{"id":3064,"date":"2013-11-08T04:00:21","date_gmt":"2013-11-08T12:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oneingredientchef.com\/?p=3064"},"modified":"2018-11-30T10:32:02","modified_gmt":"2018-11-30T18:32:02","slug":"matcha-green-tea-muffins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oneingredientchef.com\/matcha-green-tea-muffins\/","title":{"rendered":"Matcha Green Tea Muffins"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coffee and I have a pretty dysfunctional relationship. Some mornings, she tempts me with the promise of so much positive energy that I’ll feel like I can build a spaceship before lunchtime, but really, I just spend the following hours rearranging the icons on my phone, feeling like my skin is suddenly way too small for me.<\/p>\n

Yes, I am extremely sensitive to caffeine. <\/p>\n

[SCIENCE ALERT]<\/strong> But this is where things get interesting. While tea and coffee both have caffeine, the compound found in tea is totally different than the one in coffee. It is technically the same substance, but tea’s caffeine binds to the tannins to produce a more stable and measured alertness; like a slow-release capsule versus an intravenous injection. Even better, tea has this powerful psychoactive amino acid called theanine that boosts mood and reduces stress. The coolest part of all is that theanine and caffeine work synergistically to keep you alert and focused but balanced and stable. <\/p>\n

\"Matcha<\/p>\n

So, tea has all the sexiness of coffee with none of the crazy-psycho side effects? I’m in love.<\/em><\/p>\n

Not every tea is high in theanine, however. Only the highest-quality Japanese green teas offer these kind of benefits. In this regard, matcha is the gold standard. Unlike typical tea where you brew and then toss the leaves, matcha is a fine powder ground from high-quality leaves, which is typically whisked with water and drunk. Thus, you actually ingest the leaves themselves, giving you a much higher concentration of caffeine, theanine, and antioxidants. The powder also works really well in baking, as we’re about to see.<\/p>\n

To celebrate my love for matcha, let’s make some delicious little muffins, shall we? These guys are a basic whole-grain muffin naturally sweetened with maple syrup and infused with lots of matcha. The recipe below is fairly dry because I like dry muffins. But if you prefer them to be more moist, mash 1\/2 banana into the batter.<\/p>\n

Start your day with one of these matcha muffins and you’ll totally forget about the cup of coffee you used to love.<\/p>\n

\"Matcha<\/p>\n

\"Matcha<\/p>\n

Makes 12 muffins<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ingredients:<\/h4>\n
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