Earl Grey lemon shortbreads are buttery, crisp, and light with just a hint of brightness from the lemon zest and the comforting subtle smell of tea. Pairs perfectly with (surprise!) afternoon tea or coffee.
I’ve always gravitated towards a shortbread cookie. Maybe it’s because I lean more towards desserts with vanilla or fruit flavors and less towards chocolate creations. Or maybe I love how the buttery crunch pairs with my afternoon tea (or my morning coffee). But maybe the most likely explanation is that shortbreads are so easy. Shortbreads are a cinch to make, they employ pantry ingredients, and the dough can be rolled into a log, popped into the freezer, and conveniently sliced at will. Now that I can get behind.
I first made this Earl Grey variation a few years ago, when my mom and I were invited to an early-morning watch party for Harry and Megan’s royal wedding here in the states. I had listened with supreme jealousy to my mom talk about the first royal wedding watch party that her friend Laura hosted for Will and Kate’s wedding, and when the stars aligned for me to be at home visiting during the second royal wedding, I was in. Aside from all of the delectable breakfast food in attendance, we nibbled on high-tea inspired sweets and drank coffee in our pajamas and pearls. Sigh. It really was my kind of party.
Divide the dough evenly.
Since then, I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit and have tried several different tea varieties. An Earl Grey or Lady Grey are still my favorites, though Constant Comment with some orange zest during the holidays is a nice twist! Get creative and try your own favorite teas in this recipe. I’d love to hear about any great varieties you try!
Form the dough into two rough log shapes.
Roll the logs out, smoothing as you go and pressing together any cracks that form. Don’t worry about them being perfect 🙂
Depending on the time you want to put into this, you can either roll out the dough and cut your cookies out with seasonal cookie cutters, or you can do as the lazy..ahem, as I do, and roll the dough into two logs. Wrap it in wax paper and pop in the freezer to firm up. Then simply slice the dough into even rounds and bake.
Wrap the rolls up in wax paper.
I like to twist the ends of my wax paper like my mom does. They look like a pretty gift!
Want to make this ahead? After wrapping the logs in wax paper, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. Then, when your guests are in town, simply pull a log out of the freezer, slice and bake. You’ll seem so effortless!
If you give this recipe a try, report back and let me know what you thought! I’d love to hear your comments below. And be sure to tag us in your photos on instagram @fridgetofork!
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Earl Grey Lemon Shortbread Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hr, 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12-14 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr, 30 mins
- Yield: 48 cookies (4 dozen) 1x
Description
Earl Grey lemon shortbreads are buttery, crisp, and light with just a hint of brightness from the lemon zest and the comforting subtle smell of tea. Pairs perfectly with (surprise!) afternoon tea or coffee.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons loose leaf Earl Grey or Lady Grey tea (see note)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 oz room temperature unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- zest of one large lemon
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and loose leaf tea.
- Zest lemon with a microplane grater and set aside.
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar on high for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and lemon zest and incorporate, scraping down sides as needed.
- With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in slowly, a bit at a time. This will prevent flour from flying all over your counter! Mix until the dough has just come together.
- On a clean work surface, shape the dough into two roughly equal halves, and form each into a log, then roll the sides until smooth. Wrap the two logs in wax paper. If you are leaving in the fridge overnight (or longer), wrap again in a layer of plastic wrap. If you’re baking after an hour, you can just wrap the logs in wax paper and twist off the ends.
- Place the logs in the freezer for a minimum of one hour to harden up.
- Once you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350° F and line your baking sheets with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
- Slice the logs into rounds of even thickness, aiming for around 2 dozen (24) cookies from each log. Space evenly on the baking sheets and bake for 12-14 minutes, turning the baking sheets halfway through. Remove when the shortbreads are just beginning to lightly brown around the bottom edges. Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
Tea Bags: I use loose leaf tea for this recipe, but you can use the tea from your single serving tea bags! If you have Twinings tea bags, for instance, 2 tablespoons is roughly equal to the contents of 6 tea bags. Just snip open the bags and use the contents.
Orange Spice Variation: Try substituting Earl Grey with Constant Comment, which is slightly spicy and orange-y. Sub the lemon zest for the zest of one half of an orange.
Chai Tea Variation: Love chai? Try subbing the Earl Grey with loose leaf Chai tea!
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Keywords: cookies, shortbread, tea biscuits
