Vanilla Rooibos Tea Cookies
Now all you need is a cup of tea.
All the ducks -- or cookie ingredients -- in a row.
First -- to the stove! Tea leaves are left to get nice and toasty.
Vanilla and sugar make fast friends in the food processor.
The tea joins in.
Your food processor wants to do all the work for you. Let it.
Dry ingredients? Check. Butter? Check. More vanilla? Yes please.
It's magic! You're almost there...
Your neat dough log gets a quick dip in some sugar, then you slice, and they're off to the oven!
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Author Notes: I really, really love Earl Grey tea cookies. There's nothing better on a cold afternoon. So when I saw the vanilla contest pop up, I figured I'd try to make a recipe for vanilla tea cookies. I cobbled together a recipe with inspiration from my favorite Earl Grey tea cookie recipe (vintage The Kitchn) and from Heidi Swanson's tip to use the whole bean in cookies. Since rooibos tea goes so well with vanilla, I swapped that in for the Earl Grey. The result is a crisp, buttery cookie with a seriously sultry flavor. My officemates gobbled them up in no time. As you can see from the photo, the first time, I tried to use whole rooibos leaves both in the cookies and mixed with the turbinado crust. Texture? Not so lovely. Much better ground up, which is what I recommend here. This also makes for a beautiful, toast-colored cookie: perfect for fall and winter. - Rivka
Food52 Review: WHO: Rivka is a cookie-addicted Food52er who is health consultant by day, food blogger by night.
WHAT: A cookie that captures tea time all in one bite.
HOW: Whip up a shortbread-style dough, roll in sugar, and wait impatiently by the oven door.
WHY WE LOVE IT: For the tea time twist, Rivka has you toast Rooibos leaves until they're beautifully fragrant -- this perfumes your kitchen (and your cookies) from the very first step of this recipe. - A&M
Makes 36
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons rooibos tea leaves (about 5 tea bags)
- 1 vanilla bean, whole, ends trimmed, cut into segments
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons milk
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 tablespoon turbinado sugar
- Heat a small stainless steel pan over medium heat. When pan is hot, add rooibos leaves, and shake pan to distribute tea into a single layer. Toast for about 2 minutes, until tea is fragrant but not darkened. Depending on your leaves, this may happen much more quickly; watch it carefully. When leaves are fragrant, transfer them to a bowl and let cool for a couple minutes.
- Combine the sugar, vanilla bean, and rooibos in the bowl of a food processor and pulse for about 2 minutes, until there are no chunks of bean left in the bowl. Add the powdered sugar, flour, and salt to the bowl and pulse a few times to combine. Then add the milk, vanilla, and butter and pulse several times, until a dough forms.
- Turn dough onto a very lightly floured surface, gather it together, and roll it gently into a log 1.5-inches in diameter.
- Sprinkle turbinado sugar on a plate or work surface, and roll cookie dough log in the sugar, making sure to cover the entire surface of the log with sugar. Wrap log in plastic or wax paper and transfer to the fridge or freezer for at least 30 minutes to chill. (You can leave the log in the freezer and slice off cookies one by one, whenever the urge strikes.)
- When ready to bake, turn on the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment or silpat.
- Remove log from fridge or freezer, and cut 1/3-inch slices off the log, rotating the log as you go to ensure that cookie slices stay round. Transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet, leaving 1/2 inch between each (they don't really spread, but they need breathing room to crisp up). Bake for 12 minutes, until cookies are just starting to brown. Leave on the cookie sheet to cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to racks.
- Cookies will keep in an airtight container for several days.
- Your Best Recipe with Vanilla Contest Winner!
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13 days ago msgruvn
oh-the taste is beautiful!
13 days ago msgruvn
Woe is me...I just made these for my friend's bday gift tomorrow, using his fav Earl Grey tea. Unfortunately, all my pretty little perfectly round cookies turned into one giant sheet. I used the 1 1/4 c of unbleached flour-(wheat), cold butter, then chilled the roll. So, I'm off to the flower shop in the morning.
15 days ago nonuvyourbusiness
this recipe does not work at all, there must be an ingredient at a wrong amount or missing. Dough? what dough? you mean that powder that comes out of the processor? I was to wrap this is saran wrap and freeze it for an hour before I could shape it.
3 months ago Shalala
These are literally the best tea cookies I have ever encountered. Hands down.
3 months ago Rivka
Well thanks! Glad you enjoyed.
4 months ago April Van Buren
These were incredible. I couldn't find any rooibus at the grocery store, and didn't much feel like driving to the tea and coffee shop, so I substituted in chai instead, and they were incredible! Like a chai tea latte in cookie form---in other words, perfection.
4 months ago Rivka
April, so glad you enjoyed them! Chai is a natural sub-in here.
5 months ago Sarah S. Forth
Not a complete failure, but close. Cookie dough melted and ran together on the sheet. We cut them into strips & called them lace cookies--after draining them on paper towels to get rid of excess butter. Two of us worked together on these--one reading the recipe, the other measuring-- so I don't think we made any mistakes. Our advice: Cut the butter in half.
5 months ago Courtney Pollock
Wow! I wonder what went wrong. I've made these cookies five times now (and even doubled it twice) and never had a problem with the consistency. I hope you give it a try again. They are delicious!
5 months ago Rivka
I also wonder what went wrong. I've made these cookies probably 7 times at this point, and I've never had a problem with butter leakage. Is it possible you inadvertently reduced the sugar or flour?
4 months ago Craiger1ny
I made these as part of a huge Christmas Eve meal and had the same thing happen. But, I woke up the next morning and tried again. Realized that after a long day of cooking, I used 1/4 cup of flour instead of the 1 1/4. They turned out great the second time around. I used a pomegranate rooibos. Also, my vanilla beans were a bit old. The first time around the food processor turned the sugar into a billowy powder before the bean was sufficiently pulverized. Used a spice grinder for the tea and vanilla the second time, then added it into the sugar in the food processor. Worked like a charm. Will definitely make these again!
5 months ago Paulaob
These sound delicious. I was wondering if the butter should be cold or room temperature?
5 months ago Rivka
soft but still cold.
5 months ago Anna Winslow
Mmm, I just made these. They are so delicious, flavorful, and crunchy! I made mine with Earl Grey tea. i was a little suspicious of their texture before I baked them, but they turned out lovely. thank you!
5 months ago Rivka
so glad you liked them!
5 months ago littlesycogirl
The cookies look lovely and I'm dying to try it out soon. May I ask, when you ask for flour, is it plain flour ? I'm rather new to baking.
5 months ago Rivka
plain, all-purpose flour.
5 months ago Tailgators
These look beautiful. Do you think I can make them without a food processor?
5 months ago Rivka
Totally. If you have a mortar and pestle, you can smash the rooibos leaves in there, and then you can just use the seeds of the vanilla bean instead of the whole bean. A spice grinder (with as much sugar as will fit) would also work great. The dough can easily be made in a stand mixer instead of a food processor.
5 months ago Rivka
...or in a big bowl with an electric mixer.
6 months ago za'atar
These are so yummy! Really different from the typical holiday cookie and a recipe I will come back to again and again. The first time I made these I didn't follow the directions and put the cookies directly on the baking sheet. They burned pretty badly. The next time I used baking parchment they turned out great!
5 months ago Rivka
ahh yes, the parchment is key. glad they worked out on batch 2!
6 months ago Kukla
Congratulations on your win Rivka!! Rooibos Earl Grey is my grandson’s favorite tea; when we can’t find it in stores, I order it for him online. I am sure he will love your cookies.
6 months ago Rivka
Thanks, Kukla!
6 months ago IAmJ
Hi Rivka,
These look amazing. I'm a huge fan of Earl Grey tea cookies and make them with orange and lime zest, which I think works wonderfully there. Do you think adding orange zest to these gorgeous vanilla rooibos cookies would be a good idea? Thanks!
6 months ago Rivka
I think orange zest would work well. Do let me/us know if you try them with the orange.
6 months ago cheese1227
Another winner, Rivka! Congrats!
6 months ago Rivka
Thanks, Christine! long time no see - hope you're doing well.
6 months ago EmilyC
Congrats Rivka! What a great cookie recipe, just in time for the holidays!
6 months ago Rivka
Thanks, Emily!
6 months ago Madhuja
Congratulations on your win, Rivka! Well done! :)
6 months ago Rivka
Thanks so much.
6 months ago TheWimpyVegetarian
These look wonderful, Rivka! Huge congrats for winning!! It's the perfect time of year for cookies too, so I know I'll be trying them :-)
6 months ago Rivka
'Tis the season - these would make a great gift; they keep beautifully.
6 months ago mrslarkin
Mrs. Larkin is a trusted source on Baking.
Yay, Rivka! Congratulations. Adding these to the Christmas menu.
6 months ago Rivka
thanks, mrslarkin!
6 months ago Kitchen Butterfly
I'm in awe of, and totally inspired by how you've coaxed the flavours out of the tea Rivka - this is what makes me a foodie for life! Congratulations
6 months ago Rivka
thank you thank you thank you! I love these too :)
6 months ago Midge
Oh these are right up my alley. Congrats Rivka!
6 months ago Rivka
thanks Midge!