My best friend and I used to go for sushi together all the time – before husbands and children and grown-up careers started taking up way too much of our time – and we would always end our meal by sharing a bowl of green tea ice cream. I was skeptical the first time she suggested it, but one spoonful was enough to win me over for life. It was my first taste of anything made with matcha, which is a finely ground green tea powder.
Today, I am sharing a recipe that uses matcha to flavour sweet, creamy no-bake cheesecake bars. The recipe should seem familiar: I’ve simply added a couple of spoonfuls of the green powder to my White Chocolate Lime Cheesecake Bars, and removed the lime to let the tea flavour really come through.
The sweet white chocolate and the savoury cream cheese blend perfectly with the slightly bitter matcha powder, and I’ve topped each bar with a whole blackberry. The combination seems a little strange, but it really works. I promise.
The matcha I used for this recipe comes from Kiss Me Organics, and is (you guessed it) certified organic. I had never actually purchased matcha powder myself before, and had only ever consumed matcha products that someone else had made. I was excited to try out a few recipes on my own.
What’s great about Kiss Me Organics is that they include a handy PDF recipe booklet when you order their product – if you don’t know where to start, it gives you a ton of great ideas to work the tea powder into your diet. I was very happy with the product itself, and would definitely order it again.
So having never baked or cooked with matcha before, I took the plunge and made these cheesecake bars and was pleased with the results. It was very easy to work with; the powder blended easily into the melted white chocolate, and there were no clumps or gritty texture in the final product. The tea taste was noticeable but not overpowering, and the balance of flavours was really wonderful. If you’re not used to the flavour of matcha, I would recommend starting with a smaller amount – maybe one teaspoon – and adding more to taste if you find you like it.
I’ve also been enjoying some homemade green tea lattes: I simply whisk a spoonful or two of the tea into a mug of heated milk and stir in a little bit of creamed honey for a perfect sweet treat. Green tea lattes from a cafe kiosk at the University helped get me through my Master’s degree, and I am so happy to be able to make my own at home now.
Although these cheesecake bars are relatively indulgent as snacks go, you can still feel good about eating them because of the numerous health benefits of matcha. Consumption of the green powder on a daily basis is said to help with energy levels, focus, metabolism, and skin health. It’s chock full of antioxidants, and has the extra added bonus of being delicious. Especially when consumed in the form of cheesecake and/or ice cream.
You can buy the Organic Matcha I used in this recipe from Kiss Me Organics on Amazon.
- 1 package white chocolate chips
- 1 and ½ teaspoons matcha powder
- 1 package chocolate sandwich cookies (I used Oreos)
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream, chilled
- 1 8-oz. package cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 16 blackberries, for serving (optional)
- Line a 9x9-inch metal baking pan with aluminum foil, leaving overhang on all sides. Stir white chocolate chips in a medium metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth; remove bowl from over water. (Alternately, melt chocolate in the microwave until smooth.)
- Finely grind cookies in a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted white chocolate and blend until the mixture begins to clump together. Firmly press cookie mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill while making filling. Stir matcha powder into remaining melted white chocolate until smooth.
- Beat whipping cream in a medium bowl until soft peaks form.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, and sugar until smooth. Beat in white chocolate/matcha mixture. Fold in whipped cream in 2 additions. Spread over prepared crust.
- Chill until filling is slightly firm, at least 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift from the pan and cut into bars. Garnish with blackberries and serve.
Source: Adapted from my White Chocolate Lime Cheesecake Bars. That recipe adapted slightly from Bon Appetit Desserts.
