Last year, I wrote a blog post on the benefits of green tea. I found that drinking a cup of green tea 3 times a day was supportive in managing my cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Green tea is a bitter which supports healthy digestion and the body’s breakdown of sugar and fats. The high antioxidants were supportive to my cardiovascular health and the caffeine was a helpful boost when going to the gym.
Now the holiday season is upon us and I am using a lot of tips and tricks I learned throughout the years to keep myself balanced. I believe that it is good to indulge sometimes and there is something about laughing with loved ones that helps the body better metabolize treats (do calories even count when you are smiling so hard?) Eating high fiber winter staples like collards, squash, sweet potatoes, black-eye peas, and cornbread will help the body process the most exciting entree of all…DESSERT!
I will share with you my favorite holiday dessert: Grinch (Matcha) Chocolate Chip Cookies. These cookies celebrate my relationship with green tea and the appreciation of bitter. It’s also pretty high in caffeine and could be a great boost for last minute Christmas grinch-like chaos. Consume responsibly!
Ingredients
- 1 cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 1.5 tbsp of Izu Matcha powder
- 0.5 cup unsalted butter
- 0.25 cup granulated sugar
- 0.5 cup light brown sugar
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 0.5 cup of broken up Coffee Crunch Chocolate by Chocolove (or whatever chocolate you prefer)
Note: I commit to several hour long cookie dough coolings. You can eliminate it but cookie texture may be less firm.
Note: You can adjust the matcha amount based on your bitterness tolerance and your desire for matcha flavor. To keep a good cookie texture anywhere between 1/2-2 tbsp could work.
- Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl or small saucepan. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and matcha powder in a medium size mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Add in white sugar and brown sugar to your melted butter. Mix to combine.
- Combine all wet ingredients: sugar butter, eggs, and vanilla. Whisk until you get a light and creamy texture.
- Slowly combine wet and dry ingredients with a spatula until a green dough forms.
- Fold in the coffee chocolate chips until they are spread evenly throughout.
- Let the dough rest in the fridge for 30min.
- Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop cookie dough onto baking sheets. Play with sizes but cookie balls should be no bigger than 5 tablespoons. Cookies should be 2 inches apart.
- Let cookies rest in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Let cookies cool for 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe inspired by: https://www.cooking-therapy.com/matcha-white-chocolate-chip-cookies/
For additional tips on staying balanced during the holiday feasts, we recommend you check out the blog: https://smileherbschool.com/tips-for-holiday-digestion-troubles/
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