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Three pale green cookies stacked, one broken open to show ribbons of melted white chocolate.

DiscardeasyNew recipe

Discard matcha white chocolate cookies

Sourdough discard matcha cookies with white chocolate and browned butter. Vibrant green, chewy in the centre, crisp at the edges. The discard adds a fermented tang that cuts through the sweetness of the white chocolate and amplifies the earthy bitterness of the matcha. Three Pantry Favourites in one recipe: matcha powder, white chocolate callets, and vanilla powder. One bowl, no mixer, no fermentation wait.

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Ingredients

Makes about 16 cookies

  • Unsalted butter170g
  • Brown sugar (packed)130g
  • Caster sugar60g
  • Sourdough discard60g
  • Egg + yolk1 egg
  • Vanilla powder2g
  • Plain flour220g
  • Organic matcha powder (premium grade)10g
  • Bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)¾ tsp (4g)
  • Fine sea salt¾ tsp (4g)
  • White chocolate callets160g
  • Light-coloured saucepan, small, so you can see the butter change colour
  • Large heatproof bowl
  • Whisk
  • Fine mesh sieve
  • Silicone spatula
  • Kitchen scale
  • Baking tray, flat, rimmed
  • Baking parchment
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Method

  1. 1

    Brown the butter

    8 min

    Melt 170g butter in a light-coloured saucepan over medium heat, stirring now and then. It foams, then foams again. Watch closely from the second foam: within 1–2 minutes the bits at the bottom turn golden and smell nutty. Take it off the heat straight away and pour into a large heatproof bowl, scraping in all the brown bits. Cool for 10 minutes before continuing.

  2. 2

    Mix wet ingredients

    3 min

    Add 130g brown sugar and 60g caster sugar to the cooled browned butter and whisk vigorously for 1 minute. Add 60g sourdough discard, the whole egg, extra yolk, and 2g vanilla powder. Whisk for another minute until the mixture is smooth and glossy. The discard may look separated at first ~ keep whisking until uniform.

  3. 3

    Sift and add dry ingredients

    4 min

    Sift 220g plain flour, 10g matcha powder, ¾ tsp (4g) bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), and ¾ tsp (4g) fine sea salt together directly into the wet mixture. Sifting matters for matcha: it clumps easily and leaves green streaks. Fold with a spatula until just combined and no dry flour or matcha streaks remain. Add 160g white chocolate callets and fold through gently.

  4. 4

    Chill the dough

    30 min

    Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. The dough can chill for up to 72 hours.

  5. 5

    Preheat the oven

    15 min

    Heat your oven to 185°C (165°C fan) / 365°F fan (195°C (175°C fan) / 385°F conventional), slightly lower than standard cookies to protect the matcha colour, and line two baking trays with baking parchment. Start this during the last 15 minutes of the chill, so the oven is ready when the dough is.

  6. 6

    Bake

    13 min

    Scoop into balls of about 45g. Place on lined trays, 6cm apart. Top each with 2–3 extra white chocolate callets and a little flaky salt. Bake at 185°C (165°C fan) / 365°F fan for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centre still looks soft. Do not wait for browning: matcha cookies stay green. Take the tray out and bang it once on the counter. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes.

  7. 7

    Cool and serve

    10 min

    Leave cookies on the tray for at least 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. The green colour will be most vibrant on the day of baking ~ it fades slightly over 2–3 days, which is normal. Store in an airtight container away from light to slow colour fading.

Keeping it

  • Up to 4 days on the counterAirtight and away from light. The colour fades a little each day.
  • Up to 2 months in the freezerBaked, or as raw dough balls to bake from frozen (add 2–3 minutes).
  • Warm it up160°C (140°C fan) / 320°F for 4 minutes. Not in the microwave.

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