About These Hojicha Einspanner Cookies
This unique cookie recipe is inspired by my favorite creamy, caffeinated beverage recipes like Creamy, Layered Matcha Einspanner! I originally was going to make a matcha einspanner cookie inspired by that drink. However, I decided to experiment with hojicha (roasted green tea) powder instead. I find hojicha on its own to be a little intense since it has a strong, roasted flavor similar to straight-up coffee. Pairing the hojicha with cream helps balance it out and makes it taste more like the lattes I prefer.
I tested this recipe several times to get the balance of hojicha, sweetness, and texture just right. The cookie base is designed to hold its shape while staying soft and chewy in the center, while the cream-based frosting adds just enough richness without overpowering the hojicha. I initially thought about making them sandwich style cookies, but was inspired by the frosted cookie designs of Crumbl instead. All in all, this recipe is definitely a fun baking project for folks looking to up their cookie game!
For more inventive, tea-flavored cookies, check out one of the most popular cookie recipes on Hummingbird High: Lavender Earl Grey Cookies.
The Best Hojicha For Baking Recipes
This recipe doesn’t have too many specialty ingredients—just the usual flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. EXCEPT for its main star: hojicha powder.
You can buy both hojicha tea leaves and hojicha powder. You need HOJICHA POWDER for this recipe. And similar to baking with matcha, there’s no need to splurge on the most expensive stuff. I recommend buying what’s most accessible to you—there are plenty of affordable hojicha options on Amazon.
Hojicha Powder
How To Make Crumbl Style Frosted Cookies
Reference Photos for Making The Hojicha Cookies
Video Tutorial: How To Make That Crumbl-Style Frosting Swirl
Getting that signature Crumbl-style frosting swirl on your cookies is easy! Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a large, round tip—I used Ateco 804 from their jumbo tip pastry set. Start piping in the middle of a cookie, and spiral the frosting around itself like I do in this video:
My Best Baking Tips For Making Hojicha Einspanner Cookies
- I recommend using this 4-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to make large, Crumbl-style cookies. Doing so will yield 13 cookies about the size of your palm. If you only have a 3-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop, that’s okay too—you’ll end up with around 20 smaller cookies. Just reduce the Bake Time of the recipe down to 10 minutes.
- You need to wait until the cookies are completely cooled before frosting them. Learn from my mistake—I was too impatient and tried to frost the first batch while they were still slightly warm, and the frosting melted! If you don’t want to spend all day waiting for the cookies to cool, I suggest the following schedule: bake the cookies the day before, then frosting them the following day. I recommend splitting up baking recipes this way in my cookbook, Weeknight Baking, to help save you time in the kitchen!
- To make the cookies taste like an authentic einspanner, I flavored the frosting with cream instead of milk. Because cream contains more fat than milk, you’ll need a surprising amount of cream to make the frosting silky smooth. Start with the 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream I recommend in the frosting recipe; however, don’t be surprised if you end up needing more to get a pipeable frosting. If you find the frosting too stiff after 3 Tablespoons, keep beating the frosting and add 1 teaspoon of cream at a time until you get a silky, creamy, easy-to-pipe texture.
Get the Recipe: Hojicha Einspanner Cookies (Crumbl Style with Cream Frosting)
Ingredients
For the Hojicha Cookies
- 2 ⅓ cups (10.5 ounces or 298 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 Tablespoons hojicha powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces or 227 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (7 ounces or 198 grams) granulated sugar
- ½ cup tightly packed (3.75 ounces or 106 grams) light OR dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
For the Sweet Cream Frosting
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks or 6 ounces or 170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3 cups (12 ounces or 340 grams) confectioners' sugar, sifted if necessary
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- hojicha powder, for garnish
Equipment
- (4-Tablespoon) cookie dough scoop
- piping bag with large round tip (like Ateco 804)
Instructions
- First, make the Hojicha Cookies. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- Mix the dry ingredients for the cookie dough. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, hojicha powder, baking powder, and salt.
- Cream the butter and sugars, then add the egg and dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugars for the cookie dough. Beat on medium-high speed until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume, 2 to 3 minutes, using a rubber spatula to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce the mixer to low and add the egg and vanilla and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients and beat until just combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, and beat on low for an additional 30 seconds.
- Assemble the cookies. Use a 4-Tablespoon cookie dough scoop to portion the cookie dough into balls. Place the cookies at least 3 inches apart on the prepared sheet pans.
- Bake the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 12 minutes, or until the edges have set but the centers are still gooey. The cookies will look puffed when you pull them out of the oven, but will fall and crack into the perfect cookies as they cool. Cool the cookies completely on the pan on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough.
- When the cookies are completely cool, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-low until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute. Reduce the mixer to low and add the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until combined. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cream, vanilla, and salt all at once and beat on low just to incorporate the liquid. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl once more, then beat on medium-high until the frosting is creamy and smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Decorate the cookies. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag with a large round tip. Pipe a spiral of frosting on top of each cookie. Garnish with hojicha powder.
- Serve and store. Serve at room temperature. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 day. After that, transfer the airtight container to the refrigerator and store for up to 3 more days.
