Earl Grey Shortbread cookies

 The other day I was shopping at Trader Joes and really wanted some crunchy buttery cookies (of which there are many options in that store).  I was pulling each package off the shelf and comparing nutrition while internally nagging at what I was seeing, "what! 10grams of sugar?! 7 grams of fat?!" when suddenly it hit me. "Hey! If I'm going eat some buttery stuff, why don't I just make some!" The good thing about making your own food is that you can control what goes in it (the amount of sugar) and you don't have to worry about preservatives and chemicals with unpronounceable names. So the earl grey shortbread cookies were created! These cookies are super easy to make and only needs 4 ingredients. Since they were so simple, I also made Chai tea and Matcha shortbread. The verdict? I think my favorites were still the earl grey, although Matcha definitely comes for a close second. The chai tea shortbread were decent as well, very aromatic, but I think personally I prefer Match and earl grey tea over chai tea flavor. The shortbread flavor is easily changed just by using a different type of tea. I have a box of passion Tazo tea in the cupboard, and those will probably be the next flavor.

  

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies


Preheat oven to 375F. Cut open 3 tea bags worth of Tea (~2T)

 

Add 2C white whole wheat flour, 3/4C granulated sugar, and the 3 tea bags worth of tea to the food processor and pulse until the tea leaves are evenly distributed in the dry mixture.



Cut 2 sticks of cold butter (not softened) into little chunks and throw that into the food processor with the dry mix. Add 1tsp vanilla extract.



Mix everything together until a dough forms.  

Transfer the dough to a clean surface with a silicone mat or parchment paper. At this point I added 3/4C slivered almonds and kneaded it into the dough by hand. The almonds add extra crunch to the shortbread (I love crunch!) but it's optional. Feel free to add other types of nuts, dried fruits, etc. to taste.

Roll the dough into two logs about 1.5 inches thick. Wrap in saran wrap and allow dough logs to chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. This step allows dough mixture to harden so that it will be easier to slice later on since the warmth of your hands as you roll the log melts the butter, making the dough soft.

After 30 minutes, take the dough logs out the fridge, remove the saran wrap, and start slicing into 1/4" disks.

Place the shortbread disks onto a baking pan lined with silicone mat or parchment paper about 1" apart. Bake on 375F for 12-16 minutes. (I baked mine for 16 minutes since I like my shortbread extra crispy). Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks and cool to room temperature (if you can wait that long!).





 

Matcha shortbread: Substitute earl grey tea leaves with 2T of matcha powder

Chai Shortbread: Substitute earl grey tea leaves with chai tea leaves
Lavender Shortbread: Substitute earl grey tea leaves with 2T fresh or dried lavender and substitute vanilla extract with lavender extract.

As you can see, I only added almonds in the Earl Grey version.

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves (I used 3 tea bags)
• 3/4C Sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3/4 Cup of slivered almonds or any other nuts/dried fruit (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375F. Cut cold butter into cubes and keep them in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
2. Add earl grey tea leaves, 2 Cups flour, 3/4 Cup granulated sugar to a food processor and pulse until the tea leaves are speckled throughout.
3. Add the butter cubes and vanilla into the food processor and process until a dough forms.
4. Roll the dough into two logs about 1.5" in diameter. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
5. After 30 minutes, remove the dough logs and slice into 1/4" thickness.
6. Place shortbread cookies on baking pan lined with parchment paper or silicone mat about 1.5" apart.
7. Bake at 375F for 14-16 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing them from the pan. Cool on wire rack to room temperature.  

Nutrition:

(Shortbread with Almonds)

Serving size = 1 shortbread

Calories: 32

Total Fat: 1.3g | Sat Fat 0.4g

Cholesterol: 0mg

Sodium: 20.5mg

Carb: 4.7g | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugars 1.9g

Protein: 0.5g



Adapted from Foodnetwork.com