What’s The Tea?
I lived in the Pacific Northwest during the early 90s when the Starbucks mania was just getting rolling. And, I embraced it with abandon. To say I like my coffee would be an understatement. It is a daily routine that I find non-negotiable to start my day on a good note. The days when it doesn’t happen are rough…for everyone. My favorite part of camping, when we go camping, is the ritual of making campsite coffee. And, frankly, coffee never tastes as good as it does at the campsite.

However, if my back was to the wall and I had to make a life-or-death choice between coffee or tea, I would pick tea. Every time.

I love my coffee, yes. But I can’t drink a lot of it. I have one coffee a day. Two at the max. Why? Because the way I take my coffee is not conducive to good health. I like my coffee with quite a bit of cream. 2% doesn’t cut it. And while I like my coffee sweet, I do not like it super sweet. And, I do like it with a bit of vanilla flavor. In other words, my coffee is high-maintenance.

My tea is a different story…

I will drink my coffee in the morning. And, for the rest of the day, If I am not drinking water, I am drinking tea. I like it hot. I like it iced. I like it black, and I like it green. I like it freshly steeped or right out of the bottle.

What don’t I like? Sugar. I do not like sweet tea which is fortunate because it makes it easy to grab a mug of hot water, toss in my favorite bag of tea, and get on with my afternoon. Full disclosure, most of the time I am drinking a decaf version of tea or something herbal. Given the amount of tea I drink, if I always drank high-octane tea, I would be a jittery maniac.

Earl Grey is my tea of choice either way. I blame my grandmother. She always had a cup of Earl Grey with a slice of lemon at night. No sugar. I guess that is where I got hooked. Although, I do leave out the lemon. I’d rather have a cookie or two than the lemon. But, that’s just me. But, if you can combine all three into a convenient package like these, so much the better!

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies Recipe
Adapted from Sugar and Soul
Yields 36 cookies

Crisp and buttery, these Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies have just five ingredients plus an easy lemon glaze. They are great for parties, tea time, and they make a delicious snack. And, The longer these cookies sit, the more intense the flavor will become.

Ingredients
For the cookies
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons Earl Grey Tea (we recommend Stash Double Bergamot Earl Grey for the best flavor)
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

For the glaze (optional, but recommended!)
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions
Grind the tea
Remove the tea from the teabag if you are not using loose-leaf. Run the tea through a food processor or use a pestle and mortar to grind it into a powder.

Flavor the butter
Blend the butter and Earl Frey tea leaves together and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours, longer is fine.

Prep the oven
Once the butter is ready. Preheat oven to 350­° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone sheet and set it aside.

Cream the butter and sugar
Cream the butter with the tea and powdered sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer.

Mix in the dry ingredients
Add the flour and salt and continue to mix until a soft dough forms. The mix will be dry and crumbly at first but will come together.

Form the cookies
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cookie cutter.

Bake the cookies
Bake the cookies on the lined baking sheet until the edges are golden brown in color (about 12 to 15 minutes).

Make the glaze
If you are glazing the cookies, once they are cooled, whisk together the glaze ingredients and dip or drizzle the cookies as desired and place them on wax paper for the glaze to set.