Mint Matcha Chocolate Chip Shake

Jennifer IserlohMatcha 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.

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.


Get the Skinny Chef's Mint Matcha Chocolate Chip Shake recipe.