Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Chai Shortbread Tea Bag Cookies


I have a serious obsession with cookies lately. All I want to do is make incredibly intricate cookies full of swirls and patterns or shaped by hand or with my a few neat cookie cutters. I have seen pictures of these tea bag cookies floating all around the blogosphere for a few months now. They have been on my to do list since I originally saw them, but I was waiting for the right occasion. One of my friends moved away last month. As someone who likes tea a lot, she likes it even more than I do.
So I broke out the chai spices, the black tea, and got to work with my bench scraper. The recipe that I used for my cookies was decent, but not the best. The cookies didn't have near as much flavor as I was hoping for, even though I added extra spices, vanilla bean, and a few teaspoons of ground tea leaves to the dough. I only chilled the dough for an hour because I was pressed for time, so if I were to try it again I would definitely let it sit for 24 hours to help the flavors develop more. I also suggest melting the Earth Balance, steeping chai tea in it, and then allowing it to cool & resolidify before making the shortbread dough.

leaves and flours vegan chai shortbread tea bag cookies

After your dough is chilled, you roll it out like any other cut out cookie dough. You have a few options of the cutting process. You could either trace a tea bag on a bit of parchment and cut it out to use as a template or free hand the process. I went for the latter option. You can use a knife, but I found a bench scraper to be the easiest tool to work with. After cutting each tea bag, I poked a hole in the top with a Wilton #5 round tip. I did this largely because I was worried that the cookies would swell a bit after baking and my string would not fit through the holes. If you have thin baker's twine, than you can easily get away with a #3 or #4 if you want them to look a bit daintier.
After baking, I dipped the cookies in dark chocolate thinned with a teaspoon of coconut oil. I threaded my string through the holes and made tags with a bit of fancy paper I had left over from some other craft project.

leaves and flours vegan chai shortbread tea bag cookies

Overall I definitely think these cookies were a success. They didn't taste exactly like I wanted them too, but their cute factor was an overwhelming win at her going away party. Do you like getting really crafty in the kitchen or do you prefer straight forward baking? Have you seen any other adorable baked goods lately?

11 comments:

  1. these are incredible!! I am not really crafty around the kitchen. I love painting and drawing but i am not good with the crafting. You have an amazing talent these are delicious looking ! wow !

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  2. the best thing i've seen lately are probably these space cupcakes: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetsbyzoe/7108224453/

    and honestly i prefer baked goods to be straight forward over frilly. yes— i definitely like to make my stuff pretty and i could look through baking photos for hours but i would much rather eat the fugliest (yet most delicious) cake you've ever seen than something pretty that is mediocre. however, i do understand that i am possibly in the minority on this one!

    my goal is always to have treats with the good looks and the good flavor.

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  3. Those are so freaking cute! They sound delicious but they are really inventive too. I totally don't have that kind of patience, but still awesome!

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  4. these are so super cute!! :) I dont have that much patience most days.. but hopefully one day:) love that cup!

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  5. Ack, soo cute and clever! I absolutely adore this idea and wish I had thought of it myself. I may just have to do a play on your concept in a different tea flavor. Matcha, earl grey and poppy seed, black tea and lemon, plus the possibility of a white chocolate dip... So many options... :)

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  6. That is kind of the most ingenious idea! I absolutely love it!

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  7. You just made my day with this post - these cookies are fantastic!

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  8. oh my gosh! those are so cute!! i love how they're in the shape of a tea bag!! adorable! thanks for sharing!

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  9. those are great! they would make a really fantastic gift

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