Earl Grey Sugar Cookies

My boyfriend is a HUGE fan of earl grey cookies and sadly our local coffee shop stopped making them (apparently he was the only one buying them). So I have made it my mission to attempt to recreate his fave Saturday morning treat. And according to him, I succeeded. Yay! 

Although I must say I never tried them at the coffee shop, they definitely have a unique subtle early grey flavor and are pretty dang good. It's not an overwhelming tea flavor, which is what I expected using the actual tea leaves but it's subtle and tastes great with an afternoon cuppa tea. Better yet I made a large batch and froze half to make whenever we feel like more. It's a great make-ahead cookie dough. 

Earl Grey Sugar Cookies 

Fridge:

8 tbs unsalted butter, softened

1 egg

Pantry:

6 bags or about 2 tbs earl grey tea leaves 

2 1/4 cup ap flour

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch 

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup white sugar plus 3 tbs extra 

3/4 tsp vanilla extract

1/3 cup condensed milk 

1/2 tsp salt

Tools:

Measuring cups/spoons

Immersion blender or food processor 

Handheld mixer 

2 large bowls

Spatula

Cutting board or clean counter 

Plastic wrap 

Sharp knife 

Baking tray 

In one bowl cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of white sugar. Once well mixed add the condensed milk and egg. Blend for a minute more and then add the vanilla extract. Mix for a few seconds more and then set aside.

In other bowl or inside your food processor add the ap flour, baking powder, salt, cornstarch and earl grey tea leaves. Using the immersion blender or food processor- blend until the dry ingredients look speckled with tea leaf dots. 

If the dry ingredients are in a food processor- pour them into the other large bowl. Add the other bowl of wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. I prefer to mix this all by hand. But feel free to use a wooden spoon also. This will be your cookie dough.

If you want perfect circles or squares (rectangles?) like in my photos, you need to chill the dough in order to cut it. If you want drop cookies or don't have the time- feel free to bake as is- but the cookies will spread out more. 

I lined my cutting board with plastic wrap and made the dough into a log. I wrapped it up and pressed each side of my log hard into the cutting board to create four sides. And I shaped it as best I could into a long even square log. I placed it in the fridge for four hours to chill. At this point I removed the log and sprinkled my cutting board with the extra 3 tbs of white sugar and rolled my log into it. I sliced the pieces into 1/3 inch slices and baked half of the log for my boyfriend, saving half for a future craving. These do not spread or need a lot of room on your baking tray. 

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. I did not use baking spray but you can line your baking tray with parchment paper for easy clean up. The cookies do not take on a lot of color- barely golden on the edges. They come out a little soft but harden when cooling- making them perfect for dipping into your afternoon tea! Enjoy! Xo

The BEST Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Ever

This week Charlie (the almost 19 month old) had his holiday party at what I call his "school". I figured taking sweet stuff might be frowned upon but oatmeal raisin cookies are sorta healthy, right?? 

Needless to say I realized at the end of my mixing, we had no raisins and had to resort to dark chocolate chips- so it ended up being slightly sweeter than anticipated. The kids (and parents) weren't complaining!! BUt today I remade the cookies with raisins and they really are addicting- no matter what you put in them. The chocolate chip batch was gone in a day and I don't think the raisin batch will last much longer. This is a true sign of a great recipe!!

The Best Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Ever

Fridge:

2 sticks butter- softened 

2 eggs 

Pantry:

1 1/2 cups ap flour

1 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal

1 cup raisins 

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar 

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla 

Tools:

Large mixing bowl

Medium mixing bowl

Spoon

Electric hand mixer 

Baking spatula 

Baking tray 

Measuring cups/spoons 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In the large bowl add the softened butter and both sugars. Beat with the electric mixer for 3-4 minutes or until the mixture looks creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each egg. Then add the vanilla extract and beat again. 

In the other medium bowl add the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. Pour this bowl into the large wet ingredient bowl. Using your spatula- hand mix this together. Then add your raisins and oatmeal and mix until just combined. 

Using your spoon, scoop a couple tablespoons of batter onto your baking tray. Spoon the batter a few inches apart because they will spread. Bake for 10-12 minutes in the oven. 

These cookies come out soft and chewy. They are delicious!! Enjoy! Xo 

I made them mini for the kids! 

The BEST Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Kids love cookies. It's a fact. So whenever I decide to do special treats cooking with the kids we usually end up raiding the pantry for cookie ingredients.

These oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies are to-die for! The kids inhaled them. I inhaled them. They were an all around success!! 

You can also substitute the chocolate chips for raisins, dates, currants, dried cranberries, etc for a healthier option. They will still be delicious- bc they are soft but with crunchy edges- which in my world- is a perfect cookie!

The BEST Oatmeal & Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Fridge:

1/2 cup or 1 stick butter, softened 

2 eggs

Pantry:

1 3/4 cups ap flour 

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar 

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 

2 1/2 cups quick cooking oatmeal 

1 1/4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips 

Tools:

Two large bowls

Baking spatula

Electric hand mixer 

Measuring cups/spoons 

Large spoon or ice cream scoop

Large baking tray 

Preheat oven to 350. 

In one bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well. 

In the other bowl add the butter and brown and white sugars. Cream together with electric hand mixer. Once creamy add the applesauce and mix again. Then add one egg and mix and the second egg and mix. Add the vanilla extract and mix once again. I like to pulse mix this- only 10 seconds and then I add the next ingredient. 

Once the wet ingredients are combined, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl- add a little at a time and then mix. It's easier than cleaning up flour everywhere! 

Finally add in the oatmeal and chocolate chips. Hand mix them into the dough. After they are evenly mixed in, use a large spoon or ice cream scoop to drop the dough onto an ungreased baking tray. 

Place the cookie dough a few inches away from each other as they spread and rise.

Bake for 12-14 minutes and allow to cool. 

Enjoy these warm with a glass of cold milk! Oh yah!! Xo