26-05 FLAVOR OF THE MONTH: MATCHA WHITE CHOCOLATE
Part of my cookie series. This is for May.
Read about the introduction and idea of this project in the inaugural post.
I baked these for our IRANIAN DINNER & MOVIE NIGHT and they were specifically requested by V as her birthday cookie. I've done this flavor before but:
- it didn't turn out like I'd hoped
- I never documented it
So here it is.
MATCHA WHITE CHOCOLATE
Trial #1
The Grinch that stole cookie
The first time I baked these cookies was for Christmas 2025. What happened:
I started referencing tips from various other recipes, one which stated that the cookie dough should chill in the fridge for 2 hours before baking. Since it’s 1°C right now, I figured I could just leave the cookie dough outside for a couple of hours. That was a mistake! The dough ended up freezing, and what could have been aesthetically-pleasing cookies turned into an ugly delicious mess. Heavy on the delicious, though.
On top of that, I decided to use white chocolate chips rather than a bar. The chips immediately melted in the heat, which added to the greasiness and created these extremely buttery cookies that were falling apart from within. The crispy brown edges were from the butter melting through; wait, let me show you:
The first photo was my attempt at adding more white chocolate chips (the original had already melted through). I added them on like eyes, thinking I could save them through cuteness. But they just melted again. Slowly watching the "eyes" disappear into their empty sockets was slightly disturbing. These were probably the ugliest cookies I'd ever made.
Trial #2
Well, I learned from my mistakes:
- don't let the dough freeze (I've not attempted this again, nor even cooled them down in the fridge due to lack of space)
- use chocolate bars, not chips. Which is strange, because aren't chocolate chips meant for baking? (I also did not read the instructions on the package, if there were any)
A little process photo for ya.
Yay, cookies!
Verdict
Taste: ★★★★★
These came out way better! The chocolate was intact, and I added a bit more matcha powder than usual so the taste was nice and strong. V loved them, to the point where she (and Daniel) started telling me I should sell these.*
* I've had weeks to think about it, and the idea has grown on me.
The science of baking/I'm in the business of making cookies
That being said, I've noticed something. I used to separate the dough onto two trays: 6 on the solid rack, which I'd place on the bottom rung, and 6 on the wire rack, which I'd place on the top rung.
I noticed that the cookies on the top wire rack would come out crinkly, whereas the cookie on the bottom tray would come out smooth. I'm aiming for smooth, wider cookies. During the last two baking sessions, I've been putting all of the dough onto one tray because they fit. This time, I placed it on the bottom rung, hoping it'd come out smoother, but they came out more crinkly and higher rather than wider.
If I am to get into the cookie business, I want them to look big and wide, so they feel worth the price. A lot of bougie cookie places have popped up around Switzerland, and the current price is 6 Fr. per cookie. That's almost $7.50 USD for one cookie that's not even large by American standards. These are European-sized L cookies, people!
Anyway, I'd been mindlessly following this recipe for month and hadn't bothered with the science of baking. But I'm going to take it a bit more seriously now, because even my sister got in on the cookie business bandwagon and reminds me every time I have a call with her.
A baking hiatus
On that note, I've decided to take a break from baking anything until the weather cools down. As many of you probably know by now, Europe does not do air conditioning. I have one standing fan that I've been lugging into every room. I don't think the fan will be enough to cool down a hot kitchen.
You know how the saying goes: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.† Ya don't need to tell me twice.