Finished dish photo of Black Tea Cookies (Quick and Easy)

Black Tea Cookies (Quick and Easy)

During finals, I had Earl Grey tea cookies at a café near school, and the taste was truly unforgettable. While studying, I devoured them with a swipe (￣∇￣). This time, I decided to make them myself!! Actually, cookie recipes are quite similar; just get the sugar-to-powder ratio and the moisture level right. This recipe is based on a popular cranberry cookie recipe but adjusted a bit. P.S. I used to casually halve the sugar in any recipe I made, but this time, I've already reduced the sugar when writing the recipe—no need to cut it any further~~

Ingredients

Low-Gluten Flour120g
Butter75g
Powdered Sugar35g
Egg Liquid15ml (1 tablespoon)
Crushed Black Tea Leaves5g (two Lipton tea bags)
Matcha Powder (optional)2g

Steps

1

Cut the butter into small pieces and let it soften at room temperature until a small dent forms when lightly pressed with your finger (alternatively, microwave for 10 seconds). Add powdered sugar and mix until smooth and free of particles.

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2

Add the egg liquid and mix well.

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3

Add the crushed black tea leaves and matcha powder, then mix well.

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4

Add the low-gluten flour and mix until well combined.

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5

Shape into a long rectangular block and freeze for 1 hour. Take it out and slice into 5mm thick pieces. ...Alternatively, refrigerate for 25 minutes, then roll out into a 5mm thick sheet and cut out shapes.

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6

Preheat the oven to 160°C and bake in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes.

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Cooking Tips

1. Adding matcha powder makes the tea flavor stronger. You can also skip it; it’s just as delicious! Add it if you want the base color to be seaweed green; don’t add it if you think that’s unattractive—it’s very flexible. 2. If you're shaping into a block and slicing, wrapping it in parchment paper makes shaping way easier, especially for rectangular shapes. You can use a knife to form straight edges—I only noticed this randomly when I got lazy about using plastic wrap and opted for parchment paper. 3. Adjust the temperature and timing slightly according to your own oven’s temperament. If they come out looking too pale, immediately pop them back in and bake for a bit longer—but keep an eye on them to avoid burning. 4. In the first step, the butter must be fully softened until it dents easily when pressed. If it’s not softened enough, it’ll be quite troublesome later. But beware of overdoing it—it shouldn’t turn into liquid!