Mint Matcha Chocolate Chip Shake

by Jennifer Iserloh (Subscribe to Jennifer Iserloh's posts)
Posted Jul 10th 2009 1:00PM
Filed under: Teas, Recipes, The Skinny Chef

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Mint Chocolate Matcha Shake. Photo: The Skinny Chef

Matcha is a variety of finely-powdered green tea that is used particularly in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. Powdered green matcha tea from health food stores can be costly -- about $8 for a small container -- but it goes a long way.

Green tea ice cream, green tea pound cakes, madeleines -- I've made them all. This week I decided to remake the mint chocolate chips that I craved as a child at 31 Flavors.

Get Jennifer's Mint Matcha Chocolate Chip Shake recipe after the jump.

I added mint extract to this shake for extra punch and it tastes pretty close to that bright green scoop you'll get from the grocery store freezer section. You could use food coloring to achieve the same color as the prepackaged ice creams, but keep in mind that the yellow #5 and blue #1 dyes they contain are associated with asthma flare ups, hyperactivity in kids and possible allergies.

So why is matcha so expensive? It's made by grinding hand-picked tea leaf buds, which are specially covered towards the harvest to prevent drying by direct sunlight.

Unlike black tea, green tea is not fermented. The fresh tea leaves are only gently steamed and then dried, giving green teas a much milder flavor than hearty black teas. Some medical experts say that skipping fermentation safeguards some of the antioxidant benefits that are inherent in green tea.

Mint Matcha Chocolate Chip Shake

Makes 1 shake, 1 cup

1/2 cup nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup skim milk
4 ice cubes
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon matcha green tea powder
1/2 teaspoon mint extract
2 tablespoons bittersweet chocolate chips
mint for garnish

Place the yogurt, skim milk, ice cubes, sugar, matcha powder and mint extract in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and pulse once or twice. Serve immediately and garnish with mint.

Learn more about Jennifer at skinnychef.com, and read her exclusive Slashfood blogs every Monday and Friday.

Tags: green tea, GreenTea, jennifer iserloh, JenniferIserloh, matcha, mint chocolate chip ice cream, MintChocolateChipIceCream, shake recipes, ShakeRecipes, skinny chef, SkinnyChef

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

7-10-2009 @ 1:35PM

Divine Bird Jenny said...

This sounds delightful. I will definitely be making it!

7-10-2009 @ 3:25PM

Elizah Leigh said...

Egads, what an inspired combination. I've got a wicked addiction to double matcha as it is, but I never thought about whirring it into a blended frosty bevvie with creamy lowfat goodness and chocolate chips! This is one drink that I could indulge in while not feeling one bit of guilt, but it would still make me think that I'm on vacation. Thanks so much for the great idea...I might have to "borrow" it for a recipe contest I've had my eye on. An online green social network (www.greenwala.com) is awarding a $250 gift card to Whole Foods for a great "green" recipe, and I think that this would certainly qualify. Here's the link if anyone else wants to enter...http://www.greenwala.com/greenwala_contests
***Don't worry...despite the great temptation, I won't "borrow" your recipe, but it really does give me great food for thought.***

7-13-2009 @ 9:53AM

Astin said...

Oh to find a place where decent Matcha was only $8 for a small container. It tends to run $18-$45 for a small containter at any of the tea stores around here, depending on the quality. It obviously gets used sparingly due to that price range.

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