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Home » Recipes » Dessert » Cookies » Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

By: Rebecca  |  Published: March 5, 2019  |  Updated: July 29, 2020  |   View Our Affiliate Disclosure Policy

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Crisp and buttery Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with a hint of tea, with just 5-ingredients and an easy lemon glaze, they're perfect for parties, tea time, or scarfing down all by yourself! via @sugarandsoulco

Crisp and buttery Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with a hint of tea, with just 5-ingredients and an easy lemon glaze, they’re perfect for parties, tea time, or scarfing down all by yourself!

Stack of five Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with pink background.

These Earl Grey Cookies are an easy and delightful sweet treat that’s perfect for afternoon tea, cookie swaps, and the cookie jar at home!

Shortbread cookies and my favorite!

I know, I know… I say every cookie is my favorite… but I REALLY love cookies!

Shortbread Cookies have always been a weakness for me. They are just simple and pure deliciousness.

If you’re looking for buttery shortbread cookies loaded with chocolate, try my Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookie recipe!

White plate filled with Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with cups of tea and lemon slices.

They’re just so buttery and addicting!

Matt and I will literally kill an entire box of Walker’s or Lorna Doone’s in one sitting, they’re just so addictive.

You might remember me mentioning that Matt and I lived off shortbread cookies for a day in Scotland and I wasn’t totally sad about it 😉

Stack of five Earl Grey Cookies with lemon icing with plate of cookies in the background.

Earl Grey Cookies Are Easy To Make!

I always thought they’d be difficult to make, but when I stumbled across this three-ingredient recipe from Dine & Dish, I was floored!

No Way!

With three ingredients, you’d think maybe they were lacking. Nope, not at all! The end result is deliciously irresistible butter cookies!

White plate full of Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with lemon glaze.

These simple shortbread cookies are everything I dreamed they would be!

I decided to adapt the recipe a bit by adding Earl Grey Tea leaves and using unsalted butter and adding my own salt for more control over the flavor.

My version is just 5 ingredients (6 if you decide to go with the lemon glaze – highly recommended)!

Woman's hand holding an Earl Grey Shortbread Cookie.

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies Are Delicious!

The end result is perfectly crisp shortbread cookies that are so buttery they almost melt in your mouth.

An essence of Earl Grey tea takes them to a whole new level of flavor and fun!

They’re so good, I’m not even willing to share, you’ll all just have to make them yourselves!

They’re just the thing if you’re looking for a slightly sweet cookie fix!

Stack of Earl Grey Cookies, the top cookie has a bit taken out of it.

More Delicious Cookie Recipes

  • Vanilla Chai Shortbread Cookies
  • Classic Sugar Cookies
  • Irish Cream No Bake Cookies
  • Chocolate Chip Cookies

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

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Let’s Connect!

If you’ve tried this recipe please let me know how you liked it in the comments below and leave a review, I love hearing from you! And don’t forget to tag me – @sugarandsoulco – on Instagram and Pinterest with your photos! You can also Subscribe to my Newsletter so you never miss a delicious recipe again!

This post was originally published in January 2015 and was updated in March 2019 with new photos.

Stack of five Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies with pink background.

Downton Abbey Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

Rebecca Hubbell
Crisp and buttery shortbread cookies with a hint of Earl Grey, with just 5-ingredients and an easy lemon glaze, they’re perfect for parties, tea time, or scarfing down all by yourself!
4.76 from 53 votes
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Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 15 mins
Infusing Time 2 hrs
Total Time 2 hrs 30 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 36 cookies
Calories 90

Ingredients
  

Cookies

  • 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons Earl Grey tea leaves
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt

Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions
 

  • Blend the butter and earl grey tea leaves together and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours, longer is fine. If you are running short on time, this step can be skipped and the tea can be added with the powdered sugar. Just note that the flavor may not be as strong.
  • Once the butter has finished setting. Preheat oven to 350­° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  • Cream the butter and tea mixture and powdered sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer.
  • Add in the flour and salt. Continue to mix until a soft dough forms. The mix will be dry and crumbly at first but will come together.
  • Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's 1/4-inch thick.
  • Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cookie cutter.
  • Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown in color.
  • Once cooled, whisk together the glaze ingredients and dip or drizzle the cookies as desired and place on wax paper to set.

Video

Notes

  • Slightly Adapted from Dine & Dish.
  • If using a large loose leaf tea, run the tea through a food processor or use a pestle and mortar to ground it so it’s finer.
  • 1 cookie is 3 Weight Watchers SmartPoints.
  • The longer these cookies sit, the more intense the flavor will get.
  • The recipe has been updated to include a tablespoon measurement for the tea leaves since it was originally published.

Nutrition

Calories: 90kcalCarbohydrates: 10gFat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 33mgPotassium: 8mgSugar: 4gVitamin A: 160IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 3mgIron: 0.3mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me now!Mention @sugarandsoulco or tag #sugarandsoulco!
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About Rebecca Hubbell

I love sharing mouthwatering and fun recipes with all of you! My recipes are inspired by classic comfort food, the places I travel, and pop culture! I have a serious sweet tooth and love a good cocktail and pancakes and bacon are definitely my weakness! So stick around a discover something delicious!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lera says

    December 20, 2020 at 6:24 pm

    5 stars
    These are actually amazing! A valuable addition to my Christmas cookies recipes collection. They are nothing like traditional Czech Christmas cookies, but that’s what I enoy about them. For a tea lover, these are surely a must.

    Reply
  2. Winnie says

    December 3, 2020 at 12:06 am

    If my shortbread is crumbling I moisten it with a cheap lemonade vodka.

    Reply
  3. Brittany says

    November 18, 2020 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    I loved these!!! I served them at a tea party and they were a huge hit!!!! I found them really easy to make as well. Have you ever infused the butter with a flavor other than Earl Grey? Maybe something for Christmas?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      November 18, 2020 at 9:01 pm

      So glad you enjoyed them! You can use any kind of tea but these Chai ones are popular this time of year! https://www.sugarandsoul.co/vanilla-chai-shortbread-cookies-recipe/

      Reply
  4. Amy says

    November 17, 2020 at 10:07 am

    5 stars
    Can I use gluten free all purpose flour or one-to one instead ?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      November 17, 2020 at 4:41 pm

      Yes, I like Bob’s Red Mill one for one flour!

      Reply
  5. MJ says

    November 16, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    I’ve made these before and loved them! But I was wondering if I Could use gluten free all purpose flour?

    Reply
  6. Olivia says

    October 6, 2020 at 4:54 pm

    It skipped the crumpble stage and went straight to powder where did I go wrong?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      October 7, 2020 at 10:52 am

      Are you saying the dough was powdery?

      Reply
    • Bekah says

      February 7, 2021 at 7:23 pm

      I just tried this recipe and the same thing happened to me! It was crumbly but just too dry to even roll out or free hand cookies. Would crumble apart when even try to create a ball 🙁

      Reply
      • Rebecca Hubbell says

        February 8, 2021 at 7:40 am

        It sounds like the dough needed to be mixed longer.

  7. Juliet says

    September 12, 2020 at 7:49 am

    5 stars
    I have never left a review for an online recipe but…WOW. Just wow. I had been craving early grey baked goods all week (which is weird because I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten an earl grey-flavored baked good), and I made this recipe and it was just exactly what I was looking for. Baking these cookies and eating the final product was like falling in love for the first time – you’ve heard it’s possible, but you don’t quite believe it until you try for yourself. Simple, easy, and delicious.
    (Also note I subbed out the butter for vegan butter and it worked great!)

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      September 13, 2020 at 10:47 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them 🙂

      Reply
  8. Ashley says

    July 12, 2020 at 11:10 am

    Looking to make your recipe but the lady I’m making it for has cancer so I’m trying to substitute the sugar for honey, would you recommend any other adjustments?

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      July 12, 2020 at 11:13 am

      Hi Ashley, unfortunately I don’t think using honey is going to work and I’m not sure of any alternatives. Since the recipe is only a few ingredients, changing any of them could compromise the final cookies. So sorry to hear about your friend and I hope you find a recipe that will work!

      Reply
  9. Brittany A says

    June 26, 2020 at 9:29 pm

    5 stars
    Made these today and they are DELISH! I added some lemon zest because I love lemon with my Earl grey. But the recipe as-is was lovely. I want to note, I read some comments about the flavor of Earl Grey lacking so I did some research. The tea bags linked in the recipe are larger bags (1.44g) than what I keep in my cupboards (.70g).

    So I measured out the bags and the recipe basically calls for 1-2 tbls. In my case, that was 4 tea bags as each bag was rough 1/2 tbls. each. With this in mind, the recipe was flavored perfectly. I even steeped the tea in the butter for 6 hours.

    Hope this helps!!

    Reply
    • Brittany A says

      June 26, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      Whoops. I meant ounces, not grams! Yikes!

      Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      July 2, 2020 at 11:01 am

      Thank you, Brittany, I never even thought of that so I appreciate you taking the time to measure it!

      Reply
  10. Juliana Rossi says

    May 22, 2020 at 9:29 pm

    5 stars
    Just made these (with 2 earl grey tea bags) and added lavender buds as well. I made this for my vegan friend so I used vegan butter and it came out PERFECT. Then I added a few more lavender buds right after I drizzled the icing and it really tied it all together and looked beautiful.
    Great recipe for a new baker like myself!

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      May 23, 2020 at 8:34 am

      I’m so glad you enjoyed them!

      Reply
  11. Gorch says

    May 15, 2020 at 10:42 am

    5 stars
    Made these a bunch. I like them and everyone I share the cookies with loves them.

    Reply
  12. Carrie says

    May 14, 2020 at 6:23 pm

    2 stars
    These taste just like basic shortbread cookies. Are used two bags of Earl Grey and really there’s no flavor difference. It’s good at all but very basic and not what I was looking for

    Reply
    • Rebecca Hubbell says

      May 14, 2020 at 6:34 pm

      I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy the cookies.

      Reply
    • Juliana Rossi says

      May 22, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      Perhaps the earl grey wasn’t ground enough? I used 2 earl grey bags (decaf too so it wasn’t as strong) and it came out great! Maybe even try 3? I love earl grey so the more the merrier.

      Reply
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I'm Rebecca!

I love sharing sweet and savory recipes that are tested and perfected in my kitchen so they'll be an instant favorite in yours!

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