Everyone loves cookies right? I don’t think I’ve ever actually met someone who doesn’t. At least some kind of cookie. Either crunchy, chewy, healthy, sugary, buttery…there’s a cookie for everyone. Me, I’m not hard. I love them all. (except possibly any cookie with aniseed. I just think it’s one of those flavors that ruins everything else) And I really love these. I’d been wanting to make tea cookies ever since I tasted them on a teashop in Switzerland, and since I tried out a matcha cookie batch with a couple of friends last week, I decided to give a try to earl grey. The recipe is my own invention after the fiasco with the matcha cookies, and apparently a good one, because out of the 40-something I made only 5 remained after an afternoon of tea with my friends from school. (Who, I think is worth mentioning, are forever on a diet).I used earl grey from a huge tin my mom bought a couple of years ago and we just cannot seem to finish it, probably because we keep buying more, but I’m pretty sure you can use the stuff in the teabags. Anyhow, on to the extremely easy recipe.

Earl Grey Square Cookies
(Own recipe)

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/8 cup icing sugar
2 tsp. earl grey, finely ground (you can do this with your fingers)
125 g. butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Pinch of salt
1 egg

Directions

In a mixing bowl, mix together the earl grey, salt and flour. In the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the icing sugar and beat some more, until lighter and fluffier. Switch to the paddle attachment and add, in two or three steps, the flour mixture. As soon as it’s all  incorporated, add the egg and mix until just combined. (do NOT overmix). Place your dough in the work surface and finish giving it shape, until you can turn it into a long log, about 4 cm thick. (If it’s too soft you can stick in the fridge for a bit) Place the log of dough on a long rectangle of wax paper, and covering it with it, flatten the sides against the work surface until they are square. (You can use a big knife, or a pastry scraper, to help  you flatten the sides) Place the dough, still wrapped in the wax paper, in the freezer for about 20 to 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 360ºF.

Remove the square log of dough from the freezer and using a paring knife, cut slices of about 1 cm (or a pinky finger) and place them directly on a baking sheet. Let the sliced cookies rest for 5 minutes, and then bake until slightly golden brown.

Serve with hot tea and milk.