in diameter. Don’t make them too large or the centers won’t bake through properly. Place the balls on your prepared baking sheets about two inches apart. They don’t spread much but need a little room. You should get about 18 to 20 cookies per sheet.
Baking to Perfection
Bake one sheet at a time in the center of your oven for 12 to 14 minutes. The cookies are done when the bottoms are just barely starting to turn golden and the cookies are set but still pale green on top. They should not brown. They’ll look slightly underdone and that’s perfect. They firm up as they cool. If you bake them until they look done, they’ll be overbaked and hard. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for exactly 5 minutes. This is important timing. Too short and they’ll be too fragile to coat. Too long and the powdered sugar won’t stick as well.
The Double Sugar Coating
Place about a cup of powdered sugar in a medium bowl. After the cookies have cooled for 5 minutes, they’ll be warm but firm enough to handle. Working with 3 or 4 cookies at a time, gently place them in the powdered sugar. Use a spoon to gently roll them around, coating them completely. The warmth of the cookies helps the sugar stick and creates a thin, translucent coating. Carefully transfer the coated cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes. Once they’re completely cool, roll them in powdered sugar again. This second coating creates that thick, opaque, snowy appearance that makes snowball cookies so iconic. The double coating also gives you layers of sweetness that balance the earthy matcha.
Storage and Gifting
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks. Layer them carefully with parchment or wax paper between layers because the powdered sugar coating can stick to other cookies. If the coating starts to look less snowy after a few days, you can roll them in fresh powdered sugar again. These cookies freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. Freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then transfer to freezer bags. Thaw at room temperature and re-roll in powdered sugar before serving. For gift giving, arrange them in decorative tins or boxes lined with tissue paper. They look beautiful packaged in clear cellophane bags tied with white or green ribbon.
Optional Matcha Dust Design
For an extra beautiful presentation, you can dust the cookies with additional matcha powder after the final sugar coating. Put a small amount of matcha in a very fine mesh strainer or tea strainer. Gently tap it over some of the cookies to create a light green dusting. This creates a lovely contrast and makes it immediately clear that these are matcha cookies. Be very light with the dusting because too much looks messy and can taste bitter. Just a whisper of green across the white is enough.
White Chocolate Drizzle
For an even more elegant finish, melt some white chocolate and drizzle it over the cooled, sugar-coated cookies in thin lines. Let the chocolate set at room temperature or in the refrigerator. The white chocolate adds another layer of sweetness and a beautiful visual element. You can also drizzle with dark chocolate for contrast, though white keeps the snowy winter theme. To drizzle, put melted chocolate in a small ziplock bag, snip a tiny corner, and pipe thin lines back and forth over the cookies.
Nut Variations
This recipe works beautifully with different nuts. Finely ground almonds create a delicate, European-style cookie. Pecans add a buttery, Southern richness. Walnuts work but can be slightly bitter which some people love with matcha. Hazelnuts are wonderful and luxurious. Make sure whatever nuts you use are ground very fine, almost to a powder. You can use a food processor but pulse carefully and don’t overprocess or you’ll make nut butter. Many stores sell almond flour or almond meal which works perfectly. Finely ground nuts are different from nut flour in that they retain a little more texture, but either works.
Flavor Add-Ins
These cookies are delicious as written but you can customize them. Add the finely grated zest of one lemon for brightness that complements the matcha. Add a quarter teaspoon of cardamom for an exotic spice note. Use half a teaspoon of orange extract instead of almond for citrus flavor. Add a tablespoon of finely chopped crystallized ginger for sweet spice. Fold in white chocolate chips before shaping for pockets of sweetness. Add a pinch of sea salt to the dough to enhance all the flavors.
Troubleshooting
If your cookies spread too much during baking, your butter was too soft or you didn’t chill the dough enough. If they’re hard and dry, you overbaked them or your dough was too dry. Add a bit more butter next time. If the powdered sugar is sliding off, you’re coating them when they’re too cool. They need to be warm for the first coat. If the cookies are crumbly and fall apart, you didn’t mix the dough enough or you need more butter to hold them together. If they taste too bitter, your matcha is old or low quality, or you used too much. If they’re too sweet, reduce the sugar in the dough slightly. The powdered sugar coating adds plenty of sweetness.
Dietary Adaptations
For gluten-free cookies, substitute a gluten-free flour blend that includes xanthan gum. The cookies will be slightly more fragile but still delicious. For vegan cookies, use vegan butter and make sure it’s the same fat content as regular butter. Some vegan butters are too wet and will change the texture. You can make these nut-free by replacing the ground nuts with additional flour and a bit more cornstarch, though they won’t be quite as tender. For lower sugar, you can reduce the powdered sugar in the dough by half, though you’ll still want to coat them in powdered sugar for the classic look.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these cookies with hot green tea for a matcha-on-matcha experience. They’re also wonderful with coffee, hot chocolate, or champagne. Arrange them on a platter with other holiday cookies for variety. They provide a nice color contrast to traditional brown cookies. Serve them as part of a Japanese-inspired dessert course with mochi and fresh fruit. Pack them in individual paper cups for easy serving at parties. They’re delicate and the individual cups protect them. Present them on a bed of white tissue paper or in a bowl of extra powdered sugar for a snowy effect.
Tips for Success
Room temperature butter is essential. Too cold and it won’t cream properly. Too warm and the cookies will spread. Quality matcha is worth the investment. Cheap matcha tastes bad and looks worse. Sift the matcha before adding it to the flour to prevent clumps and ensure even color. Grind your nuts very fine for the most delicate texture. Chunks of nuts make the cookies harder to shape. Chill the dough. This step makes shaping so much easier and improves the final texture. Roll the dough balls between your palms until they’re very smooth with no cracks. Cracks will get worse during baking. Bake at the lower temperature. Higher heat browns them and you lose the pretty pale green color. Don’t overbake. They should look slightly underdone when you take them out. Time the first sugar coating. Five minutes after baking is the sweet spot. Use high quality powdered sugar. The cheap stuff with cornstarch clumps doesn’t coat as smoothly. The double coating is what creates that professional snowball look. Don’t skip the second coating. Handle the cookies gently after baking. They’re fragile when warm. Store in an airtight container. Exposure to air makes them lose their crispness and the sugar coating can get sticky. These cookies actually taste better the next day after the flavors have melded. The matcha flavor becomes more pronounced and complex. Don’t substitute green food coloring for matcha. You won’t get the flavor and it will look artificial. If your cookies are turning out flat instead of domed, try chilling the dough balls on the baking sheet for 15 minutes before baking. Make extra because these disappear fast. The unusual flavor makes people curious and they’ll try multiple cookies. Keep some in the freezer for last-minute gifts or unexpected guests. They thaw in minutes.
