Hojicha cookies
Chances are you've heard about hojicha before. It's a roasted green tea with a caramel-nutty flavour and a deep crimson infusion colour. Production is based on a leaf-roasting method created in 1920 in Kyoto, which is also where the name "hoji-cha" (ほうじ茶), meaning "roasted tea", comes from. Hojicha powder is made by grinding hojicha leaf tea. It's often called matcha's younger cousin, but compared to matcha it has a low caffeine content. What they have in common is their versatility in the kitchen, especially for desserts and baking.
These crisp hojicha cookies are irresistible thanks to their unique flavour and the combination of two chocolates: white and dark. They're incredibly simple to make, and if you've ever made matcha cookies before, you already have all the skills you need. 🙂
Give them a try, and you'll fall in love with them for good!
Ingredients:
- 115g butter
- 125g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon (about 5g) hojicha powder
- 50g white sugar
- 50g dark muscovado sugar
- 1 egg (about 50g), at room temperature
- 100g white chocolate, chopped
- 50g dark chocolate, chopped
Method:
- Preheat the oven to 175°C.
- Melt the butter over medium heat until it turns a deep golden colour. Set aside to cool.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and hojicha.
- Add the white and brown sugar and the egg to the cooled butter, then mix until smooth. Gradually fold the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Finally, fold in the chopped chocolate and mix thoroughly until you have a smooth, fragrant dough.
- Line a baking tray with baking paper. Using a large spoon or an ice cream scoop, portion out the dough (about 40g) and roll into a ball. Arrange the cookies on the tray, leaving space between them. Bake for 9-11 minutes.
- Leave the baked hojicha cookies to cool on the tray for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
