Because of their crisp exterior, soft interior, and rich butter flavor, these Browned Butter-Earl Grey Cookies make the ideal party snack or accompaniment to your morning coffee or tea. They also make a great addition to any afternoon teatime. They have a flavor that goes wonderfully with tea, and the orange zest glaze makes them melt in your mouth. This recipe for fragrant cookies is destined to become a crowd pleaser.
It is possible to make these cookies, which have the distinct flavor of browned butter and earl grey tea, without using a lot of expensive ingredients. Because it’s made with common, unremarkable ingredients, the cookie has a buttery taste, a crumbly texture, and a pleasant aroma. Because of the cornstarch and powdered sugar, the cookies that are produced using this dough will have an exceptionally pleasant chewy texture.
These Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies made with Browned Butter are perfect for any event, whether it be an afternoon tea, a cookie exchange, a bake sale, or something else entirely. Because the dough for these cookies, which have tea infused into them, can be easily prepared in advance, they are an excellent option for gatherings.
INGREDIENTS REQUIRED FOR THE RECIPE
- The addition of bergamot oil to black tea results in the production of earl grey tea, which imparts both a floral and slightly citrusy flavor to the beverage. It has a very calming and comforting aroma to it. A superior quality earl grey tea will produce the most satisfying flavor profile.
- It is recommended that you purchase unsalted butter rather than salted butter. Because the amount of salt in salted butter can vary from brand to brand and you don’t want the cookies to be too salty, you should add your own salt to the mixture.
- Vanilla — the flavors of earl grey tea are a perfect match for vanilla’s sweet and creamy profile. You could use vanilla beans or vanilla extract in their place.
- Powdered sugar is required for both the cookie dough and the glaze in this recipe. Cookies that are chewy and tender are produced by including powdered sugar in the cookie dough.
- The key to making cookies that are so soft they practically dissolve in your mouth is cornstarch, which gives the dough a texture that is simultaneously crisp, crumbly, and tender.
- To make the glaze, you are going to need just a little bit of milk. It is a complete waste of time to flavor water with milk.
MEASUREMENTS FOR INGREDIENTS
For the Shortbread Cookies:
- 1 tablespoon loose leaf earl grey tea
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened and divided (227g)
- ½ vanilla bean seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60g)
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (210g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch (40g)
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon warm milk
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 1 pinch ground cardamom
NUTRITIONAL VALUE
- Calories: 143kcal
- Carbohydrates: 16g
- Protein: 1g
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0.3g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
- Sodium: 51mg
- Potassium: 16mg
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Sugar: 7g
- Vitamin A: 265IU
- Vitamin C: 1mg
- Calcium: 7mg
- Iron: 0.5mg
DIRECTIONS FOR MAKING THIS RECIPE
- In a low-sided bowl, you should combine the browned butter, vanilla extract, cardamom, and loose tea leaves. Stirring the butter mixture every 15 minutes while it chills in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes, or until it can be spread, is required.
2. After the browned butter mixture has had time to cool, add it to the bowl of a stand mixer that is equipped with the paddle attachment. Combine the browned butter mixture with the remaining half cup of softened butter, the sugar, the egg yolk, and the salt. While the mixer is operating at a low speed, the flour and cornstarch should be added in a slow and steady stream.
3. After placing the dough on a surface dusted with flour, shape it into a disk and flatten it out. Wrap it in plastic, then put it in the refrigerator for half an hour so it can get cold.
4. A light dusting of flour and two sheets of parchment paper should be used to roll out the dough to a thickness of one quarter of an inch in the fourth step. Allow to sit in the refrigerator for at least one more hour.
5. Form into pieces measuring 2 inches in diameter, and space them out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper using a distance of 1 inch between each piece. Place them in the oven and cook them for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the bottoms have a browned appearance. Cookies should be allowed to cool completely on the baking sheet.
6. Six, in a medium bowl, combine the sugar, orange zest, milk, butter, and cardamom in a way that makes a smooth mixture. You can apply the glaze to the cookies by drizzling it on, or you can dip half of each cookie into it and then set them to dry on parchment paper. Wait to serve until the glaze has completely dried before doing so.
PROFESSIONAL GUIDE TO MAKING THIS RECIPE
- If you use too much flour, the cookies will be heavy. The best and simplest way to measure flour is with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have a flour sifter, you can use a spoon to aerate the flour before sprinkling it into a measuring cup and then leveling it off with a knife.
- To ensure that the earl grey tea is evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough, it should be blitzed before use. If you don’t have access to loose tea, a tea bag can be easily opened with scissors. Fine tea is more commonly found in tea bags.
- Do not neglect to refrigerate the cookie dough. Cookies made with earl grey and brown butter benefit from having the dough chilled before baking to prevent them from spreading too much.
- These cookies need to be baked on a parchment-lined baking sheet. The use of parchment paper will also aid in limiting the spread of the cookies.
- Overmixing the dough can make for a tough cookie, so be careful.
- You’ll want to brown the butter in a light-colored pan so you can tell when it’s done. Don’t let the butter brown in the pan! Butter should be browned to a rich golden color and smell nutty and buttery.
- Before dipping the cookies in the glaze, make sure they have cooled completely. The glaze will run off the cookies if they are too hot.
- Replace the orange zest with lemon if you don’t have any on hand.
FAQs
Is it possible to bake these cookies in advance?
After rolling the dough between the parchment paper, it can be stored in the fridge for up to 36 hours before being sliced and baked.
Help! I can’t seem to extract the vanilla beans!
To get to the vanilla seeds, cut the vanilla beans in half lengthwise with a sharp paring knife. The vanilla beans can be removed with the back of a knife or the end of a small spoon.
Where should I put my leftovers?
The cookies can be kept for a week if stored in an airtight container with a piece of parchment paper between each layer. Using parchment will prevent the glaze from transferring to other cookies.
Does it contain caffeine?
Caffeine can be found in Earl Grey tea. If you’re concerned about the amount of caffeine in regular earl grey tea, you can substitute decaf tea.
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