Earl Grey Tea Cookies

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature

• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

• 1 cup flour

• salt

• 1-2 teabags Earl Grey

• lemon zest from half a lemon

Mix together the powdered sugar and softened butter for a few minutes, until it starts to get fluffy. Gradually add the flour and remaining ingredients until all combined. Spread out a sheet of parchment paper and shape your dough into a log. The diameter of the log should be 1.5 inches or so. Take your parchment-wrapped log to the freezer, and let it firm up for at least 40 minutes to an hour. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove your cookie log from the freezer, and slice it into 1/4 inch thick slices. The cookies will not get much larger or rise as they bake, so you may place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper fairly close together if necessary. Bake the cookies for 13 minutes, until the edges start to change color, then let cool. Enjoy with a glass of milk, if you like milk with your "tea!"

There is a lot of flexibility on flavors with this recipe. The more traditional zest here is orange, but I love Earl Grey with lemon, and this is what I had on hand. Next time, I will add some lavender essential oil to give it even more flavor. Maybe you can even consider changing out the tea bags for dried lavender or another aromatic, sweet herb or spice for a unique, new cookie. The recipe can easily be multiplied, just make sure you give the cookie logs enough time to chill before slicing and baking. You can check out the pic here

bon appetit