Apologies for the two week break in between posts - I've been working quite a bit recently (I'm employable! who would've thought?????) and I was also going into uni for Orientation which was fun and crazy and overwhelming. I don't think being a first year is even a case of being little fish in a big pond - it seems to be much more like a fish out of water situation. I say this because everything seems to be magnified tenfold. Each time I visit the campus, I find new theatres, halls and auditoriums I didn't know existed; there are more people than I could imagine and there are way more stairs than I can handle climbing on a daily basis. I am looking forward to studying courses that I've picked and that I'll most likely enjoy and starting fresh and making the most out of the social/volunteering opportunities, but there's also the prospect of having to meet new people and make new friends, and feeling like you have to present the best and most polished version of yourself all the time which isn't a bad thing but it is very, very tiring.

the little flecks of tea in the dough are my favourite 

Having said that, I'm still excited to start this higher education business tomorrow. Maybe I'll bring these along to make the whole meeting people thing a bit easier. They say you don't make friends with salad (probably untrue, salad would win me over) but this isn't salad so you know, it's very possible that it will work out. 

This is a super simple recipe, where most of the time is actually spent waiting for the dough to chill down. The actual making of the dough couldn't be easier. The earl grey flavour is dominant without being overbearing, and the cookies are sweet without being sickeningly so. 

Icing sugar is used instead of granulated to make the cookie more crisp and short. It also gets incorporated into the butter much quicker as an added bonus! The rest of the ingredients are usual suspects- egg, flour, vanilla. The floral vanilla extract complements the delicate tea flavour like a dream. The  texture of the dough is significantly softer than that of say, a chocolate chip cookie, which is why it is chilled and then frozen so that the cookies retain their shape when baked.

I haven't met anybody who didn't enjoy these so definitely give them a go- not so that you can prove me wrong and tell me that you're the first. but because they really are delicious and I'm willing to bet that they're a crowd pleaser. And probably a friend-maker. 

that dappled sunlight tho

Earl Grey Tea Cookies

Prep: 15 mins Total: 4 hours (incl. chilling and baking)

300g plain flour

4g earl grey tea leaves (2 tea bags worth, if using loose leaf, make sure to blitz them in a food processor until they are relatively fine)

180g unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

120g icing sugar, sifted

1 egg, whisked

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a medium bowl, briefly mix the flour and the tea leaves together.

2. Using a stand mixer or hand-held electric whisk, on medium speed, cream the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes.

3. Add the egg, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until combined. The mixture may take on a curdled appearance- this is fine.

4. Add half of the flour, and mix on low speed until just incorporated, before adding the rest of the flour. It may seem crumbly and dry at first but will come together into a soft dough.

5. Scrape the mixture onto a sheet of cling film, wrap up the dough and refrigerate for at least an hour.

6. When the dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge and divide into two. Dust your hands with flour and roll each half into a log, about 3-4 cm in diameter. Wrap both logs in cling film and place in the freezer for at least 2 hours or overnight. It needs to be solid before we bake them off.

7. Preheat oven to 180°C.

8. Slice the logs into 0.5cm medallions and place on a parchment-lined baking tray.

9. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden, and middles slightly soft. They will firm up upon cooling.

10. Allow to cool completely.