I first tried a version of these cookies from a fantastic little coffee shop out in Abbotsford, BC, called Oldhand Coffee. They do all of their baking in-house and often feature Scandinavian treats, like Skolebrød.

Shortly thereafter a colleague shared a recipe for these cookies with me. I massaged the recipe a little and – voila! An easy, delicious new take on a classic cookie. 

Earl Grey Snickerdoodles

Recipe adapted via From James to Jamie and inspired by Oldhand Coffee

Yield: about 24 cookies

Notes: Be sure to leave enough time for the dough to chill (about an hour) and for the steeped tea to come to room temperature.

Cookie Ingredients:

Dry

• 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp cream of tartar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp salt

Wet

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2-3 Tbsp of your favourite loose Earl Grey tea (I prefer a Cream of Earl Grey)
• 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs

Icing Ingredients:

• ¾ cup icing sugar, plus extra as needed
• 2 – 4 Tbsp brewed Earl Grey tea, room temperature

Cookie Directions:

1. Grind the loose Earl Grey tea in a mortar and pestle. If you do not have one, you can grind them with the back of a spoon on a cutting board.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients (flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, and salt) and set aside.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, or a in large bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and ground Earl Grey tea leaves on medium speed until evenly incorporated, 2-3 minutes.
4. Add the granulated sugar to the butter mixture and continue to cream on medium until incorporated, about another 2 minutes. By this point the butter should be lighter in colour with even specs of tea throughout.
5. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the butter mixture and cream on medium until incorporated, about 1 minute per egg.
6. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low/medium until fully combined, about 2 minutes.
7. Gather the dough into one large mass in the mixing bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for one hour.
8. Preheat oven to 400°F.
9. Line cookie sheets with parchment or your preferred non-stick liner.
10. Remove dough from the fridge and use an ice-cream scoop or large spoon to gather into golfball-sized balls.
11. Space dough balls a generous 2” apart on the prepared cookie sheets and flatten them with the bottom of a drinking glass.
12. Bake each sheet for about 11 minutes. Mine turned out best one sheet at a time on the middle rack. If you are pressed for time, you can do two sheets at a time but be sure to rotate their baking positions (top-to-bottom and 180°) halfway through baking time. You will likely need to bake three or four sheets.
13. Cookies are done when slightly browned on the bottom and just browned around the edges.
14. Once cookies are done, transfer the sheet to a cooling rack for 5 minutes, then transfer cookies directly onto cooling rack until room temperature.

Icing Directions:

1. In a small bowl, add 2 Tbsp of cooled, brewed Earl Grey tea to the icing sugar. Stir until smooth.
2. Adjust for desired consistency by adding more icing sugar or tea.
3. Note that if you are drizzling the icing over the cookies, this should be enough. If you want to spread an even layer over all of them, I would recommend doubling the icing recipe (this is what I normally do!).
4. Drizzle, pipe, or spread the icing over cooled cookies. Optional garnish: crush a few extra tea leaves in your fingers and sprinkle over the cookies.
5. Allow roughly 30 minutes to set, or enjoy right away!