Is there anything better than tea and cookies? How about cookies that are made with tea? Here are a few tasty treats that we’ve come up that use tea as a main ingredient. Just in time for the holidays!

Green Tea Ginger Biscuits

3/4 cup (170 g) ginger biscuits green tea infused butter, at room temperature*
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for coating
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. In a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
2. Using either a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together infused butter and sugars, mixing for about 2 minutes until mixture is pale, and fluffy. Add egg and honey, one at a time, beating on medium-low speed until combined. Add dry ingredients gradually, beating until evenly incorporated.
3. Place dough in airtight container and chill for at least 2 hours.
4. Once dough is completely chilled, preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in sugar to coat before placing on prepared baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cookies are puffed and slightly cracking on the top, and golden on the edges (they will flatten as they cool). Remove from oven, allow to cool for 4-5 minutes before placing on a wire rack.
6. Decorate with your favorite festive glaze, frosting, or sprinkles (we drizzled ours with a matcha and white chocolate glaze).

*when infusing tea into butter, your butter quantity will appear to decrease as it melts and re-solidify. To make certain your amount is correct, use a weight measurement. See our recipe for infusing butter with tea.

Lapsang Souchong Maple Cookies

3/4 cup salted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup Lapsang Souchong infused maple syrup, plus 2 tablespoons to glaze
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 egg, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Using a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar. Add in Lapsang Souchong maple syrup and vanilla and beat until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, mixing until combined. Add flour, baking soda, and salt, then beat until fully incorporated.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet (if dough feels too wet to hold its shape, chill until firm). Bake for 12-14 minutes until cookies are a light golden brown.
3. While cookies are still warm, brush tops lightly with remaining Lapsang Souchong infused maple syrup to glaze. Leave on baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Top with sprinkles or other decorations, if desired.

Chai Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
5 teaspoons chocolate chai, ground into a fine powder and sifted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
12 ounces dark chocolate chips or chunks

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and tea powder. Set aside.
2. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat together melted butter and brown and white sugars until fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla extract and mix.
3. Add flour mixture in a single batch, mixing gently at a low speed. Mix until mostly combined, then beat at medium-high until fully incorporated and no flour streaks remain. Add in chocolate and mix until evenly distributed. Transfer dough to airtight container and allow to chill for at least an hour and up to 2 days.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, scoop dough out into balls on sheets, rolling slightly with hands to form. Space dough balls generously to allow for spread.
5. Bake for 7-10 minutes, until golden brown. After removing from oven, optionally sprinkle with a pinch of flaky salt for added flavor.

Created by Jen Coate

It is an adventure to cook with tea because sometimes you just don’t know what you will get or if the person making the recipe understands how to use loose leaf tea well . Below is a recipe by Samantha Seneviratne that ran recently in the The New York Times Cooking section. One of the Dominion Tea staff, Anngelica Soto, took on this recipe and has included in her notes on how to use the tea better and what she learned in the process

Ingredients

For Frosting:

¾ cup/180 milliliters heavy cream

2 teaspoons loose Earl Grey tea

¼ cup/30 grams confectioners’ sugar

For Cake:

½ cup/115 grams mascarpone or softened cream cheese

½ cup/115 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temperature, plus more for greasing the pan

1 ½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon loose leaf Earl Grey tea (I recommend you put through a grinder to turn into powder, the tea leaves are big and chewy.)

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (from 1 large orange) (Feel free to substitute a Blood Orange- very aromatic)

2 large eggs, at room temperature

½ cup/120 milliliters whole milk, at room temperature

¼ cup/45 grams chopped dark chocolate (70% added a good depth of flavor)

Steps to Prepare Cake

1. Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
2. Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.
3. In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don’t overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
4. To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners’ sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.

This is a great recipe that I plan on making again.

By: Anngelica Soto