Tea Shortbread Coins are the recipe to whip up when you want a simple and straight forward cookie where tea is the star of the show. With one basic dough recipe and very few ingredients, you’re able to appreciate 3 very different styles of tea.While Earl Grey Shortbread is fragrant and full of vanilla goodness, the matcha version is bittersweet and earthy. Masala Chai Shortbread is a yummy choice when you’re craving a touch of warm spice. And of course, you can’t go wrong with dipping or drizzling any of these with chocolate!To get these biscuits to resemble coins, you’ll need to roll and shape the dough, then chill and roll it again. The baton-like dough log can then be stored in the freezer if you don’t want to bake up all of the cookies at once. Need 2 dozen or just 2 cookies? Just slice them off as you need them!Tea Shortbread Coins are rich and buttery with melt-in-you-mouth tenderness and a slight snap. These quarter-sized nibblers are perfect for making at a moments notice, ideal for Christmas cookie swaps or for shipping out to loved ones this time of year!
Tea Shortbread Coins
Makes about 3 dozen-1 1/4″ cookies (1 log of dough).
Ingredients:
1 cup flour, plus extra as bench flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
{Variations-choose 1 option}
Earl Grey Shortbread: Add the contents of 5 Earl Grey tea bags + 1 Tbsp flour.
Matcha Shortbread: Add 2 Tbsp of sifted Matcha.
Masala Chai Shortbread: Add the contents of 3 Irish Breakfast tea bags, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cardamom, 1/4 tsp ginger, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp black pepper and 1/8 tsp nutmeg.
Equipment:
mixing bowl
spatula
sifter
plastic wrap
ruler
work surface
baking sheet lined with parchment
chef’s knife
cooling rack
Directions:
1. Sift the dry ingredients together (including the tea). Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together, then add the dry ingredients and mix everything together with the spatula. When the mixture becomes crumbly, use your hand to gently knead the mass into a dough until it just comes together.
2. Place a large piece of plastic wrap on a work surface. Lightly scatter some bench flour on it. Place the dough in the plastic wrap, then roll it into a 10″ log. Wrap the dough with the plastic wrap, then transfer it to a baking sheet to chill in the fridge.
3. Allow the dough to chill for 20 minutes in the fridge, then remove it and roll it again on the counter until you get a baton-like, 12″-14″ log, depending on how large you want the coins. Place again in fridge for 20 minutes to chill. Roll again to create a log of even thickness. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Remove the dough from the fridge, then cut it with a sharp knife into 1/4″ thick coins. On a baking sheet lined with parchment, place the coins 1″ apart from one another. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until very lightly golden, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.