day 3 … Earl Grey Sandwich Cookies

Today we’re starting to build some variety into our 12 cookie collection. With that same basic cookie dough, we started with a simple butter cookie, made pecan bars and now add a sandwich cookie and some chocolate to the mix. Two buttery cookies with a dark chocolate filling makes for something quite lovely. The spin? The little something that makes it just a little bit different and special? Earl Grey tea. My favorite. A hot mug on a cold morning is heavenly. Earl Grey is quintessentially British, a black tea flavored with bergamot orange, a citrus fruit with the flavor somewhere between an orange and a lemon with a little grapefruit thrown in. It’s delightful and makes a particularly good cookie.

For this one, I add the tea right to the base butter cookie dough with a little extra sugar and some orange zest to accent the bergamot flavor. I used Twinings earl grey tea, readily available in grocery stores but any kind will do. If you opt for a loose leaf tea, give it a few buzzes in a spice grinder to break it down a little first. The filling is a simple ganache, just chocolate and cream, with the earl grey steeped into the warm cream first then removed. 

Don’t forget my rule for cut out cookies: roll warm, cut cold. As soon as you make the dough, roll it into sheets between 2 pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap and chill. When firm, cut into neat shapes. You can bake right away or layer between pieces of parchment and freeze for later. The ganache filling can also be frozen and defrosted just fine.

12 Days of Cookies from years past:

Fruity: Jam Thumbprints, Jam Streusel Tarts, Raspberry Linzer Squares, Lemon Poppyseed Buttons, Orange Sesame Crisps, Cranberry Pistachio Coins, Almond Raspberry Strips, Orange Sandwich Cookies, Apricot Rosemary Shortbread, Coconut Lime Sticks, Bourbon Glazed Fruitcake Buttons, Lemon Cornmeal Biscotti, Blueberry Lime Buttons, Date Swirls

Nutty: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Tassies, Maple Black Walnut Cookies, PB&J Sandwich Cookies, Pecan Triangles, 

Spiced: Cinnamon Sugar Pinwheels, Candied Ginger Spice Buttons, Cardamom Rose Coins, Brown Sugar Wafers with Lemon Lavender Glaze

Chocolate: Basic Chocolate Butter Cookie Dough, Mexican Chocolate Crinkles, Chocolate Cocoa Nib Wafers, Raspberry Chocolate Drops, Chocolate Hazelnut Buttons, Dark Mocha Sandwich Cookies, Espresso Crinkles, Cranberry Cocoa Nib Wafers, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Lebkuchen, Fudge Tarts, Chocolate Marzipan Drops, Chocolate Coconut Bullseyes, Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Almond Crescents, Chocolate Covered Cherry Cookies

Bars: Rum Butter Bars, Peppermint Brownie Bars, Banana Walnut Bars, Chocolate Banana Petit Fours

Holiday Classics: Cream Cheese Wreaths, Classic Molasses Cookies, Peppermint Candy Canes, Andes Mint Chip Cookies, Holiday Mallomars

This year:

Basic Butter Cookie Dough for all recipes

Day 1: Sparkly Sugar Cookies

Day 2: Pecan Praline Bars

EARL GREY SANDWICH COOKIES

Base Butter Cookie Dough – recipe here

1. For the cookies: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the room temperature cookie dough, sugar, and loose tea until well combined.
2. Divide the dough into 2-4 pieces and roll between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to and even 1/8” thickness.
3. Transfer to a sheet pan and refrigerate until firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days tightly wrapped. Dough sheets can be frozen up to 2 months, tightly wrapped.
4. When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350°F and line sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking liners.
5. Cut the chilled dough into neat shapes and transfer to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat 1” apart.
6. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through, until set on top and just turning golden on the bottoms. Cool completely.
7. Carefully slide the parchment or silicon sheets onto wire racks to cool.
8. Do ahead: it’s best to make and freeze the dough and bake as needed rather than freeze baked cookies. Frozen dough will keep up to 3 months.
9. For the ganache filling: place the chocolate in a medium bowl and set aside.
10. Bring the cream to a boil and remove from the heat. Add the tea bag and cover the pot with plastic wrap. Let steep for 30 minutes. 
11. Pour the cream over the chocolate, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, give it a little shake/swirl to fully submerge the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes. (If using loose leaf tea, pour the cream through a strainer to remove the tea).
12. Remove the plastic wrap and gently stir until the ganache is smooth. If the chocolate isn’t fully melted at this point, microwave in 30 second bursts at 50% power or place the bowl over a simmering pot of water, stirring until melted and smooth. 
13. Let the ganache cool; it will thicken as it cools. Transfer to a piping bag or a Ziploc bag.
14. Turn half the cookies over, snip the corner of the piping bag and pipe the filling on top of the wrong sides. Top with another cookie, right side up and press gently to adhere.
15. Cookies will keep, tightly wrapped, for several days. They’re not great frozen and defrosted so if you want to work ahead, roll/cut/freeze the shapes up to 2 months and bake from frozen. The ganache can also be frozen up to 2 months.

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