Steeped in Lore: Beloved Earl Grey Tea and Buttery Embossed Shortbread Cookies

 Find a recipe and method to make embossed buttery shortbread cookies, infused with the flavor of Earl Grey Tea and the fragrant notes of bergamot. Dress these cookies up for tea with a pretty decorative relief pattern, or alternatively, use a simple slice-and-bake method for a flavorful teatime treat.

Happy Tuesday!

Welcome to the February edition of Tea on Tuesdays,

a celebration of all things tea on the third Tuesday of the month. ☕ 🫖

Pam and I are excited to welcome back a special guest,

Sarah, from Hyacinths for the Soul.

We’re glad you’re here, pour yourself a cuppa and join us!

You can find Pam and Sarah’s invitation to tea at the bottom of this post.

This post contains affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Join me for a cup of Earl Grey tea today,

specifically Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey!

Taylors of Harrogate Earl Grey uses the finest quality black orthodox Congou leaves from China, selected for their smooth, mellow taste, blended with the natural essential oils of bergamot. Using “orthodox” tea leaves (a larger leaf than those typically used in tea bags) lends a slightly lighter flavor. If you enjoy the ritual of  brewing tea in your teapot, it benefits from the extra surface contact from the water and room to move around in your teapot.

Since my tea pot doesn’t have an infuser inside for loose tea, I’m using a strainer for my teacups.

These tea strainers have a fine mesh for loose tea that fit a 2.5 – 4 inch mouth for your teacup or mug and come with a stainless bowl to catch drips after using.

 Earl Grey makes a wonderful pairing with scones or tea cakes, as well as with fruit tarts or dark chocolate. Traditionally enjoyed on its own, with lemon, or milk, we’re serving it with some additional dried orange peel to bring out the orange notes to infuse your individual cup or teapot.

To make dried orange peel to add to your tea (or mug of cider!) I started with two oranges to yield a half pint jar of dried peel.

*Note: Organic is best for using the peel, but if using non-organic oranges, soak oranges in warm water with 2 teaspoons of baking soda for a minute to remove any chemical residue on peel.

Wash and dry your oranges and peel them using a serrated peeler, avoiding the bitter white pith. If you remove the pith with the peel, use a knife to scrape off the pith. Cut the peel into thin strips and put in a 250 degree F oven on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the peel starts to curl and dry. Let cool completely and store in an airtight jar to enjoy with your tea of choice or mulled cider.

A Brief History of Earl Grey Tea:

Earl Grey is a beloved brew of tea enthusiasts that’s steeped in lore and history and born in the 19th century when London tea merchants, including Twinings and Jacksons of Picadilly, started singing its praises. A renowned blend known for its distinct flavor, Earl Grey tea is characterized by the addition of bergamot oil. Bergamot is a citrus fruit native to Southern Italy with the majority of its production limited to the Ionian Sea coastal areas. It takes the rinds of approximately 100 bergamot fruits to produce 3 ounces of bergamot oil.

Named after Charles Grey, the 2nd Earl Grey and British Prime Minister in the 1830s, one legend has it that a Chinese tea seller was tasked with the job of blending a black tea to mask the limescale in the Greys’ drinking water. The tea seller used oil of bergamot to blend with the tea, to make it more palatable. Another tale suggests that a Chinese mandarin, grateful for the rescue of his son by a member of the Grey family, gifted the tea blend to Charles Grey.

Originally made with black tea, Earl Grey has inspired numerous variations over the years, including green and rooibos interpretations. Some modern blends add flavors such as lavender, vanilla, or rose, such as French Earl Grey or Lady Grey, which incorporates citrus peel and lemon.

Join me for an Earl Grey Shortbread Cookie with your tea!

These buttery shortbread cookies are infused with Earl Grey tea and notes of bergamot. You can dress these cookies up for teatime with a pretty embossed relief pattern or use a simple slice-and-bake method if you prefer. If using the embossed method, these cookies are baked from frozen, at a lower temperature to help them retain their design. The slice-and-bake version are baked at a higher temperature with directions in printable recipe below. 

Embossed Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies, recipe adapted Sprinkles Bakes

Makes (14) 4 x 2 inch cookies or (28) 2 x 2-inch cookies

Ingredients:

☕ 4 tablespoons Earl Grey Tea (about 4 teabags)

☕ 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

☕ 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

☕ 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar

☕ 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature

Directions:

☕ If using tea with larger pieces, crush the tea leaves using a spice grinder, mortar and pestle, or a plastic bag and rolling pin for a finer consistency. I used a coffee grinder dedicated to spices. 

☕ In a large mixing bowl, combine the Earl Grey tea and flour. Whisk together to incorporate the tea throughout the flour. Add the salt and confectioners’ sugar, whisking until well blended.

☕ Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter for 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. The dough will slowly form as the beater turns. The dough should be thick and clump on the beater, but not sticky.

☕ Remove the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.

☕ Dust a work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut in half. Place half on the dusted work surface. Lightly flour the dough and a rolling pin. Roll the dough to slightly more than 1/2-inch thickness.

☕ Dust silicone mold with flour using a pastry brush; turn the mold over and tap out excess flour.

Lay the rolled dough over the silicone mat and press the dough into the cavities with your fingers. Roll the dough flat to about 1/4 inch using the rolling pin.

Flip the mold onto a parchment sheet or Silicone Pastry Baking Mat and gently peel the mold away from the dough. Cut away excess dough from the edges and transfer the molded piece to the freezer to stiffen completely (about 10 minutes). Repeat the process with the remaining dough.

Tip: I like using a bench scraper for trimming the dough without fear of cutting your pastry mat. It also serves to transfer your cookies to the baking sheet.

☕ Preheat the oven to 300°F.

☕ Remove the molded frozen dough from the freezer and cut into desired size cookies (2 x 2 inch pieces or 4 x 2 inch shapes). Bake the cookies from their frozen state for about 20 minutes, or until they are very slightly puffed and have a matte surface. The cookies should be pale with the bottom edges very light golden in color.

☕ Let the cookies cool on the pans until firm enough to move, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 days.

I used this food grade silicone mold that can also be used to mold fondant, chocolate or even clay:

Baroque Scroll Border Relief Silicone Mold  

If you need to retire your old rolling pin, I love my Rolling Pin with Adjustable Thickness Rings!

It allows you to roll your piecrust, cookie dough or air dry clay for DIY Mason Jar Flower Frogs in an even thickness!

The stainless steel tube is easy to clean and gives your dough for a smooth, even surface.

Bonus: it also comes with a pastry mat.

Join me for tea by our Winter Nesting Tree.

It’s coming down the end of the month, but it’s been nice to enjoy the soft twinkle of the lights when it’s cold and gray outside.

Spode Blue Italian Teapot Napkin Rings were a recent addition to join blue and white transferware.

I was thrilled to find this pretty blue and white teacup and saucer to pair with Johnson Brothers Devon Cottage plates.

 Spoon included!

A fluted bowl holds an orchid as a centerpiece for the table, nestled among sprigs of ivy and oranges.

It adds some welcome sunny color and will bloom for several months with minimal attention.

Wallace Hotel flatware is a favorite flatware pattern. . .

It features five assorted reproduction designs: an Impero dinner fork, Coburg salad fork, William and Mary dinner knife, Federalist dinner spoon and Barocco teaspoon.

Table Details:

Blue and White 3 Piece Bone China Tea Cup & Saucer Set 

Blue and White Plates / Johnson Brothers Devon Cottage

Spode Blue Italian Teapot Napkin Rings 

Napkins / HomeGoods & Pottery Barn, several years ago

Teapot / Peppertree Tabletops, HomeGoods, several years ago

White Chargers / no maker, ‘made in Portugal’, HomeGoods, several years ago

Velvet Ruffled Placemats / Crown Linen Designs, still available

 Plaid Woven Throw Tablecloth / HomeGoods, several years ago

Wallace Hotel Flatware 

Pastry Server

☕ 🫖 🍪

Print Recipe

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Buttery shortbread cookies are infused with Earl Grey tea and fragrant notes of bergamot. Dress these cookies up for teatime with a pretty embossed relief pattern or use a simple slice-and-bake method.

Makes (14) 4 x 2 inch or (28) 2 x 2 inch cookies

Prep Time40 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Teatime Treat

Cuisine: Scottish

Keyword: Earl Grey Tea, impression molded cookies, shortbread

Servings: 14 cookies

Equipment

• Silicone impression mold
• pastry brush
• mixer
• Rolling Pin
• parchment paper
• baking sheets

Ingredients

• 4 tablespoons Earl Grey tea about 4 teabags
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 /2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 3/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature

Instructions

• Measure out tea and empty into a small bowl. If using tea with larger pieces, crush the tea leaves (using a spice grinder, mortar and pestle or a plastic bag and a rolling pin) for a finer consistency, with no large or woody pieces remaining.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the Earl Grey tea and flour, whisking together to incorporate the tea throughout the flour.
• Add the salt and confectioners’ sugar. Whisk until well blended.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter for 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed. The dough will slowly form as the beater turns. When the dough is well formed it should not be sticky, and it will be thick and clump on the beater.
• Remove the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and pat into a disk. Refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Dust a work surface with flour. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and cut in half. Place a half on the dusted work surface. Dust the dough and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the piece to a little greater than 1/2-inch thickness.
• Dust silicone mold with flour using a pastry brush loaded with flour and liberally flour the silicone mold. Turn the mold over and tap out excess flour.
• Lay the rolled dough over the silicone mat and press the dough into the cavities with your fingers. Use the rolling pin to roll the dough flat to about 1/4 inch. Flip the mold over onto a parchment sheet and gently peel the mold away from the dough revealing embossed design. Cut away the excess dough from the edges and transfer the molded piece to the freezer to stiffen completely (about 10 minutes). Repeat the molding process with the remaining dough.
• Preheat the oven to 300F.
• Remove the frozen dough pieces from the freezer and cut into desired size cookies ( 2 x 2 inch pieces or 4 x 2 inch shapes ). Bake the cookies from their frozen state for about 20 minutes, or until they are very slightly puffed and have a matte surface. The cookies should be pale with the bottom edges very light golden in color.
• Let the cookies cool on the pans until they are firm enough to move, about 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Keep shortbread in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 days.

Notes

• Be sure to note that when baking molded cookies, the temperature and time is low and slow, baking from a frozen state at 300 F to help the cookie maintain their embossed design.
• Slice-and-Bake Version; Note the change in temperature and baking time for the slice-and-bake version.
• Mix the dough as directed. Roll into a log shape about 12 inches long and roll in plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375F.
• Slice log into 1/3 inch coins. Transfer them to parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 12 minutes, or until the edges are lightly brown. Let cool on the baking sheets until they are firm enough to transfer to a wire cooling rack. Cool completely. Store airtight at room temperature.

 Join Pam and Sarah for tea:

Pam at Everyday Living

Sarah at Hyacinths for the Soul

Thank you for your visit, Sharing with:

 Between Naps on the Porch