Matcha – a powder with a rich green color – is finely ground green tea leaves. Yes, these muffins have a green tint. Embrace it and know that you’ll have a conversation starter when you pack one of these babies with your lunch!
Matcha is grown and processed in a unique way, making it stronger than your typical green tea. For this reason, a little bit goes a long way. Because of the way it’s made, it’s rich in antioxidants.. even more so than green tea.
There are multiple grades of matcha ranging from culinary to ceremonial. You’ll find the ceremonial to be more expensive but they can be used interchangeably. The flavor might differ slightly but it seems that this varies largely by brand. Keep in mind that the grades are not regulated – so more expensive or higher grade doesn’t always mean better.
Matcha is found at most grocery stores in the tea section. If the price tag on the tea section matcha makes you do a double-take (this is probably ceremonial grade), simply mosey over to the baking isle where you’ll likely find a larger container for a fraction of the price (culinary grade).
Once you have matcha in the pantry you’ll want to put it to use because those antioxidants don’t do much for us sitting on the shelf. Try out these other great uses for matcha.
- Tea: whisk 1 tsp matcha with 1 cup of hot water
- Smoothies: add 1-2 tsp to any smoothie that you’re okay with drinking green
- Oatmeal: stir in 1/2 tsp
- Latte: whisk 1 tsp into any non-dairy warm (or cold) milk
- Matcha Goji Berry Chocolate Bark
There’s a lot of super healthy ingredients in these muffins that may be new to you. To learn more, check out these posts: dates, goji berries, flaxseed. Also, I used this food processor (*note this is an affiliate link) to whip up this treat.
Plant-Based Lemony Matcha Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 flax egg 1 T ground flax soaked with 3 T water
- 10 pitted Deglet Noor dates soaked with 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 T matcha powder
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup goji berries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- Mix flax egg, set aside. Combine dates and 1/2 cup water, let soak.
- In food processor fitted with an S-blade, process rolled oats into coarse flour. Transfers to mixing bowl, add baking powder and matcha powder.
- Cut hard ends off of lemon, slice in half and remove seeds (do not peel). Add to food processor along with dates (including soaking water) and vanilla extract. Process until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed.
- Add lemon mixture, flax egg and goji berries to dry ingredients, mix until combined.
- Pour dough into 6 non-stick muffin tins. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden.
Notes
*We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. We use the products and ingredients that we link to and recommend them because we believe they are the best choice for you.
