These delicate shortbread cookies are filled with subtle hints of earl grey tea, studded with dried rose petals with hints of orange. They make the perfect afternoon cookie with tea or coffee.
While Turkish coffee is very popular and widely drank throughout Lebanon and the Middle Eastern region, tea also plays an important role. Many afternoons are spend drinking tea with friends - usually a mint tea, or subtle herbal tea made with an assortment of various herbal flowers. As with most Middle Eastern desserts, rose and orange blossom waters are a big flavor profile. These cookies embody a bit of British/American Earl Grey Tea with some flavors from my culture.
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Flour - All purpose flour - straightforward pantry staple
- Butter - A shortbread cookie is full of butter flavor, use the best quality butter you can.
- Powdered Sugar - Powdered sugar is less dense than granulated sugar and creates a lighter cookie.
- Brown Sugar - I've added a hint of brown sugar to this recipe to give a little extra nudge of nuttiness and depth of flavor.
- Earl Grey Tea - Loose earl grey tea is incorporated into the dough for a flecked appearance as well as subtle tea note. Tea bags are best as the tea is finely ground, if using loose leaf tea, be sure to grind fully before incorporating.
- Dried Roses - You can find culinary grade rose petals at most Middle Eastern grocery stores or online. I love the addition for color but also a boost of flavor.
- Orange Zest - Adding some fresh orange zest is a nice addition and amps the flavor of the cookie
- Orange Blossom Water - A staple in Middle Eastern desserts, the orange blossom water is so sweet and fragrant in smell - it adds an extra hint of flavor in the cookies and the glaze.
- Rose Water - Another staple ingredient in the Middle Eastern dessert pantry. Rose water is very strong, a little bit goes a long way.
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Grey Shortbread Cookies with Orange Blossom and Rose
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream your butter for 1-2 minutes. Next, add your rose and orange blossom waters as well as your orange zest, mix until combined.
Whisk together your dry ingredients: flour, tea, salt, powdered sugar, brown sugar and dried rose petals.
Slowly pour in your dry mixture a few tablespoons at a time and mix to fully incorporate.
Gather your dough and form into 2 logs about 2" in diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and set in fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
Once chilled, remove from fridge and cut into discs about ½" thick.
After cutting, I like to press down each cookie disc with the bottom of a measuring cup - dip in a little flour so it doesn't stick. Press the cookie down so it creates a disc about ⅓" thick. I prefer pressing cookies into thickness than cutting. This will ensure they are all even thickness and bake evenly. Even if they are slightly different sizes in diameter, the thickness is what is most important for even baking.
Prick each cookie with the tines of a fork. This allows any steam to escape and prevents bubbling of your cookies. Place on parchment lined sheet pan and bake until golden brown.
Once baked, remove from oven and allow to cool completely before glazing.
In a small bowl add your glaze powdered sugar, orange zest and orange blossom water until a thick paste forms. Lightly glaze the tops of your cookies - you can go as thick or thin as you'd like depending on your sweetness level. Top with additional rose. Enjoy!
Hint: This cookie dough also works great as a cutout cookie if you'd prefer. Simply flatten the dough slightly then wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge. After 30 minutes, remove and roll slightly to about ⅓" thick, flour your surface area and rolling pin. Cut out whatever shape you'd like and continue until all dough and dough scraps are used. Bake as directed. This mimics the process of pressing down with measuring cup in the disc cut cookies.
Variations on Recipe
This recipe is VERY forgiving and you can really add or change up any of the ingredients to suit your own needs.
- Earl Grey Tea- Try swapping for a hibiscus or an orange flavored earl grey tea
- Rose and Orange Blossom - Rose and orange blossom waters are a significant part of middle eastern desserts but you can certainly substitute with vanilla for a more basic shortbread or even almond extract if you want a hint of almond flavor.
- Nuts - Added nuts would be a lovely addition to this cookie, crushed pistachio would be my top pick! Be sure to toast your nuts before chopping and adding.
See this other version of a shortbread cookie on my website!
Equipment You'll Need
Most regular bakers will have all the tools needed for this cookie recipe:
- Stand Mixer - A basic stand or hand mixer is ideal to cream the ingredients.
- Parchment Paper - One of my all-time favorite kitchen tools are these parchment sheets, you can also use silicone mats
- Sheet Pans - I have these in a few sizes, but the half sheet is the most commonly used and fits standard ovens.
Make Ahead, Store and Freeze
- Make Ahead - These cookies are very easy to prep and make ahead. I would go through making the full dough, cutting into shape, then freezing flat on a sheet pan. When ready, bake straight from frozen.
- Countertop Storage - These cookies store very well in a sealed container simply in a cookie jar or countertop. The flavors actually intensify after a day or two of sitting. Good for 10-12 days easily. A very sturdy cookie!
- Freezing - As mentioned above, these cookies freeze very well - I like actually going through the whole process up until baking then flash freezing on trays. Once fully solid, you can pop into a freezer bag and bake a few at a time. Save the glaze until fully baked. You may need to add 1-2 minutes of bake time if baking from frozen.
Top tip
I actually like popping the cookies into the freezer for a short time before I bake them or back in the fridge, like scones, these buttery cookies benefit from that extra blast of cold to keep the butter solid and firm. The colder the butter, the less spread your cookies will have and flakier they will be.
FAQ
For these cookies using earl grey tea from a tea bag is most ideal, the tea is already finely ground. If using loose leaf tea, be sure to grind in a spice grinder or with mortar and pestle.
Ted Lasso always has shortbread on the mind. Yes, roll your dough and create a square shape, I'd make slightly thicker at ½" vs ⅓". Cut into your rectangular shaped sticks, prick holes as mentioned above. Bake as directed, add an additional 3-5 minutes. Once baked fully, sprinkle will granulated sugar immediately. Let cool and enjoy!
I have another shortbread cookie where I use granulated sugar, I have not tested with ratios for this one - I do feel that the powdered sugar yields a more tender, flaky cookie, so I would stick with it for this recipe.
I don't bake with a lot of alternatives, I would say if you have successfully made shortbread or butter cookies in the past with an alternative, give it a try!
I'll never stray you from your butter choice! Bakers often choose unsalted to control the salt in the recipe as different brands yield different amounts of salt in their butter. I personally don't mind a little extra salt kick and it would be welcome here - so you do you!
I hope you enjoy these tasty Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with Orange Blossom and Rose as much my family does - feel free to adjust and make your own!
If you make Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with Orange Blossom and Rose, please let me know by leaving a rating and review below!
As always, I love seeing your creations. Please leave a review or share your dish with me on social media #cosetteskitchen which lets me know what is working for you! You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter , Tiktok and Pinterest. For more delicious recipes to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
xoxo,
Cosette
Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with Orange Blossom and Rose
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Total Time: 44 minutes
- Yield: 32 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Lebanese
Description
A tender, buttery, shortbread cookie with subtle notes of Earl grey tea, orange and rose. Perfect for afternoon tea or coffee!
Ingredients
Shortbread Cookie
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened - 225 grams
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 ½ teaspoon orange blossom water
- 1 ½ teaspoon rose water
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - 265 grams
- 5 tea bags of Earl grey tea - 10 grams, finely ground
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup powdered sugar - 85 grams
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar - 21 grams
- scant ¼ cup dried rose petals - food grade, stems removed 4 grams
Orange Blossom Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar - 85 grams
- zest of 1 orange
- 2 teaspoons orange blossom water - you can sub with fresh orange
- additional crushed rose petals
Instructions
Shortbread Cookie
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, add your softened butter and mix for 1-2 minutes on high. Add your orange zest, orange blossom and rose waters. Mix once more.
- 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened - 225 grams
- zest of 1 orange
- 1 ½ teaspoon orange blossom water
- 1 ½ teaspoon rose water
- In a medium-sized bowl, combine your dry ingredients and whisk until combined.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour - 265 grams
- 5 tea bags of Earl grey tea - 10 grams, finely ground
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup powdered sugar - 85 grams
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar - 21 grams
- scant ¼ cup dried rose petals - food grade, stems removed 4 grams
- With your mixer on low speed, add your dry ingredients to your butter mixture a few tablespoons at a time. Mix until just combined.
- Remove from bowl and divide dough in 2 pieces. Roll each piece into a 2" log and wrap tightly with plastic wrap - place in fridge for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line 2 sheet pans with parchment or silicone, set aside.
- Remove your cookie logs from the fridge 1 at a time and slice into ½" thick cookies - after cutting, with the bottom of a measuring cup or glass dipped in flour, press each cookie down slightly. This will widen each cookie to about ⅓" thick. All cookies should be even thickness.
- Place on sheet pan and bake 1 tray at a time - cookies can be placed fairly close together as they will not spread.
- Place 2nd tray in the freezer while the first bakes.
- Bake each tray at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 12-14 minutes in the upper ⅓ of your oven. You want the cookies to have a little golden color around the edges.
- Remove and allow to cool completely before glazing. Repeat with 2nd tray.
Orange Blossom Glaze
- Place your powdered sugar in a small bowl and add your orange zest and waters - whisk until fully combined.
- Your glaze should be fairly thick but also drip easily off a spoon. You can always adjust consistency as needed with more powdered sugar or liquid.
- Glaze tops of cooled cookies with a thin layer - sprinkle with additional crushed rose petals.
Notes
- If you are using tea bags, your tea should be finely ground - loose leaf tea will need to be ground in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle.
- You can purchase food grade rose at any Middle Eastern grocery store or online. Be sure to remove any of the hard stems before mixing into your cookie dough.
- If you can't find orange blossom water, you can sub with fresh orange juice - it will have a slightly different flavor but still be divine.
Keywords: earl grey shortbread cookies, ted lasso shortbread cookies, earl grey biscuits recipe, orange shortbread cookies, lebanese cookies, easy shortbread cookies, eggless cookies
More Sweets
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Leave a Reply