Every time I'm back in LA, I always make sure to stop by Urth Caffee-- one of my favorite spots I'd frequent with my mom during our occasional shopping trips to Robertson when I'd be home visiting from college. Urth has some of the best teas, and more relevant to today's post, is where I first discovered matcha. I hadn't had matcha since my last visit to LA nearly six months ago, but most recently, my boyfriend purchased a few packets of it that we've incorporating into our morning routines. This is the first brand I've tried outside of Urth and the latte form, but it tastes close enough.

In my most recent attempt to boost my slow mornings, I made these muffins from scratch, and after a few trials I finally came up with a combination that's not overly dense or flakey, and more importantly satisfies the palette without losing that bright matcha taste. I made a few different flavors, a batch with blueberries and another with gluten-free chocolate chips. My favorite was definitely the chocolate.

Matcha Muffins makes 1 dozen

1/2 tbsp organic matcha 2 cups gluten-free flour 1 tbsp baking powder 1/4 cup macadamia oil 2 cups of almond milk 1/2 cup granulated sugar Fresh organic blueberries, optional Gluten-free chocolate chips, optional Extra sprinkle of granulated sugar and macadamia oil, to top

Preheat oven at 350. Line muffin tin with muffin cups or cut 6x6 parchment paper squares. In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Then, slowly add in wet ingredients 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Fill muffin tin with mixture about 3/4 of the way. Add either blueberries or chocolate chips (or both). Bake for 15 minutes.

Using a pastry brush, coat the top of each muffin with a layer of oil and sprinkle of granulated sugar. Bake for another 2-3 minutes Let cool for at least 45 minutes.