Two classic flavours come together in this showstopper of a cookie, shortbread and earl
grey tea. Serve them alongside afternoon tea and your friends and family will be begging
for the recipe! More of an Orange Pekoe fan? Try substituting your favourite tea leaves in place of Earl Grey.
Ingredients
-
226 gm / 1 cup Mirage Margarine, room temperature
5 gm / 2 tsp Earl Grey tea leaves, dry, crushed or finely chopped
60 gm / ½ cup Icing sugar, sifted
260 gm / 2 cups All-purpose flour, sifted
5 ml / 1 tsp Vanilla extract
2 gm / 1 tsp Salt
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 325°F(160°C).
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream the Mirage Margarine on high speed for 3 minutes, until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides several times with a rubber spatula.
- Add in the icing sugar, tea leaves, vanilla and salt. Mix on medium speed for 6 minutes, scraping the bowl down with a rubber spatula.
- Scrape down the margarine mixture once more and add in the flour.
- Mix on low speed just until the dough is combined and even. Over-mixing will make a tough cookie, so stop once the flour is no longer visible.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. This will allow the dough to properly hydrate the flour and make it easier to roll.
- Remove from the fridge and roll out onto a floured counter to about 2cm thick. Divide into 12 large rectangles, or 24 squares.
- Place on a parchment lined baking sheet with approximately 2cm of space between the cookies.
- Place in the oven and bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Be sure to rotate the tray after 6 minutes of baking.
- Transfer the cookies to a resting rack and allow them to cool before eating or decorating.
Notes
- To finely chop loose leaf Earl Grey tea leaves, try using a clean coffee grinder, or a very sharp knife.
- If you can’t find loose leaf Earl Grey tea, simply cut open a tea bag and use the leaves found inside.