Earl Grey Cookies

[chasingtides]

I just started munching on one of these - got to sample it before I take a batch to the party, you know - and oh my god, they're amazing. It's a cookie and tea all wrapped up in one and, oh god, this is so my new comfort food, I don't care how unhealthy they are. This cookie? Is Christmas Eve in a cookie. I am not lying. You need this in your life.

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter (1 cup)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 bags Earl Grey tea
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Cream together butter, sugar, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients. Slowly add to the butter mixture and blend thoroughly. Roll out on flat surface and cut with cookie cutter. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 350 F or until golden brown.

~31 cookies/biscuits

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When raw, the texture of this is very close to that of cold water pastry (and for good reason). Keep this in mind when rolling out the dough. While I have cookie cutters somewhere, I couldn't find them, so I just used a glass to make small rounds.

Additionally, if you aren't a fan of Earl Grey tea, you could probably use another aromatic tea or just skip the tea altogether. (On the other hand, I think you are really missing out if you do.)

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On Christmas Eve and late Christmas Day, my family gathers around the table and we drink tea and eat spritz cookies and Christmas pies. These are remarkably close to both spritz cookies and the cold water pastry I use to make pies. Adding the tea means that biting into these cookies brings up amazing memories for me; it's unbelievable. The next time I'm feeling really down or sad, I'm making these - it's an instant spirit-lift. (I will also make them for Christmaas, have no fear!)

Comments

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

Tea bags essentially have powder in them, so you'd wand to grind them down a bit if you use loose leaf tea.

Cottage cheese is a soft kind of unpressed cheese. The cheese curds are loose and they're still in a bit of whey. Cottage cheese becomes farmer cheese, hoop cheese, or pot cheese when you press it - are any of those available? Ricotta is made in a much different way, but is probably a viable alternative.

If you feel adventurous, you can make your own cottage cheese.

Does that help?

[siyahsaclikiz.livejournal.com]

Hmm... I may find those or similar cheeses if I really go digging around, but they all seem to be made from cow's milk and we don't usually have much of that. (Sheep's milk is much more popular here for cheese making.) I could either try my own hand at the cottage cheese, or go with Ricotta. Or, I could try labne chese, which is apparently the cheese most people use when a dessert calls for a cheese ingredient. (http://www.mideat.com/labneh).

I have a feeling the cake will be gone by the end of the day no matter what cheese I use, though. Almonds + chocolate = always a winner :D

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

I've made cheesecake with soft goat cheese before so I can't imagine why a similarly texture sheep's cheese wouldn't work just as well!

It's mostly that over here, cow's milk is much, much cheaper than sheep or goat's. When I was a kid and goat's milk meant that my mother and brother could consume the food (and before my dad was lactose intolerant) goat's cheese was the choice and definitely worked just as well.