Fragrant Earl Grey Sablé Cookies
Make Fragrant Earl Grey Sablé Cookies with Rich Black Tea Aroma | Angela’s Baking
As a big cookie lover, I developed this recipe after much research to create sablé cookies that don’t spread too much when baked and hold their beautiful shape. They look so lovely that I often make them as gifts.
Ingredients (Makes approx. 30 cookies)- 160g Almond flour
- 100g Powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 250g Cake flour (or low-gluten flour)
- 200g Unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 40g Whole egg, at room temperature
- 5g Earl Grey tea leaves
- 40g Hot water
- 3g Finely ground Earl Grey tea leaves
- 1/2 tsp Orange zest
- Granulated sugar, for coating
- 10g Egg white, for brushing
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, let’s brew the fragrant Earl Grey tea. Pour 40g of hot water over 5g of Earl Grey tea leaves, cover with a lid, and let it steep for 15 minutes. This step is crucial for infusing a deep and rich Earl Grey aroma.
Step 2
Prepare the dry ingredients that will give the cookies a delicate texture. Sift the almond flour, cake flour, and powdered sugar together three times. Sifting multiple times helps create a finer, crispier cookie.
Step 3
Now, let’s cream the butter and eggs. In a bowl, lightly whisk the softened butter (ensure it’s soft enough to press with your finger) until smooth. Add the room-temperature egg and continue whisking until well combined and creamy, without any lumps.
Step 4
Strain the brewed Earl Grey tea through a fine-mesh sieve, pressing out as much liquid as possible, and add it all to the butter mixture. It’s important to squeeze thoroughly to ensure the fragrant Earl Grey flavor is well incorporated into the butter.
Step 5
Add about one scoop (approximately 4-5 tablespoons) of the sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Whisk gently until just combined. Adding only a portion of the dry ingredients at this stage and mixing lightly helps minimize gluten development, contributing to the tender texture characteristic of sablé cookies.
Step 6
Next, finely grind the 3g of Earl Grey tea leaves using a mixer or spice grinder until they are like powder. Add this finely ground tea to the butter mixture and mix well. This ensures that you’ll enjoy an intense Earl Grey flavor in every bite of the cookie.
Step 7
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining sifted dry ingredients with the orange zest. Rub the zest into the flour mixture with your fingertips. This process evenly distributes the orange aroma throughout the flour, leading to a more complex flavor profile.
Step 8
Now, add the Earl Grey butter mixture (from step 5) to the flour mixture (from step 6). Use a spatula or knife to cut the butter into the flour, mixing until it resembles coarse crumbs. Avoid overmixing; the key is to cut the butter into the flour.
Step 9
Once the mixture is just combined and there are few visible streaks of dry flour, gently bring the dough together into a cohesive mass. Place the dough onto a sheet of parchment paper, divide it in half, and shape each half into a log, about the diameter of a sushi roll. Wrap each log tightly in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until firm. This chilling process makes the dough easier to slice and prevents the cookies from spreading excessively during baking.
Step 10
Remove the chilled dough logs from the refrigerator and unwrap them from the parchment paper. Lightly brush the surface of the dough with egg white. Then, roll the logs in granulated sugar to coat them evenly. The sugar coating will add a delightful crispiness and sweetness to the cookie’s exterior.
Step 11
It’s time to slice the cookies. Cut the dough logs into approximately 1.5 cm thick slices. (Slices of about 2 cm thickness will also result in delicious sablé cookies.)
Step 12
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Arrange the sliced cookies on the prepared baking sheet, leaving some space between them. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 20 minutes. Adjust the baking time as needed, keeping an eye on the cookies until they are lightly golden brown. Enjoy your perfectly baked, fragrant Earl Grey sablé cookies!
