Ultimate Gooey Matcha Bars

These Gooey Matcha Bars are a fun new way to enjoy matcha green tea powder. They are sweet, rich, buttery, and definitely a crowd pleaser! Have you ever baked with matcha? It’s quite easy to work with and turns everything green! I love how this earthy green tea powder has so many uses from lattes to smoothies, and now… baking!

My love for matcha green tea did not always exist. I was first introduced to it while working at Starbucks more than 10 years ago, and only knew it as the weird green powder. I continued working at Starbucks through my college years, and worked at a store that was located between all of the dorms. It was always crazy busy, and always had an odd assortment of popular drinks. One of the most popular ones? Iced raspberry matcha green tea lattes. It looked like a swamp AND tasted like a swamp. (Is it just me, or does raspberry flavored syrup taste too fake to handle?)

As you may have noticed, my love for matcha was not always there, but somewhere over the years I began to grow an appreciation for it. Now, one of my favorite drinks on a warm afternoon is a matcha green tea iced latte (especially when homemade almond milk is involved). It is so delicious and refreshing! Also, matcha is associated with an assortment of health benefits, is a great source of antioxidants, and may even have anti-aging effects! Since the whole leaf is actually ground up and consumed, there are more benefits than just regular steeped tea.

Now on to these amazing bars…

The crust starts with a cake mix which makes it super easy to whip up quickly. Then the gooey topping gets poured right on top and the whole thing only bakes once. No separate crust baking shenanigans. Easy peasy.

To save yourself some anxiety, make sure you don’t forget the melted butter in the microwave. Otherwise, you might find yourself five minutes into baking, totally freaking out, pulling this out of the oven, and carefully scraping the entire topping off so you can mix the butter in. I mean, I wouldn’t know because I am perfect and never forget to add really important main ingredients in recipes though… derp.

These delicious bars were created for my best friend’s bridal shower and they got lots of rave reviews! I wanted something a little bit unique, and this was the perfect treat. Plus, can you see just how gooey these are? I mean, oh my goodness they are good.

Print

Gooey Matcha Bars

Buttery melt-in-your-mouth delicious bars flavored with matcha in the crust and gooey filling. These are easy to make yet look impressive! 

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 16 bars

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup matcha green tea powder

Topping:

• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 16 oz powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp matcha green tea powder

White Chocolate Drizzle:

• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 pinch matcha green tea powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 13x9" pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.

2. In a medium bowl, combine all layers for the crust and press into the pan lined with parchment paper.

3. In another bowl, beat cream cheese and vanilla extract until smooth. (Make sure cream cheese is room temperature so no clumps remain.) Add in 3 eggs and melted butter until combined. Then sift in powdered sugar and matcha powder. Pour on top of crust.

4. Bake 40-45 minutes. It should be set on the edges but slightly jiggly in the center. Do not overbake. The bars will stiffen a bit as they cool, and they're supposed to be a bit gooey. I let my bars chill on the counter for 30 minutes, and then in the fridge for an hour, before attempting to cut them.

5. For white chocolate drizzle, combine ingredients in microwave-safe bowl, and heat in 30 second increments at reduced power until chips are dissolved and mixture is smooth. Drizzle over bars. Let bars cool completely before cutting.

Recipe Notes

Recipe inspiration from https://thedomesticrebel.com/