Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

I'm not sure when I became a little old lady, but I'm pretty sure I was born that way and am just aging gracefully into my born identity. One of the reasons I know this is because my favorite Christmas cookies are shortbread cookies. I've posted several shortbread recipes on this site, and now I have another one that I love nearly as much as my favorite.

This shortbread from SprinkleBakes is phenomenal. The addition of actual tea leaves both flavors the tea and gives a slight crunch, almost like poppyseeds, to the cookies. The original recipe has options for fancy versions that look beautiful (and I opted for one of them) and an easy slice-and-bake method.

I think these will be repeated for years to come. 

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

4 Tbsp. Earl Grey Tea

4 cups flour

1 tsp. sea salt

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature

Preheat oven to 300°F. 

In a large bowl, combine the tea, flour salt and powdered sugar with a whisk. 

In a large mixer, cream the butter for 30 minutes. Add the dry ingredients, and mix on low speed. The dough will slowly form and be thick. 

Remove the dough, and pat into a disk on plastic wrap. Chill for 10 minutes. Dust a work surface with flour, and roll dough to 1/4-inch thick or slightly thicker if you want to use an embossed rolling pin. To use an embossed rolling pin, flour the dough lightly and the rolling pin generously and roll dough to imprint the dough. If not using an embossed rolling pin, simply cut into squares or rectangles. 

Chill dough again 10 minutes in a freezer or until firm. Then bake for 20 to 22 minutes until bottoms are set and cookies are matte. Cool completely before serving. Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on the size you cut them.