Random Recipe: Earl Grey Tea Shortbread Cookies

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

These are so fragrant and rich and delicious with a cup of tea, I wish I could waft the scent at you through the internet. The measurements below are technically for a half recipe, which makes about 2 dozen, or one big cookie sheet full, which is perfect for little old me. If you’re baking for a crowd, you’ll want to double it and make two logs of dough to chill, and then when you turn the cookie sheets you’ll also want to swap racks.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves (from about 2 bags)*
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

1. Whisk flour, tea, and salt in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Put butter, sugar, and orange zest in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour mixture until just combined.
3. Transfer dough to a piece of parchment paper; shape into a log. Roll in parchment to 1 1/4 inches in diameter. The original recipe suggests pressing a ruler along edge of parchment at each turn to narrow the log and force out air, but I am lazy. Freeze 1 hour until firm, or chill overnight in fridge.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Space 1 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment.
5. Bake cookies, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges are golden, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.

These are omnomtastic with any compatible sort of tea flavor, not just Earl Grey. If you want to make them with matcha, leave out the orange zest, but all other measurements remain the same. Go on, you know you want some. Tell me how they came out!

If you want to see what excitement my darling vegan friend Tara Swiger came up with using this recipe, she’s got her version over here. With pictures!

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Tags: omnomnom, recipe, sharpie marker
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