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!
Earl Grey Cookies
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 a buttery shortbread cookies loaded with chocolate, try my Salted Butter Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookie recipe!
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 😉
Earl Grey Cookies Are Easy And Cheap 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!
Just three ingredients and a half hour?
That’s easier than a trip to the store and about $3.00 cheaper too!
With three ingredients, you’d think maybe they were lacking.
Nope, not at all.
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)!
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!
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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This post was originally published in January 2015 and was updated in March 2019 with new photos.
Downton Abbey Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 bag Earl Grey tea leaves 2 bags can be used for a stronger flavor
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 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 in 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.
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.
Emilie says
Excellent! Crisp and flaky. I used vegan butter, fresh bergamot zest and 1 decaf earl grey tea bag which was all I had. For the frosting I used a mix of freshly squeezed bergamot and lemon. Really intriguing combo. Thank you!
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Beth says
Love these biscuits. I’m going to try using Paris tea in them next.
Janice says
Hi there! I love these cookies. One question, they seem to rise up and are kind of hollow on the bottom. Any suggestions for this?
Rebecca Hubbell says
Did you maybe use self-rising flour by accident?
Janice says
No, Unbleached AP. Mixed by hand, rolled and cut out and refrigerated before baking..
I make shortbread often but I can’t figure out why this happens.
Elizabeth says
I make these every year (sans the icing) and they have always turned out perfectly!! They are everyone’s favorite. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad they’ve become a staple for you!
Jen says
Tried this. Very disappointed. Followed recipe and instructions to a T. And it was like sand. When I tried rolling it, it crumbled apart. When I tried firming it into really just a small round flat surface. It crumbled apart. Nice concept. Waste of time and ingredients
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi Jen, I’m sorry these didn’t turn out for you. The dough should have come together after several minutes of mixing with an electric mixer.
Emily says
I am wondering if you mixed your flour before you measured it? What you described used to happen to me until I learned that before measuring the flour you have to mix it to fluff it up.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Yes, to measure flour properly you should spoon it into the measuring cup and then level it off with a knife.
Vaidehi says
It sure what went wrong. I doubled the recipe but the dough was soooo soft. I still managed to roll it in a shapeless log. It’s not in the fridge not sure if I should let it sit out on the counter and remix with more flour or just try baking it.
Rebecca Hubbell says
Hi there,
This dough shouldn’t be super soft. Is it possible you didn’t double one of the dry ingredients? You can also try firming it up in the fridge.
Vaidehi says
It’s firm in the fridge but will it mess up during the baking? Should I just bring it back to room temp and add more flour? Thanks
Rebecca Hubbell says
It shouldn’t mess up during baking if it’s cold.
Elsbeth Johnson says
Hi! I’m planning on making these and using a teapot cookie cutter. Do you think these will hold up?
Rebecca Hubbell says
I have seen others share pictures where they have used the teapot cookie cutters so you should be good to go!