Days are meant to slip into one another and these Matcha Brown Butter Sandwich Cookies are a great dessert, balanced by the earthy roasted flavors of matcha, brown butter, and black sesame.

Moon reflections balance off the white snow. To the eye, the icy ground is a sleek sheen of mirrors. There should be a poem composed. But nothing comes to mind. It is a very January state of things. Just like the silk floss comforters, which are kept in the cupboard, snow lays thick, folding onto itself in deep, billowed layers. The roofs of gassho zukuri farm houses are steep triangular summits, allowing snow to easily shed from the top. In a region known for its snowfall, it’s never too early for accumulation. As if connected by a painter’s continuous brush stroke in black ink, the distinct peaked roofs, backlit by the minimal winter daylight, look like miniature mountain ranges. A world of silhouettes and shadows.

Back in the room of the ryokan the stain up above still catches the eye. It always seems darker each morning, as if the Tenjyouname, a yokai spirit, spent a productive night licking the ceiling. Evenings pass defrosting legs under kotatsu, face steaming into pots of nabe. Walks down the street are never too long. You watch the same woman drag her ancient blind Chihuahua, which pees into the banks of shoveled snow. Peated whiskey accompanies a read of the daily news.
It may not be a thick division, the world outside still buzzes with too many things. Yet these days are different. In heavy nights, you sit. The light of not-so-ambient desk lamp, hunches its brightness onto the floor.
Feelings here are hard to define, as if they too lay tangled in the dark recesses of January, packed into sentences of politeness and silence. Inspiration is not forthcoming. Where words of eloquent prose should flow, your mind drifts back to the Chihuahua and its pee. You sigh, and trudge on in thought. Days like this require fortifications.

Matcha Brown Butter Sandwich Cookies Chewy, thick, these Matcha Brown Butter Sandwich Cookies are an equilibrium of sweet and earthy. It is like a roasted cup of Genmaicha tea in dessert form. Brown butter and black sesame round out the earthy notes of matcha without overwhelming the palate. Smooth and never overly sweet the buttercream is a creamy compliment to the thick matcha cookie. Baking Talk: Browning the butter is an important factor for these earthy toasted flavors. Browned butter can be made ahead, but make sure it is very soft when using it in the recipe. The dough will fee a little greasy to work with but don’t be concerned. Allowing the dough to set up in the refrigerator prevents the dough from spreading in the oven.

Matcha Brown Butter Sandwich Cookies

Course: Dessert | Cuisine: Japanese | Servings: 12 sandwich cookies

Ingredients

For the Matcha Brown Butter Sesame Cookies:

• 2 ¼ cups bread flour (270g)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar (300g)
• ⅓ cup oil (66g)
• 6 teaspoons butter, melted (18g)
• 2 tablespoons shortening (11.5g)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon matcha powder
• 3 tablespoons black sesame seeds
• 1 tablespoon milk, room temperature

For the Brown Butter Matcha Frosting:

• 12 tablespoons butter, browned, still melted but cooled (about 170g)*
• 12 tablespoons butter, very soft (170g)
• 3 ½ cups powdered sugar (454g)
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon matcha powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine salt

Instructions

To make the Matcha Brown Butter Cookies:

1. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl, set aside.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat sugar, shortening, and butter for 3 minutes on medium speed, scraping bowl frequently.
3. Decrease speed to low, adding vanilla, eggs, and matcha, scraping the bowl again.
4. Gradually incorporate dry mixture, followed by black sesame seeds.
5. Using an ice cream scoop, portion out dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan.
6. Flatten dough scoops into hockey puck-like disks.
7. Chill cookie dough for 1 to 2 hours.
8. Arrange oven rack to center and preheat to 350°F.
9. Place cookies 2 to 3 inches apart and bake one sheet at a time for 7 to 9 minutes until edges start to look gold.
10. Let cool on rack for 5 minutes, then transfer and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

To make the Brown Butter Matcha Frosting:

1. In the stand mixer, beat brown butter and softened butter until uniform texture, about 3–4 minutes on medium speed.
2. Lower speed to low, gradually add powdered sugar, matcha, vanilla, and salt, then raise speed only to medium to blend smoothly.

To assemble the Matcha Brown Butter Sandwich Cookies:

1. Spread frosting onto cookies and press together to spread the frosting.
2. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm the sandwich cookies.

*After browning butter, it will weigh less than the starting amount.

Recipes adapted and modified from Cooks Illustrated.