Matcha Choc Chip Macadamia Nut Cookies

6.11.10

I'm in love with green tea - hot, cold, frappe, smoothie, cake, candy, cookie...you name it. There's one green tea beverage I don't like. It...is...iced green tea at Starbucks. It's like c'mon SBUX you can do better than mixing green tea with milk and ice and selling me at $2-something! Making it more complex and tasty wouldn't hurt your stock price. Sorry if this offends anyone in any way! I had the iced green tea once at Starbucks and I didn't like it at all..maybe I just had a bad day

Okay, yes I'm a green tea lover - especially the matcha type. The health benefits of matcha green tea exceed those of regular green tea because when you drink matcha you ingest the whole leaf, not just the brewed water. Did you know that one glass of matcha is the equivalent of 10 glasses of green tea in terms of its nutritional value and antioxidant content? Pretty cool huh?

It's also claimed to naturally enhance mood. I wonder what that means!? Matcha is the oldest variety of shade grown Japanese green tea ground into fine powder. This has been a part of Zen Buddhist culture for over 800 years. Unlike regular teas where the most nutritious tea leaves are infused and thrown away, Matcha green tea is mixed with water and consumed entirely. It's a bit pricey but worth the price.

Since I love matcha, can't give up chocolate chips, and am also in love with macadamia nuts  (gosh I'm so greedy!), I will combine everything together. Matcha and chocolate are popular in baking and they're married in harmony. Those 2 flavors work really well together. They both have a uniqueness and complexity of flavors.

Macadamia nuts are nutty and delicate in flavor with a Hawaii-like feeling. It pairs well with matcha. Macadamias are also good for you. Medical research has shown that the consumption of macadamias may significantly lower the risk of heart disease and they contain no cholesterol. I need to get Keith (a.k.a. hubby) to like macadamias as he doesn't like them at all!

Cover with plastic wrap and let it chill in a fridge for 30 mins

Enough of the serious facts. Let's get back to the fun part. Cookies are a fun and finger-friendly dessert. I always have a Martha Stewart moment when making desserts - small packages delivered to lovely friends. I like a big chunk of macadmia. When I bite into it I can taste the whole nut and don't have to wonder if it's there! Here we go..my version of matcha choc-chip mac'nut cookies.

30 mins later..

Oh, if you like shortbread matcha, I have a recipe for you as well: Matcha shortbread cookies. It was my very first post when I decided to join the blogosphere. You then will see how I did it before and how I've done it today :)

Use an ice cream scoop for a consistency of an amount

Matcha ChocChip Macadamia Cookies

Yield: 30 cookies

Ingredients:

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp sea salt

1 1/2 Tbsp good quality matcha powder

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, divide (you can change it to bittersweet or milk chips depending on your sweet preference; I found semi-sweet is a perfect sweetness)

1-1 1/2 cups macadamia nuts (or any nuts of your choice)

Garnish with semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 360 F and arrange parchment paper on a baking sheet
• Sift flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside
• Beat butter, sugar, and matcha at medium speed until it's all fluffy and greenish
• Add eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Beat at low speed for about 5 mins
• Gradually add sifted flour mixture into a wet mixture. Beat it at low speed. Change the speed to medium when the flour is all in. Beat until mixed.
• Add only 1/2 cup semi-sweet choc chip, and macadamias into a mixture. Use spatula to mix it by folding it back and forth. Make sure it spreads all over the mixture.
• Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let it chill in a fridge for 30 mins
• After 30 mins, remove the plastic wrap
• Use an ice cream scoop or a round spoon to scoop it on a prepared baking sheet
• Place 2-3 chips on top of each scoop. The reason we place on top because if we add all chips in, they make cookies too sweet and are hidden underneath the cookies
• Bake for 12 mins
• After 12 mins, cool them off on a sheet and move to wire rack
• Let the cookies cool completely and until the chips are not melted anymore
• Keep them in an air tight container or package them for your lovely friends!

Let them cool off on a wire rack. They smell so good! Fresh right off the oven

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