Bittersweet matcha brownies with a crackly crust, fudgy texture and chunks of white chocolate, the best kind of matcha treat
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My obsession with matcha will never end... these matcha brownies are sweet, fudgy and studded with large chunks of white chocolate. If you're looking for the best matcha brownies these are it!!
For as long as I can remember I've been looking for the best matcha brownie recipe, but none of the ones I tried ever lived up to my expectations. Matcha has the tendency to dry out batters, which can cause the brownies to turn out super crumbly... Like my chocolate brownie recipe, this matcha brownie recipe results from many, many, many trials. Scrap the cocoa powder for matcha powder for a delicious green treat.
What is matcha?
Matcha is a type of green tea that is made by grinding tea leaves into a fine powder. It is a traditional Japanese tea that has been used in Japanese tea ceremonies for centuries.
Matcha has a unique flavor that is both sweet and slightly bitter, and is known for its bright green color. It is often used in cooking and baking, as well as in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. Matcha is also popular as a health food, as it is high in antioxidants and has been shown to have a range of health benefits.
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients needed for these are super simple!
- White chocolate: White chocolate is used in two steps. The use of white chocolate in the batter is important as it gives the brownies a fudgier texture, while also adding sweetness. The white chocolate added at the end is optional, but I love the extra white chocolate chunks throughout the batter. If you want to switch it up feel free to add chunks of a different kind of chocolate or even some roughly chopped nuts
- Unsalted butter: Unsalted butter is best here, but salted butter will work too. If you use salted butter don't add the large pinch of salt later on in the recipe.
- Matcha powder: The star of the show! Make sure you use a high quality culinary matcha powder as this is the primary flavour in your brownies and will give them that vibrant green color.
- Sugar: Plain white sugar should be used here. A lot of the sweetness will be coming from the white chocolate, but this sugar is needed for texture and balance. Don't leave out!
- Eggs: I use large eggs in this recipe. This will act as a binding agent and keep the brownies together
- Salt: Add a big pinch of salt to balance out the sweetness from the white chocolate and sugar. You can also add a sprinkling of flakey salt over the brownies after they've baked for extra salt.
- Baking powder: Baking powder breaks up the super dense texture, for the perfect brownie
- White chocolate chunks: I like to chop up a chocolate bar into chunks and fold it into the batter. You can also use white chocolate chips if you like, but personally I like to use a chocolate bar as it usually tastes better
Tips for the perfect brownies
Here are a couple of tips so you make perfect brownies every single time.
Don't worry if your white chocolate seizes
If you over-heat your white chocolate and butter it can cause the chocolate to seize and take on a curdled, lumpy-looking texture. As we are mixing other ingredients into the brownies this is completely fine! Keep going with the recipes and they will still turn out perfect
Use the best matcha powder you can get your hands on
These aren't called matcha brownies for no reason! As matcha is the star ingredient in these using a good quality matcha powder will give you the best flavor and color.
I like to use high-quality culinary grade or even ceremonial grade matcha in these. If you are unsure about the different kinds of matcha check out my matcha truffle post, where I go through the differences between them.
A lower-quality matcha will have more bitterness and astringency in comparison to a higher grade. Not only that the color tends to be a dull green/brown rather than a vibrant green!
Don't overbake
Like I have mentioned before, matcha powder has a tendency to dry out batters, resulting in dry and crumbly baked goods.
The best way to counteract this is to keep an eye on the bake time.
The perfect matcha brownie will seem a little undercooked when you pull it out of the oven and an inserted toothpick should emerge with a few gooey crumbs. Once you remove it from the oven it will continue to cook as it cools on your countertop.
Chill completely before slicing
If you are impatient and want a slice of warm brownie there's nothing stopping you! But if you want to cut perfect slices I highly recommend cooling and chilling your brownies before slicing them. This gives them time to set into their shape, so that you get clean slices and perfect edges. I like to use a knife run under hot water for an even sharper slice.
Frequently asked questions
How long so these last?
These will last 2-3 days at room temperature and 5-6 days in the fridge if stored in an airtight container.
Should I eat these chilled or warm?
When it comes to brownies most people would want to eat this slightly warm for a gooey experience. You can pop these in the microwave for 20 seconds or so before eating for a warm brownie. Top them with ice cream for a perfect dessert.
Personally, I like eating these brownies straight from the fridge. Chilling these gives them a super fudgy and slightly chewy texture which is absolutely delicious.
Can I change the toppings in these?
Yes absolutely! Use this recipe as your base and change up the toppings as you like. Personally, I love the white chocolate and macadamia nut combination.
How do you get those perfectly sliced squares?
Make sure the brownies have chilled completely. Then run a sharp knife under hot water, wipe dry, and slice! I like to run the knife under hot water in between slices for a perfect slice every time.
What kind of matcha should I use?
When choosing matcha to use in your brownies make sure you use high-quality matcha powder as this makes all the difference. Your brownies will have a much deeper matcha flavor, with less of an astringent or bitter taste.
I recommend using high-quality culinary grade matcha. You can use ceremonial-grade matcha as well. However, I don't think it's worth the extra cost to purchase such good quality matcha for baking.
Let's Get Cooking
If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.
Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!
You can also checkout my new blog cookingwithgenius for amazing cooking recipes that you won't find anywhere else!
Print📖 Recipe
Matcha White Chocolate Brownies
Bittersweet matcha brownies with a crackly crust, fudgy texture and chunks of white chocolate, the best kind of matcha treat
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Bars
- Method: Easy
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion
Ingredients
Matcha Brownie
- 360 g White chocolate (12.6 oz), roughly chopped
- 210 g Unsalted butter (¾ cup 2 tbsp)
- 35g Matcha powder (6 tbsp)
- 140 g Granulated sugar (⅔ cup 1 tbsp)
- 4 Eggs
- 160 g All purpose flour (1 ⅓ cup)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- 200g White chocolate, roughly chopped (7.05 oz)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/356F
- Line a rectangular baking pan with parchment paper (9 x 12 inches / 22 x 30 cm)
- Put the white chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and heat in the microwave, or over a double boiler, stir until the chocolate melts
- Add matcha powder and sugar to the melted chocolate mixture, and stir until well combined
- Add the eggs to the white chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth and glossy
- Add the flour, salt, and baking powder to the wet ingredients and fold with a spatula until just combined
- Pour into the lined baking tray and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre emerges with a few gooey crumbs
- Cool completely and cut into 12 squares
Stephanie
Could I reduce the white chocolate from 360 to something like 200 or even 180 and still retain some of that fudgey texture? 360 grams is a whole bag of white chocolate and it just seems like a lot to go into one brownie batter. Also I'm sure this is super late but congrats on winning Zumbo's just desserts! I'm a few episodes into the season and am enjoying it so far 🙂
Catherine Zhang
Hi Stephanie, The texture wouldn't be as fudgy if the chocolate is reduced. That being said it makes quite a large batch so I wouldn't be too worried. Thank you for the congratulations too!
Erica Hartman
These look amazing. Quick question, when do you incorporate the “optional” white chocolate chopped chunks? I didn’t see that step in the recipe. I only saw that it is done at the end.
Catherine Zhang
You can incorporate them at the very end! 🙂
Lily
Absolutely delicious! Perfect with the white chocolate and macadamia topping Catherine recommended. I usually make a small batch of 8 tiny squares using a loaf tin so I just quartered the recipe.
Catherine Zhang
The best kind of flavour combination! So glad you liked it 🙂
Aga
Hello! What wonderful brownies these are! Thank you ☺️ One question please, despite of using ceremonial matcha, my brownies still come up with brown layer on top. Perhaps I am placing them to high up in the oven? Any other potential reasons? Thank you so much!
Catherine Zhang
Hi Aga, The temperature of your oven may be a little higher than normal. If you find it's browning too quickly you can cover the top with a sheet of aluminum foil halfway through baking to preventing it from getting to dark
Jess
Amazing recipe, made these recently & they are soo delicious!!! 😋
And, even though I used almond bark instead of white chocolate out of convenience the brownies still turned out pretty great & would have turned out even better if I had used white chocolate!
Catherine Zhang
So glad you loved them, almond bark sounds delicious too!
Erica Pm
Finally made this! Not crazy about white chocolate but it is a great ingredient for some epic recipes and this is one of those recipes to me. I didn’t do white chocolate chips instead topped with milk chocolate chips and a few drops of tahini curious how it turns out
jayden
Hi! I'm a little bit confused with the white chocolate. Do I have to use 360 or 200 or 560g? thanks!
Catherine Zhang
300g melted into the batter, and 200g chopped and folded through 🙂
Joanna T
Wow….I was worried all my substitutions and changes would affect how it came out. I only had 2 eggs, so I divided everything by 2. Also didn’t have enough butter so I added the equivalent substitute in avocado oil. Only used 1/3 of the matcha it called for instead of 1/2 because I ran out. (used the whole box of Trader Joe’s matcha.) Still tastes amazing!! So much matcha flavor despite not using the correct amount. Will definitely make again.
R
These have been my go-to recipe for potlucks and housewarming gifts for 2+ years now, and every time I get so many compliments and they’re gone so fast! Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Helen
My friends and family loved this recipe. They were surprised at how nice the matcha was! Definitely going into my go to baking recipes list.