I’ve been on a major earl grey kick the past few months – so much so that I’ve swapped my morning cup of coffee for earl grey and honestly, I don’t see me going back anytime soon. So while I’m on this kick, I combined my favorite drink and my favorite dessert category to create this delicious, chewy Earl Grey Sugar Cookie. As always, I’ll keep the intro short and sweet so we can get into the sweet 🙂
Ingredients:
for about 22 cookies
- 2 sticks unsalted butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 earl grey tea bags* (about 3 tsp of loose leaf)
for the sugar roll:
- 1 earl grey tea bag* (about 1.5 tsp loose leaf tea)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- Optional: zest of a lime or half an orange
Directions:
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Pour into a large mixing bowl + set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, salt, baking soda + powder, and earl grey tea.
- Once the butter has cooled slightly, add in both sugars and honey + combine using an electric hand mixer. Mix well, about 1 minute.
- Add in the egg + yolk and vanilla extract and mix until thoroughly combined.
- Add the dry ingredients into the butter mixture + combine just until no streaks of flour remain. The dough will be appear loose and glossy.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to sit at room temperature** for 1.5 – 2 hours.
- Once the dough has set, preheat the oven to 350F.
- In a shallow bowl or plate, combine the sugar + earl grey + citrus zest, if using.
- Scoop 1-inch cookie dough balls and roll them in your hands to create a sphere.
- Roll each ball in the sugar mixture, then place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. I typically put 6 cookies per sheet.
- Bake at 350F for a total of 10-11 minutes, banging the pan at 7 minutes to help achieve the crackly top and rimmed edge.
- Let the cookies cool for about 10 minutes before removing from the pan. Best served warm and enjoyed with a cup of ear grey.
Notes:
* Prior to adding the earl grey into the flour mixture, crush the tea in the bag to ensure it’s a fine powder. You can also dump the tea into a ziploc bag and crush it up that way if using loose leaf tea. The same applies to the tea that’s used in the sugar roll.
**The dough can also be chilled in the refrigerator up to a day in advance. When ready to bake, allow the dough to come to room temperature for about half an hour.
32 Responses
Can I substitute earl grey for a different type of tea?
Hi Maria – I haven’t done so but I don’t see why they wouldn’t work! The tea gives flavor and doesn’t affect the texture. If you try it out I’d love to know how they work!
I saw these on your tiktok! So excited to make these tomorrow!!! Thanks for sharing :)))
Yay! Thanks Kat. Hope you love them x
Can I substitute a different tea in this recipe? Raspberry is my favorite
Hi Soph! I don’t see why not – I would try it out! Do note that the taste will definitely be different but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’d love to know how they turn out if you give it a shot!
These cookies are so simple, unique and fun to make and they taste absolutely amazing. My fiancé agrees. Off to bake enough cookies for our neighbors and co-workers! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Thanks so much for the lovely comment, Taylor! Just about made my day xx
My friend literally sent me your tiktok so I’d make her these lmao. Guess I’ll get to it.
That’s what friends are for :’)
I just made these but altered them to be vegan – they came out so beautiful!!
I replaced the butter with half vegan butter + half coconut oil, and the eggs with 2 flax eggs. The texture was perfect!
Wow, I’m so glad you can customize them to your needs and still enjoy them! Thanks for sharing.
I just made these today! They’re super easy and came out delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe 😀
So glad, Sofi!
If I made these without the honey, would they still turn out okay? (I’m not a big fan of honey and I don’t have any at home so I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t like a crucial binding agent or something)
Hi Jay. Honestly I haven’t tried without the honey but I think they would be okay. The honey accents earl grey really well but if you don’t like it, it should be fine to skip. Let me know if you do try that!
i tried these out last week and they’re my new favorite cookies!! i’m a huge tea fan, so i appreciate this recipe so much! my family loved them too <3 making them again today 🙂
Yay! Thanks for sharing 🙂
These were so good! I made them for my mothers birthday and she loved them. (They pair great with some vanilla ice cream) Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad they worked out!!
Mine turned out delicious! I just moved into my college home and made some for my neighbors as a way to meet them. I made a batch of earl grey and made a batch where I substituted Thai tea. They both turned out delicious!
So glad they worked out Emma! Love the idea of swapping teas, I’ll have to try that!
I’ve made these cookies twice now and everyone I’ve made them for is in agreement that they’re the best sugar cookies we’ve ever had! Even without the tea the sugar cookie itself is perfect, great recipe!
Thanks so much for the kind feedback, Melissa! Glad you enjoyed them.
Tried these on a whim and was pleasantly surprised, I don’t what I was expecting but they taste just like an average sugar cookie but the flavor from the tea and the honey make 10x better ❤️
I’m so glad, Molly! xx
My school has a yearly unity fair and GSA(my group) always has sweets and this year we are making cookies and I just know that these will be a great addition to all the other cookies seeing as everyone who I’ve made them for has loved them hehehe Thank you for such an amazing recipe!!! <3
I’m so glad they’re a hit for you and your friends! xx
I would like to make these for Christmas Eve, if you chill the dough instead of leaving at room temperature would it hold a shape from a cookie cutter?
I’ve made these before and loved them so much!
Hi Tara, I’ve never experimented with that so I can’t say. Let me know if you try it out!
You’re a genius <3 I'm not a fan of shortbread and most earl grey recipes are shortbread. This was soooo good and honestly the most addicting cookies I've ever made. My friends and family loved them despite them generally not liking sweets so much.
Thanks so much Bee! I’m glad you all enjoyed them xx