Matcha scones with dark chocolate chips
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Matcha, if you are not already familiar with it, is a finely ground power of specially grown, young green tea leaves. It’s also refers to the actual tea that’s made from this specialty green tea powder. This recipe uses the matcha powder to make the slightly moist scones with dark chocolate chips which I think are perfect complement to the earthy, slightly bitter taste of matcha.
My earliest memory of matcha was in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony setting. Not an actual, formal one but my grandmother, on a whim, decided to make me some matcha one day. I was still really young, maybe around 6 or 7 years old. I watched as my grandmother pulled out her tea kit full of elegant tools, whisked the hot matcha and served it to me with a Japanese confection. If you ever have a chance to experience the authentic Japanese tea ceremony, you’ll notice that it’s a form of art, instead of just a tradition. There are precise and deliberate ways to make and serve the tea.
And the confection that accompanies the bitter unsweetened matcha has this Yin and Yang relationship of two seemingly opposite forces that complement each other to make a perfect whole. It’s no wonder matcha has become a popular ingredient for desserts. It can help balance out the sweetness and add a fresh yet complex flavor to the sweets.
Matcha powder grades
When you shop for matcha powder, you’ll notice various ‘grades’ referenced in the description – Ceremonial, Premium, and Culinary. Ceremonial being the highest grade and most expensive, while Culinary grade is the lowest and cheapest. Paying the high price for the ceremonial grade isn’t necessary unless you are drinking it straight. So, for cooking and baking purposes, premium or even the culinary grades should be perfectly fine.
Scones typically aren’t my pastry of choice because they are usually so dry and bland. But these are slightly moist scones with well balanced sweetness and flavor. White or milk chocolate chips, we thought, were too sweet but kids may prefer those. Instead of chocolate chips, you can also use different fruit ingredients – like dried cherries, dried cranberries or grated lemon rind. Just add more Turbinado sugar on top if you are omitting the chocolate chips.
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