When I posted these Chocolate Matcha Sesame Brownies on the gram, y’all freaked out – and it was amazing.

There’s totally a good reason for freaking out over these fudgey brownies. They’re made without any flours or grains (just coconut flour, which technically isn’t a flour; it’s ground up dried coconut meat and is loaded with goodness), have a rich deep flavor thanks to the addition of creamy tahini, and have an incredible plant based matcha frosting made with cashews and coconuts – like what. IMO, these brownies are kind of the best.

I recently got into matcha when I went to a photography workshop (from Bella of ful.filled!) in San Francisco. I’ve had matcha before, but I honestly think I was going about it all wrong. For one, I would dump a bit of matcha into my Vitamix with some boiling water, coconut milk, and maybe a teaspoon of coconut oil and call it a day. While this is all fine and dandy, it doesn’t really allow the matcha to “bloom” or to shine it’s delicious green light, and it doesn’t celebrate the history of matcha and its usage in tea ceremonies and Japanese culture – at all.

Matcha, I learned, should be prepared in a small bowl (chawan) with a bamboo whisk (chasen). Add a teaspoon of ground matcha powder to the bowl and pour in about a tablespoon or two of lukewarm (not boiling) water. Use the chasen whisk to vigorously whisk matcha into water and to dissolve any clumps. From here, matcha can be sipped like this, or you may add in a teaspoon of sweetener (maple syrup or honey) and a bit of warm plant milk of choice, such as almond or coconut.

So, after properly learning how to make matcha, I (naturally) wanted to use matcha in all of the things. Luckily, I got my hands on some culinary matcha (which can be used for cooking and baking, while the ceremonial matcha should be reserved for sipping) and went to town. The result of matcha-mania are these Chocolate Matcha Sesame Brownies with a bit of matcha in the frosting – yum. The tahini chocolate brownies taste incredible when paired with matcha, and the little sesame seeds on top are the best kind of natural sprinkles around.

Even if you’re not into matcha, I promise you’ll love these brownies. They’re rich, fudgey, and totally delicious.

Sesame + rich chocolate + matcha = crave worthy brownies made with whole food real ingredients!

Chocolate Matcha Sesame Brownies

Yields 1 delicious tray of brownies

Ingredients:

Chocolate Sesame Brownies:
1 cup tahini
½ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
¼ cup cacao powder
1 Tbsp. coconut flour
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ cup mini dark chocolate chips

Matcha Frosting:
1 ½ cup raw cashews (soaked at least 2 hours)
½ cup coconut oil, slightly solid
1 Tbsp. matcha powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. sea salt
2-3 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds, to garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and generously grease a 9×9-baking dish with coconut oil or avocado oil.

To a large bowl add tahini, coconut sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and eggs. Mix well until mixture is fully combined and thick.

Stir in cacao powder, coconut flour, baking soda, and sea salt until combined. Finally, stir in dark chocolate chips until just combined. The brownie batter texture will be THICK.

Pour brownie mixture into greased baking dish. You may need to use a wet spatula to smooth our thick mixture in the pan.

Bake brownies for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are slightly browned and knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Do not over-bake brownies, as they will dry out!

Remove brownies from oven and let cool completely before frosting – at least one hour.

Prepare matcha frosting: Drain and rinse cashews and add to a food processor or high-speed blender along with the remainder of the other frosting ingredients – except for the sesame seeds. Blend on high until mixture is completely broken down and is smooth and creamy. You may need to pause to scrape down the sides of your blender/food processor. Scoop frosting into a bowl and chill in the refrigerator or freezer for 30 minutes. Remove bowl and stir frosting vigorously to create a light and fluffy texture. Use a spatula to spoon frosting onto cooled brownies. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and slice into squares.

I recommend devouring these chocolate matcha brownies immediately – or storing in the refrigerator for a day or two. Enjoy!

Notes:

-These brownies were inspired by my flourless Almond Butter Brownies and Ambitious Kitchen’s grain-free tahini brownies!
-The matcha frosting is adapted from Baked The Blog’s Vegan Chocolate Matcha Cupcakes.
-No coconut sugar? Swap with organic sugar or brown sugar. The same goes for maple – feel free to swap with honey if you’d like!
-Do you feel like kind of cheating? You don’t haaaave to make the frosting – at all. Skip it, or you can also buy a store-bought version (Simple Mills vanilla frosting is my go-to) and stir in a teaspoon or two of matcha powder. I promise I won’t tell anyone your secret!
-Feeling crazy? Swap out ground beetroot powder for matcha powder = hello pretty pink frosted brownies!