Hi Everyone,
(I've bolded this one, because the "regular" is now a watered-down gray and I know some of you have challenges with your eyesight.)
Mega Kudos to Martha Stewart for this awesome recipe for an "Earl Grey Cookie Recipe." This recipe can be rolled out and used to make a Scandanavian "gingerbread" house, which ends up looking like the lighter wood stocks used by IKEA - so freaking wonderful, especially when surrounded with faux snow (however you make it), rosemary (yes, the herb) garlands, and grape stems as trees, bereft of all grapes, fully dredged into royal icing, using a binder clip clipped to the very top with string attached to it and hung, then allow to dry. After dry, use a tic of remaining royal icing w/small brush to "paint" the very top. (After making royal icing, lay plastic wrap directly onto the top of the royal icing and let it remain at room temp.)
Martha's team created an A-line snow cabin with this dough rolled thick and it looked fabulous. Additionally, it can be rolled out much thinner and used with cookie cutters or simply cut free-hand, to create a really different taste for the holidays or any time.
Merry Christmas ~ Rebecca
Earl Grey Sugar Cookies ~ Martha Stewart
Tea preparation: To grind the tea, pulse it in a food processor or blender.
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup finely ground Earl Grey tea
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp kosher salt
2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350.
In a bowl, whisk together the first 4 ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter with sugar on medium until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture one cup at a time, until incorporated.
Turn out dough and divide into 4 pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, wrap in Saran Wrap and chill until firm: at least 1 hour or up to 2 days.
When ready to use, let dough stand at room temp just until pliable. The recipe calls for rolling out on lightly floured parchment paper to a thickness of 1/8”, then cut into whatever shape is desired (in this case they’re creating a Christmas cabin). Place cookie sheet with cookies in frig for 15 minutes, then directly into the oven.
Bake 10-12 minutes, until edges of cookies turn light brown. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
Tea: My thought is that they may have used more tea in this recipe “for show,” as this cookie, in the magazine, serves to create walls and the roof of a cabin. Though mention is made of simply creating cookies, no mention is made of decreasing the amount of tea. It might be wise to consider modifying the amount of tea added to the dough for a consumable, rather than structurable cookie. Just my thought.
Martha Stewart Magazine, December 2019 Christmas Issue, 300th Issue, Page 135, “Earl-Grey Woodland Cottage”
Blogs & Forums
