Hojicha Brown Butter Cookies
Tender, buttery cookies infused with hojicha—roasted green tea powder—that brings deep, toasted, almost caramel-like notes. Brown butter adds a hazelnut richness that complements the earthy tea perfectly. These cookies are crispy-edged and chewy in the center, with a subtle bittersweet finish that makes them less sweet than typical cookies and ideal with tea or coffee.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Wait
- 1 hr 15 min
- Total
- 1 hr 42 min
- Makes
- 24 cookies
Steps
Before you start
- Have all ingredients at room temperature
- Brown the butter at least 1 hour ahead so it cools to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) 15 minutes before baking
Brown the butter
- In a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, melt 6 oz (170 g) unsalted butter, stirring occasionally.
- The butter will foam, then brown solids will sink to the bottom and the liquid will turn golden amber, about 8–10 minutes.
- You should smell a nutty, toasted aroma.
- Pour into a bowl, including all the browned bits, and let cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour.
- This is best done ahead.
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Ready when: Butter is golden amber with nutty aroma and solids have sunk to the bottom
Tip: Use a light-colored pan so you can see the butter's color change. Don't let it burn—it will smell acrid rather than pleasantly nutty.
Mix dry ingredients
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 1¾ cup (220 g) all-purpose flour, 3 tbsp (18 g) hojicha powder, ¼ tsp (1.5 g) fine sea salt, and ¼ tsp (1 g) baking soda.
- Set aside.
- Sifting is optional but helps break up any clumps in the hojicha.
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Ready when: Mixture is evenly combined with no streaks of hojicha
Tip: Sift the dry ingredients to ensure the hojicha is evenly distributed, preventing pockets of strong flavor.
Cream butter and sugars
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled browned butter, ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar, and ½ cup (110 g) packed light brown sugar.
- Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and slightly lighter in color.
- This incorporates air and develops a tender crumb.
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Ready when: Mixture is pale, fluffy, and noticeably lighter than the original brown butter color
Tip: Don't skip this step—beating air into the butter and sugar creates tender cookies. If your browned butter is too warm, the mixture may separate.
Add egg and vanilla
- Add 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk to the butter mixture, followed by 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract.
- Beat on medium speed for 1–2 minutes until fully incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and emulsified.
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Ready when: Mixture is smooth, emulsified, and no visible streaks of egg remain
Tip: Scrape down the bowl occasionally to ensure even mixing. If the mixture looks curdled, continue beating—it will come together.
Fold in dry ingredients
- Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients.
- Fold together gently with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined—do not overmix.
- The dough should come together with no visible streaks of flour.
- It will be slightly sticky but hold its shape.
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Ready when: Dough is evenly combined with no visible flour or dry patches
Tip: Overmixing develops gluten and makes cookies tough. Mix just until the streaks disappear, then stop.
Chill dough
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- This prevents the cookies from spreading too much and allows the hojicha flavor to develop.
- You can chill for up to 24 hours.
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Ready when: Dough is firm and cold to the touch
Tip: Chilled dough is easier to scoop and produces cookies with crispy edges and chewy centers.
Preheat and shapeOven 350°F / 175°C
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line a 9×13-inch (23×33 cm) baking sheet or two 8×12-inch (20×30 cm) sheets with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, drop rounded 1-tablespoon (about 15 g) portions of dough onto the prepared sheet, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
- You should have about 24 cookies.
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Ready when: Cookies are portioned evenly on the sheet
Tip: A cookie scoop ensures uniform size, which means even baking. If the dough is too cold to scoop, let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
Bake cookiesOven 350°F / 175°C
- Bake in the preheated 350°F (175°C) oven for 11–13 minutes.
- The edges should be just set and golden-brown, while the centers remain slightly soft and yield gently to a touch.
- Do not overbake—the hojicha can taste bitter if overcooked.
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Ready when: Edges are golden-brown and set; centers are just soft and yield to a light touch
Tip: Set a timer for 11 minutes and check. Hojicha cookies are best slightly underbaked—they continue to set as they cool.
Cool on sheet
- Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- This allows them to firm up enough to move without breaking.
- Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
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Ready when: Cookies are completely cool and hold their shape when picked up
Tip: Don't skip the sheet rest—it prevents the cookies from breaking apart. The centers will firm as they cool.
Good to know
Tips
- Hojicha powder can vary in intensity depending on the brand. Start with 3 tbsp and taste a small piece of chilled dough; if you want more hojicha flavor, add another ½ tbsp the next time.
- Brown butter is essential here—it brings a hazelnut richness that balances hojicha's earthy, slightly bitter notes. Don't use melted regular butter; the flavor is completely different.
- These cookies are less sweet than typical butter cookies, making them perfect with tea or coffee. If you prefer sweeter cookies, add an extra 2 tbsp (25 g) granulated sugar to the wet ingredients.
- The egg yolk (in addition to the whole egg) adds richness and creates a tenderer crumb. Don't skip it.
Make ahead
Dough can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Baked cookies keep at room temperature for up to 5 days or frozen for up to 3 months.
Storage & reheating
Room temperature: up to 5 days in an airtight container. Refrigerator: up to 1 week. Freezer: up to 3 months (no thawing needed; eat directly from the freezer or warm gently in a 300°F/150°C oven for 5 minutes). To reheat room-temperature cookies, warm for 3–4 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven to soften the centers.
Substitutions
- hojicha powder → matcha powder or finely ground sencha tea. Use the same amount. Matcha will give a more herbaceous, green flavor; sencha is slightly brighter. Both work well with brown butter.
- packed light brown sugar → additional granulated sugar plus 1 tsp (5 g) molasses. This keeps the cookies tender and adds slight depth, though you'll lose a bit of the brown sugar's molasses complexity.
- vanilla extract → almond extract or no extract at all. Omit vanilla entirely for a purer hojicha flavor, or use ½ tsp (2.5 ml) almond extract for a subtle complement.
- fine sea salt → kosher salt. Use the same weight (1.5 g) but measure by volume as you'd need less—about ⅛ tsp—since kosher salt is less dense.
