If you haven't already noticed via my insta posts, I'm obsessed with matcha. I love the taste, and the color. Matcha (usually bulletproof) is my go-to morning dose of caffeine, occasionally alternating with mushroom coffee (if you want the specifics, I have matcha around 5x/week and mushroom coffee 2x/week...give or take).

Why I Made These

I was recently at a friend's house-warming party where she had a matcha cake for dessert. I wasn't expecting too much out of it, only because I'm not the biggest cake lover, but it was out of this world...like possibly the best cake I've ever eaten. The matcha powder was perfectly sifted on the top of the cake, the crust was doughy and there was some white layer in the middle...I want to say coconut cream? Whatever it was, me and all the other matcha or non-matcha lovers at the party couldn't get enough of it. So I decided it was time to take my matcha experiments out of the mug and into the oven.

I'm Not a Good Baker

That is the truth. For some reason I got the cooking touch, but not the baking touch. Bryan is so let down every time I pull anything out of the oven...oops! I think this is because I don't cook with precise measurements...I taste as I cook and add ingredients as needed but with baking, that doesn't ever seem to work out. Just because the batter tastes good, doesn't mean it will bake into something of substance in the oven. Personally, I prefer warm, doughy, moist desserts (a warm-doughy-barely-cooked-chocolate-chip-skillet-cookie with ice cream on top would be my #1 choice) so when my desserts end up coming out as a big mush of doughy nothing, I'm OK with it as long as it tastes good (another example - I love when my pancakes fall apart while flipping because I would prefer a big mush with some undercooked batter over a slightly overcooked/browned, dry pancake), but Bryan is not on the same page so as I enter this marriage, I need to step up my baking game (#wifeytobe).

There Might Be Some Hope For Me

That said, this dessert came out amazing (possibly my first ever that I actually genuinely am proud of...and devoured). For Bryan's liking, they were still a bit undercooked. I like to take my desserts out of the oven a few minutes early because they usually cook while they're cooling. These however didn't really cook much after I took them out, so what was supposed to be a coconut-matcha-cookie, turned into a matcha macaroon (if I call it a macaroon, then he can't call it undercooked...macaroons are supposed to be wet/doughy/moist...right?). Once he accepted that it "wasn't a cookie" ...he loved it, so much that (together) we finished the whole tray in one day. The recipe made 12 macaroons. We ate 8 straight out of the oven and saved 4 for dessert later that night.

Culinary Vs. Ceremonial Grade Matcha

For this recipe, I used Mizuba Culinary Matcha. The difference between culinary and ceremonial matcha is that culinary matcha is made to be combined with other substances, is more bitter to combine well with other ingredients, and is cheaper. Ceremonial grade matcha is made for drinking plain. I rarely drink matcha plain, but when I do I try to choose a higher grade.

The Recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon Mizuba Culinary Matcha (use code LEXSENTIALS at checkout for 15% off)
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1.5 cups almond flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened shredded coconut flakes
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

INSTRUCTIONS

Make chia pudding by combining 1 tablespoon chia seeds with 3 tablespoons water. Mix and let sit for 10 minutes (until a gooey consistency is formed)
Mix all other ingredients with chia pudding (I used my stand mixer and then my hands to knead the dough)
Line baking sheet with parchment paper
Use hands or cookie dough scooper to scoop small round balls
Bake at 325 for 25 minutes (I baked them for 15 minutes and then added them back in for another 10. They will be doughy when you take them out but will cook into themselves while sitting)