Matcha Men
Matcha Men are glazed almond flour cookies that are gluten and dairy-free and get their festive color from matcha powder.

Matcha Men are secretly my favorite Christmas cookie. I have been a matcha lover for years, both as a tea and for culinary purposes. Combining this flavorful and beautiful ingredient with almond flour is just a complete win. These cookies have become an absolute favorite of my friends and family members who need to avoid gluten and a special treat for my vegan friends, as well! The best part is that everyone seems to love them, no matter what their dietary preferences are. Matcha Men are easy to make and can be prepared in different ways, depending on the equipment you have on hand.
The Process:
The base recipe for Matcha Men is similar to my Cardamom Men and follow the same process for preparation. I find that the dough is best mixed in a food processor, however it can be done in a stand mixer or by hand if needed.

My favorite matcha brand for drinking and baking/cooking is Jade Leaf Matcha. Their culinary grade matcha has a lovely flavor and color that carries through to the finished product.

The Matcha Men dough may be prepared for baking in two different ways. I enjoy using Silpat or silicone baking molds as it is easy to press in the dough and get these cute, chubby shapes. Alternatively, you can roll the dough out between two sheets of parchment paper. The dough is a bit sticky and crumbly, so rolling between the paper helps keep it together before cutting into shapes.

I enjoy eating these cookies in their “naked” form, but the Almond Matcha Glaze gives a lovely sheen and is perfect for dressing the cookies up a bit. All ingredients for the glaze are whisked together until smooth. Adjust the consistency with almond milk to make it thin enough for dipping the tops of the cookies.

Place the cookies on a rack to dry so that the excess glaze can drip off. Once dipped, the cookies look festive with the addition of some sprinkles or mini chocolate chips (mine are dairy-free). Matcha Men make a lovely gift, but no one will judge if you decide to keep them all for yourself 🙂 Enjoy!!


Matcha Men
Equipment
- Silicone baking mold
Ingredients
Cookies:
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons melted virgin coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon matcha powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- Pinch sea salt
- Enough almond milk to make a good dipping glaze consistency
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- In a food processor, combine almond flour, matcha, salt and baking soda. Mix in coconut oil, syrup and vanilla until dough comes together.
- Press the dough into a gingerbread man shaped silicone mold. You may also roll the dough between parchment paper sheets and cut out with a cookie cutter. If doing cut outs, roll to ¼-inch thickness and place on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake cookies for about 8 minutes depending on size (watch carefully as they burn easily). Cool completely before glazing.
For the Glaze:
- Whisk together all ingredients until very smooth and dip tops of cookies. Lay on rack to dry and decorate as desired!