bakingglutenfreememories To be quite honest, sugar cookies have never been my top favorite kind of cookie, probably because they can be sooooo sweet. But they also seem to need some extra excitement added to them, in my opinion at least. So I developed these earl grey sugar cookies.
The bergamot oil with black tea makes earl grey tea both unique and exquisite. I thought to combine that with a sugar cookie for a bit of pizazz and that’s just what it did. I now love sugar cookies because the combination of flavors goes swimmingly! The aromatic nature of bergamot adds just the right complexity to make it uniquely flavorful.
The earl grey is in the icing alone so as not to be too overwhelming with flavor. The sugar cookie itself is rich with butter, strong with vanilla flavor, soft and chewy with crisp edges. For the sweetener, I used organic cane sugar since a sugar cookie really requires it. However, I used less than the standard sugar cookie would normally have. The chill time is a bit lengthy, but it makes all of the difference in the texture since less chill time can result in cakey cookies. For those wanting a basic sugar cookie recipe, simply make these without the earl grey icing!
Ingredients You Will Need for Earl Grey Sugar Cookies
- King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour
- sea salt
- baking soda
- unsalted butter, softened
- cane sugar
- vanilla extract
- eggs, room temperature
- earl grey tea bags (make sure they contain bergamot)
- powdered sugar
- boiling water
These earl grey sugar cookies are: soft, chewy, buttery, gluten free, not overly sweet, and wonderfully flavorful from vanilla and earl grey tea!
These cookies work wonderfully with the King Arthur Gluten Free Flour, other gluten-free flour may change the end result.
For another recipe similar to these sugar cookies, check out my Toasted Pecan Sugar Cookies. They are also a great option for dairy-free and refined sugar free cookies!
This is also good if you are looking for a basic sugar cookie recipe. One option is to sprinkle the tops of the cookies with sugar before baking and leave off the earl grey icing, as pictured below.
How to Make Earl Grey Sugar Cookies
To begin, allow the butter to completely soften. A helpful tip is to set it out the night before. Then set out the eggs until they just come to room temperature. Both of these steps are crucial to allow the butter and eggs to cream together so as not to overmix the batter which tends to result in a cakey texture.
Next, place the butter in a medium sized mixing bowl. Use a spoon to mash the butter. Then add the sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Cream the ingredients together just enough that there aren’t many chunks of butter remaining.
Now, add in the gluten-free flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix until the dough is smooth. Then cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight. The key is having really cold dough to work with. It makes rolling out easier and it is what makes the end result.
Once the dough has been chilled, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to sit out for 10-15 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
In continuation, lightly flour a flat surface and flour a rolling pin. Place the dough on the flat surface and roll it out to about 1/2” thickness. Then use a cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. I used a 2 1/2” round cookie cutter. Baking time may vary than directed if larger shapes are used. Repeat the steps until all cookie dough has been used.
Finally, place the sugar cookies about 1 1/2” apart on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a cooling rack. Wait until they are completely cool before icing them.
*Note: I refrigerate the unbaked cookie cut-outs while the other cookies are baking to ensure they stay cold.
How to Make Earl Grey Icing
First, let’s make some tea by boiling water. I boil the water to 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Then add 1/2 cup of boiled water in a mug or something that can withstand the high temperature. Add in 4 earl grey tea bags and use a spoon to make sure they are fully submerged. Allow it to steep for 20 minutes.
Then in a medium sized bowl, add in powdered sugar and a pinch of salt and set it aside. Now, remove the tea bags, gently squeezing out each one to not waste any flavorful water.
Next, add in 4 tablespoons of the concentrated tea to the bowl of powdered sugar. Use a whisk to mix until the icing is nice and smooth.
Last but not least, decorate the cookies. The icing will be a bit runny. Allow the icing to harden, roughly 20 minutes. Then enjoy these earl grey sugar cookies with a nice cuppa tea!
Storage Notes and Tips
- Store these earl grey sugar cookies in a sealed container for 4 days for best results.
- These cookies also store well in the freezer, even already decorated with the icing!
- I have found earl grey tea before without bergamot. Make sure it contains bergamot since that is what makes the flavor.
- This can be used as a basic sugar cookie too. One option is to just sprinkle the tops with sugar before baking and leave off the icing.
- To save a little on time, make the icing while the cookies are baking. Simply whisk the icing if it starts to harden.
Earl Grey Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups King Arthur Gluten Free Measure For Measure Flour (265g)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup cane sugar (182g)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs, room temperature
Earl Grey Icing
- 2 cups powdered sugar (239g)
- pinch of salt
- 4 tablespoons steeped earl grey tea
Instructions
- To begin, allow the butter to completely soften. Setting it out overnight is an easy way to do this. Then set out the eggs until they come to room temperature.
- Place the butter in a medium sized bowl. Use a spoon to mash it a little. Then add the sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Cream the ingredients together until the butter is not so chunky.
- Next, add in the gluten-free flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix until the dough is smooth. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill for 8 hours or overnight.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and let it sit out for 10-15 minutes to thaw a little. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Lightly flour a flat surface and rub flour on a rolling pin. Roll out the dough to about ½'' thickness. Then use a cookie cutter to cut out the shapes. Repeat steps until all of the dough is used. (I used a 2 ½'' round cookie cutter)
- Finally, place the cookies about 1 ½'' apart on the baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 12-14 minutes or until the edges are slightly browned. Using bigger cookie cutters might require longer baking time. Raw cookies can be refrigerated while waiting to be baked to ensure they stay cold.
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let them cool completely before decorating with icing.
Earl Grey Icing Instructions
- Start by boiling water. (I boil the water to 212°F) Then measure out ½ cup of boiling water in a mug or container that can withstand the heat.
- Add 4 earl grey tea bags to the boiling water. Use a spoon to submerge the tea bags. Allow the tea to steep for 20 minutes.
- Then in a medium sized bowl, add powdered sugar and salt. Set it aside.
- Next, remove the tea bags, gently squeezing each one to extract the tea water. Measure out 4 tablespoons of tea and add it to the bowl of powdered sugar. Use a whisk to mix until the icing is nice and smooth. The icing will be runny in texture. Decorate the cookies and allow the icing to harden, roughly 20 minutes.
