Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Delight in these buttery Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies infused with fragrant Earl Grey tea leaves and extract, creating a delicate tea-flavored treat perfect for afternoon tea or a sweet snack.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: British
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
Shortbread Dough
- 10 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup icing sugar
- 1 tsp Earl Grey Extract (or vanilla extract as a substitute)
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tsp finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: In a food processor cup, add room temperature butter, icing sugar, all-purpose flour, fine sea salt, finely ground Earl Grey leaves, and Earl Grey extract (or vanilla extract if preferred).
- Form Dough: Pulse the mixture in the food processor until the dough comes together, ensuring all ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Shape Logs: Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll each portion into a log approximately 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter for even cookie sizes.
- Chill Dough: Wrap each dough log tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This step firms up the dough to make slicing easier and helps maintain cookie shape during baking.
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it reaches the correct baking heat by the time you slice and prepare the cookies.
- Slice Cookies: Using a sharp knife, cut the chilled dough logs into ¼ to ½ inch thick slices carefully to maintain uniform thickness.
- Arrange on Baking Sheet: Place the cookie slices onto a lined baking pan, spacing them at least an inch apart to prevent spreading into each other.
- Bake Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes, or until the bottoms are just turning golden, indicating they are perfectly baked with a tender texture.
- Cool Cookies: Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely before serving to ensure they firm up properly.
Notes
- Substitute Earl Grey extract with vanilla extract for a creamy vanilla shortbread variation.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature for easier mixing and better dough texture.
- Do not overbake; shortbread cookies are done when just lightly golden on the bottom to maintain their tender, crumbly texture.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature to keep them fresh.
- Finely grind the Earl Grey tea leaves before adding to avoid a gritty texture in the cookies.
Keywords: Earl Grey cookies, shortbread, tea-flavored cookies, British dessert, buttery cookies, Earl Grey tea recipe, elegant cookie recipe
