Earl Grey Tea Cookies for Afternoon Tea!

Please enjoy this recipe for the Earl Grey Cookies that were featured in my latest YouTube video. The cookies taste and smell like a dream. They are crispy at the edge, soft in the middle, and exquisitely perfumed with both Earl Grey tea and a splash of rose water. There’s no need to drag out the standing mixer. The dough comes together effortlessly in a food processor!

A note about Ear Grey tea. First produced in 1824, Earl Grey is a  black tea that is scented with bergamot oil, which comes from the rind of the bergamot orange. I buy loose (not bagged) Earl Grey for both drinking and cookie-making.

A note about rose water: Culinary-grade rose water — the other essential ingredient for Earl Grey Cookies — is available at most supermarkets and from online sources such as Amazon.  Once you’ve tried rose water, you will want to add it to all kinds of baked goods. The beautiful fragrance is welcome in a great variety of both cookies and cakes.

Print Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

These perfectly-perfumed treats are a snap to make. All you need is a food processor!

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Course: Afternoon Tea

Servings: 20

Equipment

• A food processor outfitted with the metal blade

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups (195g) all-purpose or "plain" flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea from loose (not bagged) tea
• 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon culinary-grade rose water
• 1 large egg, at room temperature

Instructions

• Tip the flour, baking powder, salt, and tea leaves into the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse the machine 10 times to break up the tea leaves. Add the butter and sugar, and again, pulse 10 times. Add the vanilla, rose water, and egg. Pulse 5 times and then let the machine run steadily until a cohesive dough forms -- about 30 seconds.
• Roll the dough between two large sheets of parchment to a thickness of about 1/8-inch. Transfer this parchment "sandwich" onto a baking tray, and pop it into the freezer for 15 minutes.
• Place the chilled sandwich on a work surface. Gently peel off the top parchment sheet, and use it to line a baking tray. Use a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter to cut out rounds, spacing them about 1 inch apart on the parchment-lined tray. Gather and re-roll scraps as necessary. Freeze the cookies for 15 minutes.
• When you are ready to bake, center the oven rack and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Bake until the edge of the cookies looks dry -- usually 14 -16 minutes. Permit the cookies to cool on the baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!