Tea Shortbread

Tea is often served with cookies or biscuits, but have you ever thought of using tea IN your recipes?

Sugar cookies and buttery shortbread can be enhanced by adding pure loose leaf tea leaves. To be sure the tea flavour comes through, try a stronger black tea like Mangalam Assam or a roasted oolong like Alishan High Mtn Eco Autumm

Add 2 – 3 tbsp. of the ground tea leaves to your favourite cookie recipe and use a tree shaped cookie cutter to play up the flecks of leaves in the dough.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups flour, less amount of ground tea leaves
• 1 cup butter
• ½ cup icing sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 – 3 tbsp. ground tea leaves

Directions:

1. Grind the tea to a fine powder in a spice grinder or using a mortar and pestle.
2. Combine all ingredients except flour and tea.
3. Add flour and tea gradually until well blended.
4. Roll ¼” thick using tree-shaped cookie cutters. 
5. Bake at 175C (350F) for 10 minutes.

Variation:

You can add more tea for a stronger flavour, but be sure to reduce the flour by the equivalent amount to avoid the dough becoming dry.