Tag Archives: Matcha

Matcha Mochi Bars

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On Chinese New Year, I made these lovely matcha mochi bars. They’re essentially the traditional Chinese rice cakes you can get in pretty much any Asian supermarket except these have a modern Japanese twist to it. First of all, these have a beautiful outer crust. Contained inside are red bean paste and mochi. Second, they’re matcha-flavoured which makes it a great take from the original flavored rice cake. And third, they’re home-made with looove. Cheesy, I know. But it’s quite true especially when you’re talking about the Lunar New Year.

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Yield: 9″x 13″ pan

Ingredients

  • 1 pack (400g) glutinous rice flour
  • 1 tbsp matcha + 1 tsp for the layers
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 can (400 mL) coconut milk
  • 350-400g sweetened red bean paste (coarse)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Grease a 9″x 13″ pan with a tablespoon of vegetable oil.
  3. Mix dry ingredients (flour, matcha, baking powder, sugar) in one large bowl.
  4. Mix eggs, oil, and coconut milk in a separate bowl.
  5. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix until well combined.
  6. Pour half of the mixture into greased pan. Spread evenly.
  7. Sift a teaspoon of matcha powder evenly on top of first layer.
  8. Spread red bean paste as the second layer. Make sure you use a spatula to get an even spread.
  9. Finally, pour the remaining batter on top of the red bean paste. Use a spatula to spread evenly over the pan.
  10. Bake for 1 hour until crust is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (a little mochi stuck on there is great!)

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Adapted from a traditional rice cake recipe passed-down from a friend’s mom

Fluffy Matcha Pancakes

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I cannot be more excited to share with you the most amaaazing pancake recipe EVER. Since so many of you were asking about the recipe, I thought it was too cruel of me to keep this a secret all to myself.

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fresh matcha pancakes served with sliced bananas and maple syrup

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These pancakes are everything. From crispy around the edges to light and fluffy in the center. They’re soft, moist and oh so good. The best thing? They come together with the simplest of ingredients and in less than 15 minutes, you’re ready to serve the most heart-warming breakfast ever. And guess what? To achieve the fluffy texture, you don’t even have to whip up egg whites till your hand falls off. (You’ll soon know what I mean.)

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leftover matcha pancakes (batter left in fridge for 4 days) – taste and texture did not change one bit – the green matcha color however, faded as the days went by

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leftover matcha pancakes – this time served with coconut cream and maple syrup. so divine.

Oh oh, and did I tell you about this magical batter? I was testing to see if these pancakes still taste delicious after the batter was left in the fridge for 4 days (cause yenno, leftovers happen). And man, I’m telling you – the taste and texture did not change one bit. (Only downer was the color of matcha faded as the days went by, but hey! You can’t complain too much when everything else about your pancakes are just perfect.

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Yield: 6-8 pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp matcha
  • 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted + 1 tbsp for greasing pan

Enjoy 15% OFF all Matchaeologist products using the code: TASTEOFRAINE at checkout! 

Directions:

  1. Melt 3 tbsp butter in microwave for 15-20 seconds until it becomes liquid. Let it cool in room temperature for around 5 minutes.
  2. In a large bowl, sift dry ingredients (flour, matcha, baking powder, salt, sugar) and mix evenly with a whisk.
  3. Use a rubber spatula to make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients.
  4. Add in milk, egg, and melted butter. Using the same spatula, fold and mix ingredients until thoroughly combined. Make sure you get all the dry ingredients incorporated. (However, do NOT over mix as this may cause the pancakes to turn out tough.)
  5. Lightly brush a pan with a smear of butter under medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, scoop in ~1/4 cup of batter into pan (you can use an ice-cream scoop). Turn down the heat to medium. Wait 1-2 minutes for it to brown.
  6. Flip pancake gently. Turn heat down to low-medium heat, and cover pan with a lid to “steam”/slow-cook the pancake for an additional 2-3 minutes. (This technique makes the pancakes real fluffy, soft, and moist.)
  7. Transfer to plate.
  8. Serve with your favorite toppings such as fruits, whipped cream, coconut cream, and maple syrup.
  9. Enjoy!

Tip: if you are unsure if your pancakes are thoroughly cooked, you may use the toothpick test to see if it comes out clean. You may even use your cooking spatula to test by feeling the pancake. If its hardened and bouncy when you press on it, it’s cooked through. If its still mushy and really soft, it may need more time.

 

Adapted from All Recipes 

 

Matcha + Earl Grey Sugar Cookies

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Did you even celebrate Christmas if you didn’t bake sugar cookies? Well, in all honesty, this was actually my first year ever making sugar cookies AND decorating them with icing. Though it took me longer than expected, I had no regrets. ZE-RO. It was REALLY fun! Hopefully it’s not too late for you to start stirring up a batch for a thoughtful gift to give or just indulging them simply for enjoyment. Better yet, share these with your loved ones over a nice cup of coffee or tea beside the fire. It’ll definitely be a sweet holiday memory. Cheers, and wishing everyone a bright and lovely CHRISTmas!

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Yield: 24 cookies

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/8 cup butter, room temperature
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 3/4 tsp vanilla
  • 2 3/4 cup flour (+ extra to work with dough when rolling)
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 earl grey tea pouch
  • 1 tsp matcha powder

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line cookie tray with parchment paper.
  2. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until creamy (around 3-4 minutes).
  3. Add egg and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated.
  4. Halve the butter mixture by measuring out ~1 1/8 cup butter out of the bowl and transferring to another bowl. (This way, you can get two flavors by making one flavor before the other)
  5. In a separate bowl, sift flour and baking powder. Use a whisk to mix evenly so that both the dry contents are evenly distributed.
  6. Halve the dry mixture by measuring ~1 1/3 cup of dry contents and transferring it in a separate medium sized bowl. Add matcha powder. Use whisk to mix contents.
  7. In the bowl of the remaining dry mixture, add in 3/4 pouch of the earl grey tea. Use whisk to mix contents.
  8. In the bowl of the stand mixer (with halved butter content), add in matcha dry mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Mix until well-incorporated, and dough looks a little sticky. Set aside dough on a clean surface (for rolling out shapes later).
  9. After taking out matcha dough, add in remaining halved butter content to stand mixer, and stir in earl grey dry mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Mix until well-incorporated, and dough looks a little sticky. Set aside dough on a clean surface (for rolling out shapes later). You now have one matcha and one earl grey dough.
  10. Grab a handful of flour and brush the surface you are rolling the dough on. (If it gets too sticky, use a little bit more flour as you work the dough, BUT do not over-knead – these cookies can get hard if so!).
  11. Using a rolling pin, roll out one of the dough into a sheet 1/4 inch thick. Use your favorite cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Keep using the same method until all or most of your dough is used up.
  12. Repeat with the other flavored dough.
  13. Transfer these to your cookie tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until cookie edges are golden brown.
  14. Let it cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
  15. Serve and enjoy!

Enjoy 15% OFF all Matchaeologist products using the code: TASTEOFRAINE at checkout! 

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Sugar Cookie Icing

Yield: 12-24 cookies

  • 1 cup confectioner’s sugar
  • 2.5 tsp milk
  • 2 tsp light corn syrup
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • food coloring
  1. In a small bowl, stir sugar and milk until smooth. Add more milk if its too clumpy.
  2. Beat in corn syrup and vanilla until smooth and glossy.
  3. If icing is too thick, add more syrup. If it’s too thin, add a bit more icing sugar. Play around and adjust based on consistency.
  4. Divide icing into bowls and add desired food coloring. Mix, transfer to piping bags, and decorate away!

 

Adapted from Genius Kitchen

 

Matcha Bliss Balls

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You ever have those days when you crave for something sweet, but you don’t want to feel guilty taking up too much unhealthy calories? Yeah? I feel ya. Life’s a constant battle, I know. So that’s why I had to share these amazing energy balls with you today. These lil guys are warriors. They understand us. They fight with us. We need them.

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IMG_9069Yield: 8 bite-sized balls

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup medjool dates, pitted and roughly chopped (dried apricots work well too!)
  • 1/8 cup chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup finely ground almonds (almond flour)
  • 1 tbsp matcha
  • 1 tbsp coconut shreds
  • 1 tbsp chocolate, finely chopped
  • 1.5 tbsp honey
  • 1/8 cup chocolate for melting

 

-For readers of my blog-

Apply promo code: TASTEOFRAINE at checkout to get 15% OFF all Matchaeologist products!

 

 

Directions:

  1. In a food processor, blend all ingredients (except the chocolate for melting) until well combined and mixture is sticky.
  2. Scoop a tablespoon of the mixture and roll into a ball. Repeat until finished.
  3. Place balls on a parchment paper.
  4. Melt chocolate in the microwave.
  5. Spoon a teaspoon of chocolate and spread/drizzle over bliss ball. Repeat with all the remaining balls until finished.
  6. Let it chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Matcha Latte (using a foamer)

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All this time, I’ve been making my matcha lattes with just a single glass jar when I could’ve saved all that energy for something better. (Yup, you should know by now that I am quite a lazy person. Or put it this way, I like to do things the fast way for the most part :P). Not until I discovered that I actually had a French press at home, I quickly turned away from the vigorous shaking motion to a simple pumping method. My latte went from delicious to ON-TOP-OF-THE-WORLD delicious. I kid you not, I love it ten times better than Starbucks. Or maybe more than that. Not just because it’s homemade with all-natural ingredients, but with just 3 ingredients, you really can taste each one of them distinctly. It’s beyond amazing. I hope you can persuade your heart to buy a foamer today. You’ll save your Starbucks dough for this and you’ll thank me for it later.

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Yield: 1 cup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tsp Meiko matcha
  • 1 cup soy milk (milk, almond milk all work great!)
  • 1/2 tbsp honey

 

-For readers of my blog-

Apply promo code: TASTEOFRAINE at checkout to get 15% OFF all Matchaelogist products!

 

 

Directions:

  1. Heat milk in a small pot with lid on under medium-high heat. When it starts steaming and just before it boils, turn off heat.
  2. Add honey in hot milk and let it dissolve. Mix well.
  3. Meanwhile, add matcha into cup and pour around 1/4 cup of the hot milk into the cup just to dissolve the matcha.
  4. Using a spoon or a hand-chasen, mix the matcha and milk well until smooth and not lumpy.
  5. Pour the hot milk in a frother/foamer/French press until it reaches half of the frother volume and start building up pressure by pumping it up and down until you see lots of foam forming in the top layer. (Be careful of hot liquid that may squeeze out!) [Note: if you own a small frother, you may have to do this several times]
  6. Once you got a good amount of foam, pour liquid into the cup with matcha. Make sure all the foam is out!
  7. Serve and enjoy!

 

 

Matcha Bun Rolls

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If there’s such thing as cinnamon rolls, can’t there be matcha bun rolls too? Being the spontaneous me, I wanted to satisfy my cinnamon roll craving by baking some the other day, but unfortunately I did not have cinnamon at home. So I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be amazing if I substituted cinnamon for matcha?!?! And of course, two minutes later, I was in the kitchen preparing dough. (First time baking with yeast, babyyy!) These buns turned out just what I wanted – beautiful, soft, and delicious. I really wouldn’t turn to another dough recipe! And if you wanna be extra fancy, top it off with a generous layer of matcha glaze for a real treat!

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Top half: Matcha Bun Rolls; bottom half: Nutella Bun Rolls (recipe for Nutella Bun Rolls are under “Desserts” category)

 

-For readers of my blog-

Apply promo code:  TASTEOFRAINE at checkout to get 15% OFF all Matchaeologist products!

 

Yield: 12 bun rolls

Ingredients:

Dough

  • 1/2 cup warm milk
  • 1 1/8 tsp yeast
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour + a little for handling

Filling

  • 1/4 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Midori matcha

Glaze

  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup white chocolate (chips, chunks all work great!)
  • 2 tsp Midori matcha

Directions:

  1. Add yeast and sugar to warm milk in a large bowl. Stir gently to combine and allow yeast to foam (~10 minutes). Once yeast has proofed, stir in melted butter, salts, eggs, an flour into yeast mixture. Gently mix until well-combined.
  2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for ~10 minutes. Form dough into a large bowl and place in a large buttered bowl. Cover with plastic or a cloth and place in a warm area. Allow dough to rise and double in size (~2 hours).
  3. Meanwhile, lightly butter a baking 9’x9′ pan.
  4. Place dough on a large lightly floured surface and roll into a rectangle, 1/4 inch thickness. Spread softened butter over top of dough.
  5. Spread brown sugar on top of butter. Sprinkle matcha on top, covering every corner and missing area.
  6. Tightly roll the dough, beginning at the long edge, until a log of dough has been formed.
  7. Cut dough into 1 inch slices and place onto lightly buttered pan.
  8. Preheat oven to 400F.
  9. Allow rolls to rise for 30 minutes on pan.
  10. Place rolls into oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned and cooked through (but not overcooked!)
  11. While buns are baking, prepare matcha glaze by placing chocolate in a medium sized heat proof bowl.
  12. Heat heavy cream in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat. Just before it boils, pour hot cream into prepared chocolate bowl.
  13. Do not mix. Let the cream and chocolate sit there for 7 minutes. Then use a spoon to mix it gently until smooth, creamy, and well-combined. Allow it to cool (without putting in the fridge)
  14. Remove matcha rolls from the oven and allow them to cool slightly. They will all be touching each other and that’s totally fine!
  15. Spread matcha glaze over rolls while they are warm.
  16. Serve warm and enjoy!

Note: for those who are using a stand mixer instead of handmixing, attach dough hook to knead dough in mixer for ~8 minutes. Then, continue on with recipe as instructed.

 

Adapted from Add a Pinch 

Matcha Macarons

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It’s officially the holidays when you see snow falling from the sky while you’re listening to Christmas music and piping frosting on your macarons. I haven’t ate a macaron in a loooong time so I decided to make my own just to challenge myself this winter break. And it turned out exactly what I wanted! Not overly sweet but perfect to the taste and texture. Below you will find some tips that I’ve added just to make your baking journey a little easier. Without further due, I present to you matcha macarons with Nutella filling!

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Yield: 24 macarons

Ingredients:

  • 3 egg whites at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 2 cups icing sugar
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tsp Midori matcha
  • Nutella

 

-For readers of my blog-

Apply promo code: TASTEOFRAINE at checkout to get 15% OFF all Matchaeologist products!

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 300F. Line baking sheet with silicone mats (or parchment paper).
  2. In a large bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add white sugar and beat until they form stiff peaks.
  3. In a medium sized bowl, sift icing sugar, almond flour, salt and matcha. Discard larger pieces of almond flour left behind. Use a whisk to gently mix the dry ingredients.
  4. Gradually add dry mixture into wet mixture. Fold it gently, making sure you don’t incorporate too much air into the mixture.
  5. Mix until ingredients are well incorporated and the consistency of your batter is not too thick, but still viscous enough to hold its shape when piped. [Note: do not under mix as your macarons will be lumpy and cracked with no feet, but do not over mix as well because they can turn flat without feet]
  6. Transfer batter to a pastry bag. Pipe out 1 inch rounds onto baking sheet.
  7. Tap pan hard 2-3 times to release air bubbles. (This will prevent macarons from cracking)
  8. Let them sit for 40-60 minutes on the tray to allow them to dry. Test by touching them gently with your fingertips. If they don’t stick to your finger, you are good to go!
  9. Bake for 15-20 minutes. (If your macaron cannot be easily removed from your baking sheet, you have to bake them longer!)
  10. Transfer shells on a cooling rack.
  11. Meanwhile spoon Nutella in a piping bag. Pipe an inch in diameter onto shell. Sandwich it with another shell to make a complete macaron!
  12. Serve and enjoy!

 

Note: if you don’t like Nutella or are allergic to it, you can substitute it with matcha buttercream or a coconut cream or really anything that pairs well with matcha!

Adapted from Entertaining with Beth