Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies
Earl Grey tea makes a wonderful addition to a buttery and crisp shortbread cookie. These are filled with a creamy milky center for the perfect pairing!
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Stand Mixer
- Half Sheet Pan
- Parchment Paper Sheets
- Piping Bag
Ingredients
Dough
- 226 grams salted butter (softened)
- 142 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 15 grams raw honey
- 255 grams all purpose flour
- 2 Earl Grey tea bags
- cane sugar for dusting
Filling
- 226 grams powdered sugar (sifted)
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 1 to 2 teaspoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, you'll need two.
- To make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Mix on low until combined and you don’t see powdered sugar anymore, there will still be a few chunks of butter but that is okay because it’s very soft.
- Add the flour and contents of the Earl Grey tea bags into the butter mixture and mix on low until combined and smooth. The dough should feel like play dough in your hands.
- Using your hands, form the dough into 30 balls and place them on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten each one slightly so they are a round disk about 1 ¾-inch in diameter.
- Bake for 15 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Sprinkle the tops with cane sugar immediately after coming out of the oven. Allow to cool completely on the cookie sheets.
- To make the filling: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the powdered sugar, butter, and milk and mix on low until combined. Speed mixer up to high for 1 minute or until light and fluffy. Put in a piping bag with no tip.
- Turn over every other cookie so they are all paired. Pipe a dollop of filling onto each cookie and sandwich them together.
- Store in a cool dry place, or in an airtight container for up to 7 days.
Video
Notes
Tips
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Make sure your butter is soft! This is so key for these shortbread cookies. While some shortbreads actually call for cold butter, this recipe requires it to be room temperature soft. The best way to achieve this naturally is to let your butter soften naturally at room temperature. This prevents pockets of butter getting melted in the microwave, resulting in a less than desirable texture in the finished cookies. Leave butter out on the counter overnight for the best success before starting this recipe.
- The dough should feel like play dough in your hands. If it's not smooth and it's not cohesive, mix it a little longer. If you've been mixing it and it's not coming together, it's the butters fault - as it was not soft enough. That's why the butter is so key in this recipe. It should come together very quickly, only a minute or two at the most. So if you're having issues here, then look to the temperature of your butter.
- Use a high quality organic Earl Grey tea that you like for the best flavor! If you have loose leaf tea, you can also use this as we're emptying the bags anyways!
- You can make this recipe with any other black tea or even green tea that you like the flavor of as well.
- You can leave the cookies unfilled if you just want Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies, the filling is totally optional.
- Make sure to allow the cookies to cool completely before filling them, otherwise the filling will melt if the cookies are still warm.
- If you like a little lemon juice in your tea, you can add lemon zest to the filling to mimic this flavor. Orange zest also works and is delicious too.
- Shortbread cookies are supposed to be crisp - so these are best kept at out on a platter or in a cookie jar that is not completely sealed. Unlike a lot of baked goods, which should be stored in an airtight container, these should not be stored in an airtight container because they will soften.
- Gluten Free — Replace the flour with 226 grams (scant 1 ½ cups) gluten free flour blend and 57 grams (½ cup plus 1 tablespoons) coconut flour.
- High Altitude — Bake at 350°F for 13 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Nutrition
Calories: 324kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 2gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 12gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 146mgPotassium: 26mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 565IUVitamin C: 0.01mgCalcium: 9mgIron: 1mg
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