Earl Grey Tea and Orange Refrigerator Cookies

fruit and nut earl gray shortbread

A flexible, lightly sweet shortbread recipe amenable to any number of inclusions and flavor combinations: you’re almost guaranteed a delicious result with all the butter.

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Earl Grey Tea and Orange Refrigerator Cookies

Course: CookiesDifficulty: Easy
Servings

3-5

dozen (depending on diameter)
Prep time

15

minutes
Cooking time

25

minutes

This recipe is based on King Arthur Flour’s Fruit and Nut Refrigerator Cookies.

Ingredients

  • Mixing Bowl
  • 85g confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 ½ sticks (170g) unsalted butter, room temperature

  • ½ teaspoon salt, extra-fine preferred

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract, or almond extract

  • 4 drops orange oil (optional)

  • 1 ½ tablespoons of earl grey tea, finely ground (optional)

  • 1 tablespoon orange zest (optional)

  • Dry Ingredients
  • 177g all-purpose flour

  • Inclusions (see “notes”)
  • 50g dried apricots, chopped

  • 50g dried cherries

  • 45g blanched slivered almonds, toasted

  • 45g raw pistachios, toasted

  • Equipment Used
  • Stand mixer

  • Parchment paper or plastic wrap

  • Serrated knife

  • Full-size baking sheet

  • Rubber spatula

Directions

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or a large bowl using a hand mixer), beat together the sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, orange oil, tea, and orange zest.
  • Add flour and inclusions, and stir until just combined.
    Divide the dough in half, and shape each half into a log about 2″ in diameter (recommend this method).
  • Wrap the logs in parchment paper or plastic wrap; chill for at least 2 hours, or freeze for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line baking sheet with parchment, and set aside.
  • Remove one log of dough at a time, unwrap, and cut into ¼”-thick slices. Place the slices on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the cookies feel firm when gently pressed in the center. They won’t brown much; the long, slow bake is designed to prevent them from darkening.
  • Remove the cookies from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. When completely cool, wrap airtight and store at room temperature; freeze for longer storage.

Notes

  • This recipe can be made with some or none of the fruit and nut inclusions. I recommend sticking to an approximate weight of 100g fruit and 90g nuts, if including, but feel free to play with ratios.
fruit and nut earl gray shortbread