If you’re looking for a unique standout ingredient to take your holiday desserts to the next level this year, then look no further than matcha. While most commonly used in drinks, Encha Matcha powders can be easily incorporated into a wide range of recipes, and provide taste and health benefits like you wouldn’t believe. Whether you want to make healthy desserts, or simply want your dessert offering to stand out at a Christmas party, keep on reading to find out all about the most creative ways to incorporate matcha in holiday desserts. 

The Benefits of Matcha Baking

Matcha baking puts all of matcha’s benefits at the heart of a tasty sweet treat, allowing you to share the joy you get from a private cup of matcha with all of your friends and family. 

Matcha’s health benefits are well known and include clean energy boosts, improved immune function, and body detoxification. In other words, matcha desserts are a gift that keeps on giving, providing a taste sensation without the negative implications that pudding often brings. 

Encha Matcha powders are also perfectly suited to the baking process, and provide a smooth dessert consistency that blends with a wide range of holiday flavors. 

Matcha and Seasonal Flavors: A Matcha Made in Heaven

Matcha has a distinctive umami flavor profile that goes well with a wide variety of seasonal tastes, particularly citrus and nutty flavors. Mint and matcha is also a common pairing which, while unexpected on the surface, can provide the perfect festive twist on classic peppermint flavoring. 

When looking to pair matcha with seasonal flavors, simply consider complimentary notes, which may include tart fruits and smooth creamy tastes. When pairing matcha with a strong taste such as mint, make sure to find a balance that allows both flavors to shine without overpowering your sweet dish altogether. 

It’s worth remembering that matcha can also have quite an earthy flavor, which you should aim to offset with sweetness that could come from natural healthy additions like honey. This ensures that your desserts maintain much-needed balance, and that matcha is always a complimentary, rather than overbearing ingredient. 

The Most Impressive Matcha Holiday Recipes

The most impressive matcha holiday recipes have the power to steal any show thanks to unique taste and health benefits. Some matcha holiday recipes that you’ll want to keep close to hand as we enter this year’s festive season include – 

Matcha Cupcakes

Matcha cupcakes are fantastic for festive buffets and tend to be marvelously moist, even if you have to make them a few days before the big event. 

Ingredients:

Cakes:

• 100 g butter
• 100 g caster sugar
• 100 g self-raising flour
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp Encha Matcha ceremonial powder

Icing:

• 250 g cream cheese
• 250 g sugar
• 55 g butter

Method:

• Preheat your oven to 338°F and line a muffin tin with paper cases.
• Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then gradually beat in eggs and vanilla extract. 
• Mix matcha and flour. Sieve into the mixing bowl and fold gently into the mixture.
• Spoon mixture into the cases and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. 
• For icing, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add half the icing sugar and mix before adding the other half.
• Have fun with adding additional flavors to your icing, which could include 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tsp of peppermint extract, or 1 tsp of cinnamon. 

Matcha Cinnamon Buns

Our cinnamon bun recipe perfectly captures the flavors of the festive season, and these rip-and-share buns are great for sharing with your loved ones. 

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 200 ml milk
• 8g instant yeast
• 30 g sugar
• 480 g flour
• 50 g melted butter
• 1 egg
• Pinch of salt

Filling:

• 55 g butter
• 80 g sugar
• 1 tsp Encha organic matcha
• 1 tsp cinnamon 

Method:

• Warm the milk and pour it into a bowl along with instant yeast. Leave until foam starts to appear. 
• Add egg, melted butter, and sugar to the milk mixture.
• Add salt and flour and knead for approximately six minutes. Grease with oil, cover, and set in a warm place for around 1.5 hr.
• Meanwhile, mix butter with sugar, matcha, and cinnamon for filling. After rising, roll out the dough into a rectangle. 
• Preheat the oven to 356°F.
• Spread the filling evenly over the dough and then roll the dough tightly.
• Cut into roughly 9 3-4 cm slices and place on a lined baking tray, then set aside for another 30 minutes. 
• Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes

You could also make icing for these by mixing 130 g of cream cheese with 60 g soft butter and 100 g icing sugar. Flavor using 1 tsp of Encha Matcha powder and allow buns to cool completely before icing. 

Matcha Christmas Tree Cookies

Matcha Christmas tree cookies are quick to bake and add a real sense of festive fun. 

Ingredients: 

• 300 g all-purpose flour
• 226 g butter
• 100 g granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp Encha Matcha powder
• ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

• Using a hand-held mixer, cream butter, sugar, matcha powder, and vanilla extract until light and fluffy.
• Add flour and mix until combined.
• Divide your dough in half and flatten each half before wrapping in clingfilm and placing in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets. 
• After chilling time, roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick, and cut out shapes using a Christmas tree cutter. 
• Bake two batches of cookies for 15 minutes, and leave to cool completely before eating. 

Get the Whole Family Onboard With These Matcha Holiday Recipes

The holiday festive season is all about coming together and showing our loved ones how much we care. Matcha holiday desserts that use Encha Matcha products are the ideal way to say ‘I love you’, thanks to the health benefits you can all enjoy with our high-quality all-organic powders. 

As well as helping your desserts to taste sensational, our powders can boost energy levels, improve skin health, and make everyone feel calmer during the sometimes stressful holiday season. 

Make the best desserts on the table this festive season and beyond when you shop our ceremonial-grade matcha powder today.