TEA AND SPICE SHORTBREAD

For many of us,  with Christmas comes cold weather.  It’s a time for cups of tea and hot chocolate.  And tea and hot chocolate are always better with something to nibble on (or dip!) along with our drinks.

This recipe makes a rich shortbread, flavored with a winter spiced tea and topped with an orange drizzle icing.  It comes together quickly, keeps well and meets both the criteria above. You can nibble on it but I like it best dipped into my tea or coffee!

It starts with the tea.  When I think of spiced tea my mind goes back to my past and Constant Comment Tea by Bigelow.  This is a black tea flavored with cloves, cinnamon and orange peel.  Many winter afternoons at boarding school and college were warmed with this aromatic mix.  You well have a favorite tea of your own.

Use any spiced tea you like.  If you are using a loose leaf tea you will need to give it a pulse or two in your food processor to break down the leaves.  Tea used in tea bags is already crumbled and will not need processing.

It is easy to see the difference in quality between loose leaf tea and the tea used in tea bags.

As with so many recipes, it starts with beating butter and sugar until fluffy.

This is a shortbread recipe which means there is little to no liquid added.  The butter (or shortening) is mixed with confectioner’s sugar and a little vanilla until it is blended.

As you beat the sugars into the butter it will become creamy.

Then beat in the flour and tea until it starts to come together.  Just like pastry you don’t want to overwork it.

The dough will be clumpy

Spoon the dough into foil lined pan and use damp hands to pat it flat and evenly throughout.

Cook it until it is just starting to brown on the edges.

Let it cool until you can handle it, about ten minutes, and then use the edges of the foil to lift it out of the pan.

The edges of the foil should be long enough to make it easy to lift out the cooked shortbread

You should cut it into squares now while it is still soft.  As it cools it will stiffen and become crumbly, which makes a great cookie but hard to cut!

Mix some confectioner’s sugar with a little Grand Marnier and some milk until it holds together (but not stiff).  If you have a piping bag, you can use that to pipe it onto your cookie.  But I often put the icing in a small sandwich baggie, give it a twist to close and cut the tip off.

As a finishing touch, a sprinkle of Demerera sugar will lend an extra texture.

These really are delicious.

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TEA AND SPICE SHORTBREAD

Author Susan Murray, www.awomancooksinasheville.com

Ingredients

• I c spiced tea leaves crushed
• 4 c flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 c butter softened
• 2 1/2 c confectioners sugar
• 3 tbsp orange liqueur
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 c confectioners sugar

Instructions

Make the Shortbread

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 13X 9” baking pan by lining it with aluminum foil.

2. Beat the butter in the bowl of a mixer until light yellow and creamy. Add 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar and vanilla and continue beating until smooth and light.

3. If using whole tea leaves, pulse them once or twice in a processor to grind up the leaves.
4. Stir tea together with salt and flour. Add the flour to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until it starts to come together. It will be lumpy.
5. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and pat with dampened hands to spread it out evenly in the pan.
6. Bake until the edges are starting to brown, about 40-50 minutes. Cool for ten minutes in the pan. Remove the shortbread from the pan using the overhang of the foil. Slice into smaller pieces and let cool completely.

Make the topping

1. Sift 1 cup confectioner’s sugar into a small bowl. Whisk in the orange liqueur and milk until smooth. Put the icing into a sandwich baggie. Give it a twist to close it and cut a small hole in one corner. Drizzle the icing across the shortbread pieces. Sprinkle with demerara sugar.

Will keep for up to a week in an airtight container.