Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
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This Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies recipe yields tender, crisp, buttery, and crumbly shortbread cookies with earl grey tea infusion. They are perfect for a tea party, or a treat anytime!
I love drinking tea, and what is tea without a cookie? Since my success with Earl Grey Panna Cotta, I have been indulging in the afternoon ritual of drinking earl grey tea. It currently spots in the top rank of my favorite tea and I just cannot get enough of it.
I was thinking of making the perfect cookies to munch on during my ritual. Then, I thought to myself why not combining tea with cookies? And here I am with Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies.
About Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
Why shortbread cookies? During my experiments with Tea-Infused Panna Cotta, I find that most tea flavors are pretty delicate and mild. Even when combined with the cream and milk mixture, the tea taste is barely there.
Therefore, the most suitable cookies for tea cookies is the one with fewer ingredients and no strong flavor. Shortbread cookies are the perfect cookie base. They are mainly made with three ingredients only, which are butter, confectioners sugar, and all-purpose flour. In addition, the loose earl grey tea
is grounded and added to the flour mixture to make the tea flavor stronger in every bite.
These cookies become my family’s favorite. They disappear in no time because they are very addictive. Moreover, the cookies keep for weeks when stored properly and you can make the dough well in advance. I believe that this recipe will also become your new favorite cookies that you will make year after year.
The Best Flour to Make Shortbread Cookies
You can use both all-purpose or cake flour for shortbread cookies. I personally like to use cake flour because it gives light, crisp, and tender textures to the cookies. If you use all-purpose flour, I find them softer and chewier than the ones made with cake flour.
If you still want don’t have cake flour but still want these lighter cookies, try converting from all-purpose flour to cake flour. Take one cup of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled. Remove 2 tablespoons, and then add two tablespoons of cornstarch to the all-purpose flour.
Why You Should Chill Your Dough
Chilling the dough before and after shaping will help to retain the shape of the cookies. A short stay in the fridge will firm up the cookies and solidify the butter. This will help keep them from spreading too much and helps concentrate those flavors for your best shortbread. In addition, the cold dough will make the cutting neat with sharp edges.
Once I make the dough, I usually wrap it with plastic wrap then chill it for 30 minutes. Then, roll the dough into an even 1/4-inch thickness with a rolling pin. Cut the dough with a cookie cutter or sharp knife. Pierce the middle of the cookies with a skewer helps to minimize the spreading and chill the cut dough again if your dough has warmed up for a little more before baking.
More Shortbread Cookies Recipes
- Maple Pecan Shortbread Cookies
- Matcha Shortbread Cookies
- Zebra-Striped Shortbread Cookies
- Zebra-Striped Matcha Shortbread Cookies
- Masala Chai Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (150 gr) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (60 gr) confectioners’ sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups (180 gr) cake flour/all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp loose earl grey tea
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt until the tea is spotted throughout the flour. Set aside.
- Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, confectioners sugar, and vanilla extract until incorporated.
- Scrape the bowl down and sift in the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until the dough starts to come together. It will look crumbly at first, but the dough will come together as you continue mixing.
- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap. Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator or until it is firm enough to cut through.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180°C and line two baking pans with parchment papers.
- Take out the dough from the refrigerator and open the plastic wrap. Roll the dough into a 1/4-inch (5 mm) thick slab. Cut the dough with a 2×1-inch (5×2.5 cm) cookie cutter. Place the cut dough on baking sheets, spaced at least an inch apart. Re-roll the scraps and refrigerate a few minutes until firm again and repeat the process until all dough is used.
- Use a skewer to poke holes in the cookies (optional).
- Chill in the refrigerator for another 30 minutes or if the dough has warmed up.
- Bake for 13-16 minutes or until the bottom edges of the cookies are golden brown in color.
- Transfer to a wire sheet to cool completely.
I made these this morning and they are delicious! Since I don’t have a cookie cutter, I just sliced the rolled dough into 1/3″ thick slices and baked. It was still very pretty, but I only got 14 cookies instead of 50. I ate 10 and gave away 4 and now have to make a double batch tonight. Great recipe! Ps. Where did you get your cookie cutter?