Earl Grey Tea Cookies

 

What's that? I'm obsessed with Earl Grey? That could be. But I was going to a tea party today, and Earl Grey cookies seemed like an appropriate choice. Plus a friend gave me this fabulous loose leaf tea this summer. Look at those pretty purple flowers!

I started with a recipe from my new cookbook (fifty cents at Goodwill!). The recipe was for Vanilla Hearts. 

I don't have any cookie cutters, so I got crafty and made my own by cutting up a ginger ale can. So easy! I was hesitant at first, thinking about losing my 10-cent can deposit, and then I realized I wasn't in Michigan anymore. No can deposits in Spokane.

I added two tablespoons of ground loose-leaf Earl Grey tea.  And while I was adding the vanilla, I figured I'd throw in some lemon extract too. Earl Grey loves citrus. He told me.

They're not the sweetest cookies, so throw some sugar on top, or, if that's not good enough, ice 'em! 

Click here for the original recipe. I only changed 3 small things:

• added 2 tablespoons loose-leaf tea, finely ground in a food processor 
• added 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract 
• topped with icing: combined 1 cup powdered sugar, 3/4 tablespoon soft butter, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1 to 2 tablespoons milk) 

Oh, and my dough was way too crumbly at first, so I added a little extra butter and about a tablespoon of water.

You should probably go have a tea party now.

Gingersnap Tea

When I was sick last week, one of my students came up to me after class and asked me if I had any ginger.

He guaranteed me that if I drank some ginger and molasses, I'd be healthy in two days. I'm not sure if it cured me, but it certainly made me happy.

Here's what I did:


Gingersnap Tea

Ingredients 
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon molasses
1/4 teaspsoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a tiny pinch of ground cloves
black or green tea (I've used green tea and Irish breakfast and both tasted great.)
whipped cream!

Directions
1. Toss the spices and molasses into a cup.
2. Steep tea in hot water for 3-5 minutes.
3. Pour warm milk and tea into the cup with the spices.
4. Stir, top with whipped cream, consider more whipped cream, and enjoy!

Earl Grey Tea Latte

I used to drink a lot of Earl Grey Tea Lattes from Starbucks, back when they were calling them by a much cooler name: The London Fog.  Saying "London Fog" out loud made me feel as if I were whispering some kind of code word over the counter, like I should be sitting in the corner with a trench coat and fedora, studying people from behind a newspaper.

Anyway, I've decided to start making my own (without the help of an espresso machine's handy milk steamer).

Earl Grey Tea Latte 

Makes one large or two small lattes

Things you'll need

1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon honey (more if you like your drinks sweet)
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk


1. Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a small pot.  

2. Pour water into a largish cup and steep one earl grey tea bag.

3. While steeping, stir in honey and vanilla, and heat your milk until it's steaming (make sure not to boil). If you whisk the milk, you'll get a beautiful foam. 

4. Stir milk into steeped tea.


You should probably go ahead and have a cookie with that.



Oh, and just in case you want to stare at it all month long:

Click here for the 1280 x 800 download.

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