For the past week or so it has been so insanely hot outside, and I have just not been motivated to turn on my oven in those conditions. Because of that, I would like to inform you that I have planned multiple ice cream recipes in the coming weeks so stay tuned. But this week, the temperatures have been slightly lower and far more manageable so I have been making more progress on recipes. However, I’m still very behind because of one recipe which I have had to make seven different tests for, but I’m on the right track.
So in summary, I’m a little disorganized right now but stay tuned because more things are headed your way. In other news, Summerween was last weekend! However, I have postponed my celebration of Summerween to this coming weekend for reasons that make sense. We always celebrate by carving watermelons, watching spooky movies all day, and eating festive food. I will admit that I use it as a day to get started on testing my October recipes, but that’s my favorite thing ever so I’m excited. I’ll probably post some pictures on my instagram story, so stay tuned!
Okay let’s shift our focus to these cookies because I have some things to say about them. First of all, I’m publishing them a month early. There are two reasons for this: one is that I was really excited about this recipe and the other is that the recipe I had planned for June still isn’t quite ready (that’s the one that I’m currently on trial number seven for). But who really cares because these cookies are very summery, pretty, and delicious.
Describe These Cookies to Me
Taste: There are two main flavors in these cookies, the strawberry and the earl grey. The strawberry is more prominent, but you still definitely get the bittersweet citrus notes from the earl grey. These cookies are on the sweeter side, but I feel like the earl grey and natural strawberry flavor thrive on the sweetness.
Texture: These cookies have a crisp exterior and a chewy and slightly gooey inside. A different trial of these cookies had a softer, more cakey texture but I think these flavors work best with a chewy cookie.
Ease: As far as cookies go, these are on the slightly more difficult side. We are making two different doughs for one cookie which takes some time. However, this is still a no chill recipe and neither of the two different doughs are particularly difficult.
The Strawberry Dough
Though both of the doughs have very similar structures, there are a few key differences that make these work. The strawberry dough gets its flavor and color completely naturally from freeze dried strawberries. Because we are adding the strawberry powder to the dough, this half of the cookie has less flour to prevent a dry texture.
The Earl Grey Dough
The earl grey half of these cookies gets its flavor entirely from earl grey tea. I slice open three standard tea bags and grind the contents in a mortar and pestle. Although the tea is already in a fine powder, grinding it up a little helps release more of the flavor. From there I measure out one Tablespoon of tea into the dough. This gives the cookies a delicate and bittersweet flavor without changing the texture or being overwhelming. I also like to add a drop of black food coloring to have a more stark difference in the colors of the two doughs, but this is optional.
Strawberry Earl Grey Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Place the strawberries in a medium sized ziplock bag and seal tightly. Using a rolling pin, crush the strawberries into a fine powder. You should have about ½ cup of strawberry powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using either a hand or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed until fluffy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix again on medium speed until creamy and combined. Set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the ½ cup of the strawberry powder, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Set aside while we make the earl grey dough.
- Cut open the three earl grey teabags and dump the contents into a mortal and pestle. Grind up the tea a little until you have a very fine powder. It should be a little more than 1 Tablespoon. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using either a hand or a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars on medium high speed until fluffy and smooth. Add the egg and vanilla. and mix on medium speed until creamy and combined. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together 1 tablespoon of the earl grey tea, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat on low speed until just combined.
- Pour ¾ of granulated sugar into a medium sized bowl to roll the cookies in.
- Using a cookie scoop or your hands, take roughly 1 Tablespoon of each dough and roll them together into a ball, trying not to completely mix them together. Roll the cookie dough balls in the granulated sugar and place on the previously prepared baking sheets, roughly two inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are set and slightly brown, but the center is still a little soft. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes before enjoying warm or transferring to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies stay fresh for up to 5 days sealed in an airtight container at room temperature.