Earl Gray Shortbread Cookies – Sprinkle Bakes
Earl Gray Shortbread Cookies are buttery past phrases! The cookies are speckled with black tea and aromatic with bergamot notes.
That is a straightforward riff on my favourite traditional shortbread recipe. With simply 5 elements, it’s so splendidly uncomplicated. Earl Gray tea offers it refined taste and exquisite perfume, I could add these to my vacation cookie giveaway trays!
To make these cookies extra-special, I used a fondant impression mat to make them just a little fancier than normal. (I believe they seem like millwork!) Shortbread, when dealt with simply so, molds so fantastically. It’s not tough, and I’ll present you ways within the video on the finish of the weblog publish. Nevertheless, when you’re not into molding the cookies, there are additionally easy slice-and-bake directions within the recipe notes.
My present favourite offshoot of the Earl Gray household is Empress Grey. It’s a bit bolder and has a extra pronounced orangey taste than common Earl Gray. I additionally actually love utilizing Earl Greyer by Republic of Tea in baked items. It has bergamot oil added to the leaves (see this Earl Gray au Lait Cake). I like to recommend utilizing your favourite selection on this recipe.
The dry elements.
First, open up about 8 Earl Gray tea luggage. Pour them out right into a bowl and provides the tea combination a very good look. The tea ought to be advantageous, however when you see any massive dry leaves floating round, grind them finer in a mortar and pestle (or put the tea in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin).
Pour the advantageous tea into some all-purpose flour and whisk to distribute the tea evenly all through. Moreover, add in some advantageous grain sea salt and confectioners’ sugar.
Cream the butter.
Butter is such an vital ingredient on this recipe as a result of it imparts a lot taste. The ratio of butter to flour additionally offers the shortbread its unsticky texture. Cream 1 pound of room temperature butter properly in a standing mixer earlier than including the dry elements.
Because the mixer blends the dough collectively, it is going to clump across the beater. This can be a good signal that you simply’re heading in the right direction. Combine it till the dough turns into so cohesive that the movement of the mixer beater begins to scrub the perimeters of the bowl. Switch the dough to a bit of plastic wrap and pat it right into a disk form. Cowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
Molding the shortbread.
I actually needed to make this shortbread look as lovely because it tastes. My preliminary plan was to make use of my new patterned rolling pin to present the dough floor a beautiful baroque sample. Nicely, in full disclosure – and after many tries – I simply couldn’t get it to work proper. I obtained a defective rolling pin with too shallow a sample and wobbly handles. What a disappointment!
As I rolled and re-rolled in frustration, I believed to myself “That is terrible, I’d have extra luck with an impression mat”. Which was an actual lightbulb second. Then I remembered this Baroque Scroll Relief Mat I bought for marriage ceremony cake-making. It was excellent and turned out flawless tablets of dough.
Methods to assist molded shortbread cookies hold their form.
To start with, and particularly with molded shortbread with this quantity of element, you might want to freeze the cookies. If molding tablets as I’ve, freeze the tablets earlier than chopping them into smaller cookies. The sides will probably be sharper and the cuts will probably be cleaner. Then switch them to a cookie sheet.
Second, bake them from their frozen state. Chilly butter releases its water content material slower and the cookies received’t puff out of form.
Third, bake them at a decrease temperature for longer. 300F for 20 minutes was excellent for these 3 to 4-inch cookies. A decrease temperature ensures the cookies keep fantastically pale, and the steam escaping from the butter does so slowly. Once more, this helps the cookies from distorting or puffing an excessive amount of.
From the oven, the cookies will probably be barely puffed and calmly golden across the backside edges. The cookies ought to have a matte look when they’re accomplished. I simply love how architectural they give the impression of being!
Sidenote: These cookies remind me a lot of the edging and millwork on the Wedgwood-inspired Tree we put collectively for a Confetti Repair weblog publish final 12 months (you possibly can see that publish here). I’m obsessed!
I’ve eaten extra of those than I care to confess, however they’re too good to withstand! They make glorious firm with a cup of sizzling tea and a very good e book. The molded cookies make a fancy-looking present offered in just a little bag tied with ribbon. Nevertheless, when you’re not inclined to go that route, see the best directions for slice-and-bake cookies within the recipe notes.
Earl Gray Shortbread Cookies
- 4 tablespoons Earl Gray tea about 8 teabags
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus further for dusting
- 1 teaspoon advantageous grain sea salt
- 1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
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In a big mixing bowl, mix the Earl Gray tea and flour. Whisk collectively to disperse the tea all through the flour. Add the salt and confectioners’ sugar. Whisk till properly blended.
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Within the bowl of an electrical mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 30 seconds. Add the dry elements and blend on low pace. The dough will slowly type because the beater turns. When the dough is properly shaped it shouldn’t be sticky, and will probably be thick and clump on the beater.
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Take away the dough to a bit of plastic wrap and pat right into a disk. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
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Mud a piece floor with flour. Take away the dough from the fridge and minimize into quarters. Place 1 / 4 on the dusted work floor. Mud the dough and a rolling pin calmly with flour. Roll the piece to just a little better than 1/2-inch thickness. Decide up the dough as you roll to verify it isn’t sticking to the work floor. Whether it is, gently prod it free with a spatula and throw just a little extra flour beneath it. Frivolously re-roll.
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Use an artwork brush (or pastry brush) loaded with flour to liberally flour the silicone impression mould. Flip the mat over and faucet out extra flour. Lay the rolled dough over the impression mat and press the dough into the cavities together with your fingers. Then, use the rolling pin to roll the dough flat to about 1/4 inch. Flip the mould over onto a parchment sheet and gently peel the mould away from the dough revealing a pill design. Lower away the surplus dough from the sides and switch the molded piece to the freezer to stiffen utterly (about 10 minutes). In the meantime repeat the molding course of with the remaining dough.
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Preheat the oven to 300F.
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Take away the frozen dough tablets from the freezer and minimize into 3-4-inch lengths. Bake the cookies from their frozen state for 20-22 minutes, or till they’re very barely puffed and have a matte floor. The cookies ought to be pale with the underside edges very gentle golden in colour.
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Let the cookies cool on the pans till they’re agency sufficient to maneuver, about 10 minutes. Take away to a wire rack to chill utterly. Maintain shortbread in an hermetic container at room temperature for as much as 6 days.
Combine the dough as directed. Divide the dough into two parts. Roll every portion right into a log form about 12 inches lengthy and roll in plastic wrap. Chill till agency, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 375F.
Slice the logs into 1/3 inch cash. Switch them to parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 12 minutes, or till the sides are calmly brown. Let cool on the baking sheets till they’re agency sufficient to switch to a wire cooling rack. Cool utterly. Retailer hermetic at room temperature.
