matcha black sesame marble cookies on white parchment paper landscapephoto

These Marbled Matcha Black Sesame Cookies are perfectly soft and chewy in the middle and crispy around the edges. The perfect balance of sweet, nutty and mellow savory flavours. (Vegan + Gluten Free)

3 marbled matcha black sesame sugar cookies on a black cooling rack with flaky salt on top

Matcha Black Sesame Cookies

You’ve probably seen black sesame seeds lightly sprinkled over salads, rice, sushi rolls and other various Japanese dishes but have you tried it in desserts? It has a fragrant roasted rich nutty flavour with a mellow bitter-sweet undertone and is very commonly used ingredient in Japanese desserts.

One of my all time favourite parings is Matcha and Black Sesame! They pair so well together and compliment each others earthy-bitter and rich-nutty flavours.

So if you’re a) a matcha lover, or b) love chewy, soft, crispy sugar cookies– then you’re totally in the right place. These Japanese inspired sugar cookies are textural and flavour perfection.

ingredients for matcha black sesame cookies in bowls on a marble blue backdrop

How to Make Marbled Sugar Cookies

These cookies are made with wholesome ingredients, friends. No eggs, butter, dairy or refined sugars used in these vegan sugar cookies. And they also happen to be gluten free too! Check it out:

The Ingredients

  • Cashew Butter: The base of these cookies giving it a slightly nutty profile and soft sugar-cookie like texture. Do not substitute with another nut butter as cashew butter is the most neutral and won’t over power the matcha and black sesame flavour.
  • Aquafaba: Helps bind the cookies and make them chewy.
  • Maple Syrup + Cane Sugar: Gives moisture, crisp and sweetness.
  • Gluten Free Flour Blend: For these cookies, we’re using a blend of oat flour, sweet rice flour and almond flour. My secret hack for making extra chewy cookies is by adding a bit of sweet rice flour (think mochi!).
  • Matcha
  • Black Sesame Powder
  • Vanilla
marbled cookie dough on parchment paper

The Directions

Unlike all of my other cookie recipes, these do require a bit more work because we’ll be making three cookie doughs with different flavours but they are still very easy to make. No stand mixer or fancy equipment needed, just a couple bowls, whisk and cookie scoop needed.

  1. First we’re doing to make the base of each dough by mixing the cashew butter, maple syrup, aquafaba and vanilla. Then adding in the oat flour, sweet rice flour, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  2. Next, we divide the dough and portion out 1/3 into another bowl. Add in the black sesame powder, mix and chill.
  3. Back to the original bowl, portion out half the amount and sift in the matcha powder and mix until well combined. Then chill all 3 doughs for 30 minutes.
  4. Remove from the refrigerator and working quickly, scoop out 1 tbsp of dough from each bowl, roll them into balls and place on a parchment lined cookie tray. Work quickly because the dough is quite sticky. If you’re making these in a warm or humid enviroemnt, you can scoop the dough onto the cookie sheet and use a spoon to mold them into taller balls that way. Making taller balls will help with excessive spreading of the cookies.
  5. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, just until the edges are slightly golden brown. (NOTE: the cookies photographed here are purposely under-baked by 2 minutes because I wanted each of the colours to really shine).
  6. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Then remove from the oven and let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes (they will continue to bake just a bit). And then lastly, transfer them to a wire rack to let them cool for another 10 minutes before digging in. They are very soft right out of the oven but will firm up once cooled.
japanese matcha back sesame marbled sugar cookies on a cooling rack

These cookies aren’t just gorgeous, but they taste incredible. They remind me of Pillsbury sugar cookies– crispy on the outside, soft and chewy in the middle with a slightly mochi-like texture. When biting into all three flavours at once, you get this lovely combo of earthy matcha, nutty black sesame and the humble vanilla.

There probably won’t be leftovers but if there are, I do suggest storing them in the freezer so they retain their texture. When ready to eat, pop them into a toaster oven or oven at 350 F for about 5-8 minutes. I secretly think they’re even better after baking them again.

7 marbled sugar cookies on parchment paper with flaky fancy salt on top

More Vegan + Gluten Free Cookies to Love!

And if you’re looking for a classic vegan chocolate chip cookie, here’s my favourite recipe!

marble matcha black sesame sugar cookie half broken on parchment paper

If you recreate this Marbled Matcha Black Sesame Cookies recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
Hungry for more? Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram, Youtube and Pinterest for more deliciousness!

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
marble matcha black sesame sugar cookie half broken on parchment paper

Marbled Matcha Black Sesame Cookies


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

4.8 from 9 reviews

Description

These Vegan Marbled Matcha Black Sesame Cookies taste are perfectly chewy in the middle and crispy around the edges. (Gluten Free + Dairy Free)


Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Into a mixing bowl add in the cashew butter, aquafaba, maple syrup and vanilla and whisk to combine. Then add in the oat flour, sweet rice flour, cane sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir until combined.
  2. Take 1/3 of the dough and add it to a separate bowl. Add the black sesame powder and stir until combined. Cover and place into the refrigerator to chill.
  3. Next, back to the large mixing bowl add in the almond flour and mix until combined. Take half the amount of dough and transfer to another bowl. Sift in the matcha and then stir until combined. Cover both bowls and place into the refrigerator. Chill the cookie dough for about 30 minutes. 
  4. Pre heat the oven to 350 F (180 C). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper (or use a silpat). Scoop out about 1 tbsp of dough from each bowl using a small cookie scoop and roll into a bowl. Do not over-roll but just enough to form a ball. If the dough is very sticky, scoop out the dough from each bowl onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and use a spoon to combine and shape the dough into rounds. 
  5. Bake cookies for 15 minutes or until edges are golden brown. After 5 minutes, carefully remove the cookies from the tray onto a wire rack and allow them to cool for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: vegan, gluten free, north american, japanese

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 273
  • Sugar: 16.1
  • Sodium: 151.9mg
  • Fat: 15.4
  • Saturated Fat: 2.6
  • Unsaturated Fat: 11
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 30.1
  • Fiber: 2.3
  • Protein: 6.6
  • Cholesterol: 0

SAVE IT FOR LATER! ↓

matcha black sesame sugar cookie half broken on parchment paper

Okonomi Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you purchase something through my amazon affiliate links, I earn a small commission that helps me produce consistent content at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my plant based kitchen! 

Konnichiwa

About Lisa

I'm Lisa, a home cook, recipe developer and founder of Okonomi Kitchen. Here, you'll find a mix of classic and modernized Japanese recipes, and creative, plant-forward meal inspiration using seasonal ingredients. I hope to share more about Japanese cuisine and culture through food and recipes.


Related Recipes


subscribe

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

17 Comments

  1. Easy to make and amazing flavor. I enjoyed fresh baked this morning with an espresso. This will be made on repeat!






  2. Hi Lisa, what beautiful cookie colors/flavours! I saw that you could freeze baked cookies, but can this dough be made ahead and frozen? <3

  3. A yummy gluten free cookie recipe! The matcha flavour could be a little stronger, but overall super delicious still.
    – Rebecca (www.instagram.com/healthiefoodieclub)