Earl Grey Cookies

Another winner from the LA Times. They do leave a slightly bitter aftertaste, but another cookie cures that. :) My first attempt at them came out a little hard, but they were ideal for dunking, kind of like biscotti. The ones that I froze for later defrosted a bit softer.


*1/2 C plus 1 Tb blanched whole almonds
1 C (2 sticks) butter, cut into chunks, softened
1-1/2 C plus 1 Tb powdered sugar
3-1/2 C cake flour
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
*1/4 C Earl Grey tea leaves, crushed
Flour for rolling

1. Make almond flour by grinding the almonds in a food processor until they become grainy like sand. Do not over-process into paste. Set aside.

2. Beat butter on medium-high until creamy. Add the powdered sugar and mix on low until sugar is incorporated. Scrape bowl. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until light and fluffy, several minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine almond flour and cake flour.

4. Add half the egg yolks to sugar-butter mixture and beat until incorporated. Beat in remaining yolks.

5. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 4 stages and mix on low speed until all the flour is incorporated. Stir in tea leaves.

6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. Beat lightly until the dough has softened a bit. On lightly floured surface, roll dough into two 12" logs, 1-1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight.

7. Preheat oven to 350º degrees. Slice logs into 1/4" thick cookies and place them 1/2" apart on baking sheets. Bake for 13 minutes, turning pans halfway through. The bottoms of the cookies will be golden brown when done. Let them stand on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.

Difficulty rating  :)