Today marks a string of firsts for me: my first post after moving into my first rental since college, and my first time baking with matcha. These Matcha Cookie Christmas Tree Stacks turned out perfectly on the first try—no adjustments needed—and quickly became a favorite. They make lovely homemade gifts, and I’ll be baking extra batches to share (and to keep a few for myself).
Matcha is finely ground green tea leaf powder, naturally vibrant thanks to chlorophyll, which makes it ideal for dye-free baking. Its flavor is earthy, rich, and slightly sweet. For beverages, a delicate ceremonial matcha is preferred, but for baking use a cooking-grade matcha. Cooking-grade matcha delivers a stronger tea flavor that stands up to sugar, flour, and eggs, and it’s typically more affordable. My matcha was supplied by Aiya America.
Matcha’s complex blend of sweet and slightly bitter notes works best in simple recipes, so I used it in buttery shortbread-style cookies. These aren’t overloaded with chocolate or covered in heavy icing—instead, the matcha itself provides depth and flavor. To make them festive without lots of decoration, I stacked graduated cookie shapes into small “Christmas trees.”
I used four different-sized snowflake cutters to form each stack—two large, two medium, three small, and two tiny per tree—and from one batch I made ten stacks. You could use star cutters instead if you prefer. The cookies hold their shape in the oven but puff slightly, which helps the stacked layers read as a tree. Take them out while the tops are still puffed and slightly unset; after cooling on the tray for about 10 minutes they’ll settle and finish cooking. Removing them a bit early yields a softer final texture, so avoid overbaking.
After the cookies cool and settle, stack them, dust with powdered sugar, and use melted white chocolate to attach a whole almond as a tree topper. They’re ready to serve immediately or to be wrapped in cellophane as gifts—my mom took this batch to work and received messages all day about how much people enjoyed them.
If you want something different for your holiday cookie lineup, try these Matcha Cookie Christmas Tree Stacks. They’re simple to make, visually charming, and full of matcha flavor. Don’t forget to take a photo of your creations and share it on social media with the appropriate tag if you’d like to show them off.
Matcha Cookie Christmas Tree Stacks
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- Author: Morgan
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 10 stacks 1x
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons cooking-grade matcha
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
- ¼ cup white chocolate chips, melted
- 10 whole almonds, to top
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter, matcha, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, mixing until just combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix until no dry streaks remain.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the chilled dough and roll each portion to about 1/6–1/4 inch thickness. Cut shapes in graduated sizes—two large, two medium, three small, and two tiny per stack—using snowflake or star cutters.
- Bake each sheet for about 7 minutes, until the edges are set but the tops are still puffed. Let the cookies cool on the tray for about 10 minutes so they finish setting before handling. Continue baking remaining cookies.
- Stack the cookies to form trees and dust with powdered sugar.
- To top: melt white chocolate chips in short intervals in the microwave, stirring between each. Drop a small spoonful of melted white chocolate on the top of each stack and press an almond into the center to secure it.
- Serve immediately or wrap in cellophane for gifting.
- Prep Time: 1 hour
- Cook Time: 35 mins
