Matcha cookies are cookies with character. They have a fresh green colour, a soft and chewy centre and a white top of icing sugar that cracks so the green dough peeks through. The matcha gives a slightly bitter, herbal flavour, which cane sugar and a touch of salt round off – sweet, but with a grown-up edge.
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In the air fryer you bake four at a time at 160 °C, and because you can easily pull the basket out and take a look, it is easy to hit the moment when the edges are set and the centre is still soft. The dough has no chocolate or nuts, so the matcha gets to stand on its own.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love matcha cookies in the air fryer
Cookies in the air fryer make sense when you bake in small batches. You don’t have to heat up a whole oven, and the compact basket bakes the balls quickly and evenly, so the edges set before the centre has time to dry out. That balance is exactly what matters for matcha cookies: set at the edges, chewy in the middle and still a clear green once they have cooled.
I also like that the dough can be made the day before and left covered in the fridge overnight. Then you just roll the balls, coat them in icing sugar and bake a batch whenever you need fresh cookies.
How the crackled pattern forms
The pattern comes from the thick layer of icing sugar. When the balls spread out and rise in the heat, the dry sugar layer cracks, and the green dough shows through underneath. That’s why the balls should only be rolled in icing sugar right before baking – if they sit for too long, the icing sugar draws moisture out of the dough, and the pattern doesn’t appear. If you want an even sharper pattern, first roll them in a little granulated sugar and then in icing sugar. The sugar layer stops the icing sugar from drawing in moisture and disappearing.
My kitchen test of matcha cookies
I baked the matcha cookies in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 160 °C, and 8 minutes per batch was spot on: the edges were set and the surface had cracked, while the centre still looked slightly underbaked. With 16 balls and four in the basket at a time, that came to 4 batches and 32 minutes of baking in total. Add 20 minutes of preparation and 30 minutes of chilling time, and the whole recipe takes 82 minutes – and much of that time the dough simply sits chilling in the fridge.
In my Philips XXL there is room for 5-6 cookies at a time, so there you can save one batch. Still give them plenty of space, because the dough spreads, and cookies that merge lose their round shape.
Take the cookies out while the centre is still soft and looks slightly underbaked. They firm up as they cool and turn chewy – if they bake for too long, the green colour goes dull.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is baking the cookies until they look done. Then the edges turn brown, the colour goes dull and the chewy centre disappears. Instead, take them out when the edges are set and let them firm up on a cooling rack. The second mistake happens in the bowl: if the butter is too hot, the egg starts to set, and if you mix the dough for too long, the cookies turn hard. Let the butter cool until lukewarm, sift the matcha powder with the flour so it doesn’t clump, and fold only until there is no dry flour left. The third mistake is preheating the air fryer with loose baking paper in the basket. The paper can blow up into the heating element, so only put it in the hot basket together with the balls, and cut it slightly smaller than the bottom so the hot air can still circulate.
How to serve matcha cookies
Matcha cookies go well with everyday coffee and with a cake table that could use a bit of colour. Here are my favourites:
- With a cup of green tea, which brings out the fresh flavour of the matcha
- With coffee or a latte in the afternoon
- On the cake table as a green contrast to the classic cookies
- With a scoop of vanilla ice cream as a quick dessert
- In a nice tin as a home-baked hostess gift
Storage and reheating
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, and they will keep for up to 5 days. If they have become a bit firm, you can warm them in the air fryer at 150 °C for 1-2 minutes so they turn soft again. Matcha cookies can also be frozen for up to 3 months – let them thaw at room temperature. Keep the rest of the matcha powder in a dark place with the lid closed, so the colour lasts until next time.
Matcha cookies are an obvious choice when you want to bake something other than the classic cookies in the air fryer. Chill the dough, be generous with the icing sugar and take them out in time – and you get green, chewy cookies with that beautiful crackled pattern.
FAQ
Use culinary grade matcha. It has a strong flavour and is cheaper than ceremonial matcha. The fresher and greener the powder, the greener the cookies.
Usually they have baked for too long. Take them out when the edges are set and the centre is still soft – if the edges turn brown, the colour goes dull. Dark brown sugar can also make the dough brownish, so use light cane sugar.
Recipe
Matcha cookies in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Measuring spoons
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 Sifter
- 1 Dough scraper
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Plate
- 1 Small bowl
- 1 Parchment paper (for air fryer)
- 1 Cooling rack
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Melt 125 g butter in a small saucepan over a low heat. Take the pan off the heat and let the butter cool for about 5 minutes, until it is only lukewarm.
- Pour the butter into a mixing bowl and whisk it together with 75 g cane sugar and 75 g sugar for about 1 minute. Whisk in 1 pcs egg until the mixture is glossy and smooth.
- Sift 200 g flour, 2 tbsp matcha powder, 1 tsp baking powder, 0.25 tsp baking soda and 0.25 tsp salt into the bowl. Matcha powder clumps easily, so it should always be sifted. Fold everything together with a dough scraper, only until there is no dry flour left – if you mix for too long, the cookies turn hard.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until it is firm enough to roll.
- Shape the dough into 16 balls of about 35 g each – roughly the size of a walnut – by rolling them between your palms. Place the balls on a plate and put them back in the fridge while the air fryer preheats.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, cut 2 pieces of baking paper that are slightly smaller than the bottom of the basket, so the hot air can still circulate.
- Pour 50 g icing sugar into a small bowl and roll 4 balls thoroughly in the icing sugar, so they are covered in a thick, white layer. Do this only right before baking – if the balls sit in icing sugar for too long, the sugar draws moisture out of the dough, and the crackled pattern won’t appear.
- Place a piece of baking paper in the hot basket and immediately put the 4 balls on it, about 5 cm apart, so they can spread out. The balls hold the paper down – never preheat with loose baking paper in the basket, as it can blow up into the heating element.
- Bake at 160 °C for 8 minutes, until the edges are set and the surface has cracked, while the centre is still soft and looks slightly underbaked. They must not turn brown at the edges – otherwise the green colour turns dull.
- Pull the basket out, carefully lift the baking paper with the cookies onto a cooling rack, and let them cool for 5 minutes before you move them off the paper. They are very soft when they come out, but they firm up as they cool and stay chewy in the middle.
- Repeat with the remaining balls in another 3 batches of 8 minutes at 160 °C, alternating between the 2 pieces of baking paper. Coat each batch in icing sugar right before it goes into the air fryer.
Our notes for the recipe
Take the cookies out while the centre is still soft and looks slightly underbaked – they firm up as they cool and turn chewy in the middle. If they bake for too long, the edges turn brown and the green colour goes dull. Let the butter cool until just lukewarm before you whisk in the egg, so the egg doesn’t start to set. Light cane sugar works best – dark brown sugar makes the dough brownish. The crackled pattern:
The pattern needs a thick layer of icing sugar, added right before baking. For an even more distinct pattern, first roll the balls in a little granulated sugar and then in icing sugar – the sugar layer stops the icing sugar from drawing in moisture and disappearing. Matcha:
Use culinary grade matcha – it has a strong flavour and is cheaper than ceremonial matcha. The fresher and greener the powder, the greener the cookies. Store the tin in a dark place with the lid closed, so the colour lasts. Variation:
The recipe is made without chocolate and nuts, but you can fold 75 g chopped white chocolate, macadamia nuts or pistachios into the dough once the flour is mixed in. A little finely grated lemon zest adds a fresh edge to the matcha. Serving:
Serve the cookies with a cup of green tea or coffee, or put them on the cake table as a colourful contrast to the classic cookies. Make ahead:
The dough can be made the day before and left covered in the fridge overnight. If it is too firm to roll, let it stand for 10 minutes at room temperature. Portion size:
The recipe makes about 16 cookies, i.e. 4 per serving, and the nutritional values are calculated per serving. A standard air fryer has room for 4 at a time, so they can spread out without merging. If you have a large air fryer, you can bake 5-6 at a time and save one round.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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