I love winter break. I know this is such a unique love. Who else would possibly love two weeks of sleeping in, tucked inside safe from the winter chill? Why would you enjoy baking all day and wrapping presents?
But seriously, it’s so nice. And it means I can really catch up on my baking work. I’ll be testing, photographing, and filming for the next two weeks. Plus wrapping presents which is one of my very favorite things.
We decorated our tree yesterday. It took a tad longer then expected and I ended up going to sleep at around 2:00 in the morning…but hey! It’s in the spirit of Christmas.
Anyway. Look at these cookies!! Aren’t they so cute? Ok well maybe not all that cute. They kind of look like the nasty snow that’s by the side of the road. BUT. I pinky promise they don’t taste like that. I probably shouldn’t have shared that observation with you because now you won’t want to make them but seriously they are super yummy and easy.
Describe these Cookies to Me
Taste: These taste like your classic sugar cookie, but with a little extra holiday joy. You’ve got that sweet, buttery, vanilla flavor, but also the warming spiced citrus flavors of earl grey. But there isn’t too much earl grey, so it doesn’t taste like soap.
Texture: These are sugar cookies so they snap, but they aren’t dry. They’ve got softer middles, plus a sweet icing to add some moisture.
Ease: This time of year is pretty crazy, so we need some simpler recipes. And this just so happens to be one of them. The dough is super quick, made with kitchen staples. And as far as shaping, it’s also pretty simple. Just roll it out and use a cookie cutter to make the snowflakes. And you don’t even have to do any complicated icing either. Just whisk some stuff together and dip the cookies in it!
What Does Earl Grey Taste Like?
So I came up with this idea over the summer. But once I set out to start testing it in November, I realized I had no idea what earl grey tasted like. But it all turned out well because it tastes yummy! More specifically, it’s mostly floral citrus with notes of spices. I wanted to make sure not to use too much of it in this dough, otherwise it might end up tasting like soap. The flavor is subtle but warming and unique.
The Dough
The dough is pretty straightforward. It’s got your classic butter, sugar, eggs, flour you know the deal. To get that earl grey flavor, we cut open a tea bag and grind it up in a spice grinder. Add that to your dry ingredients and your cookies are infused with cozy winter flavors!
The Icing
I wanted to keep the topping and decoration simple, so these don’t have any piping or coloring. The icing is very thin so it sits as a thin layer on the cookie. Its just some sugar, warm water, cream, and salt. Plus a little more of that ground up earl grey tea. Just mix it all together and dip your cookies in it.
These would be so good for gifting this year. Or if you do a holiday cookie box, then these could offer some diversity from your gingerbread and chocolate peppermint. And they’re simple so it’s just an all around win.
Earl Grey Snowflake Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Cut open two of the earl grey tea bags. Pour the tea into a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle. Grind until powdery and fine. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the ground up tea, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside
- Add the butter and sugar to a large bowl. Using a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat on medium speed until fluffy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and beat on low speed just until a thick dough forms. Dough will seem crumbly, but if you keep mixing it should come together.
- Split the dough in half. On a piece of floured parchment, roll out half of the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. On a separate piece of floured parchment, , repeat with the second half of the dough. Lightly flour the tops of one of the dough sheets, and place the other one on top (with the parchment in between to prevent sticking.)
- Place the stacked doughs in the refrigerator to chill for 1-2 hours or until firm.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.
- Remove one of the dough sheets from the refrigerator. Using a large snowflake cookie cutter (or whatever kind you want!), cut out the cookies. I used a second smaller cutter to make an indent in the center, but this is optional. Re-roll and cut the scraps. Repeat with the second sheet of dough.
- Place the cookies on the previously prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are just starting to brown. I start checking mine after about 8 minutes because cooking times vary based off on your oven.
- Place the cookies on wired cooling rack to cool completely before icing.
- Cut open one earl grey tea bag and pour it into a small bowl. Add the hot water and whisk together. Pour this (including the tea residue) into a larger bowl with the confectioners sugar, cream, and salt. Whisk until smooth and combined. It will be thin.
- Carefully dip the cooled cookies into the icing. Place on a cooling rack for about an hour to let the icing set before enjoying.
- Cookies stay fresh sealed at room temperature for up to 5 days.