Description
These delicate London Fog Cookies are infused with fragrant Earl Grey tea and coated with a light sprinkle of lavender sugar, then topped with a creamy lavender-infused cream cheese frosting. Perfect for afternoon tea or a sophisticated treat, these cookies combine floral and citrus notes with a soft, buttery texture.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Earl Grey Cookies:
- 3 tbsp (12 g) Earl Grey tea
- 2 3/4 cups (344 g) all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste
For the Lavender Sugar:
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- 1/2 tbsp culinary lavender
For the Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting:
- 4 oz (113 g) cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (56 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (130 g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- Purple food coloring (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare Lavender Sugar: Add the culinary lavender to a food processor and pulse until finely ground, then pass through a sieve to remove any large bits. Set aside half of the ground lavender to use later in the frosting. Mix the remaining ground lavender with granulated sugar in a medium bowl and set aside.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Grind Earl Grey Tea: Place the Earl Grey tea leaves in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Sieve to remove any coarse bits.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and the ground Earl Grey tea. Set aside.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer on high speed for 1-2 minutes until the mixture becomes very light and fluffy.
- Add Egg and Vanilla: Mix in the egg and vanilla bean paste on medium speed until the batter is pale and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed just until combined to form the dough.
- Shape Dough Balls: Use a 2 tbsp cookie scoop to form dough balls, then roll each ball in the lavender sugar mixture to coat.
- Arrange on Baking Sheets: Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheets at least 2 inches apart. Slightly flatten each ball and shape into a circle to ensure even baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake 6-8 cookies at a time in the preheated oven for 9-10 minutes. When done, use a large circular cookie cutter to gently press around the edges of the cookies while still warm for a perfect shape. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
- Cool Cookies Fully: Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make Lavender Cream Cheese Frosting: While the cookies bake and cool, beat together the softened cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add Remaining Ingredients to Frosting: Mix in the powdered sugar, reserved ground lavender, vanilla bean paste, and optional purple food coloring until the frosting is very fluffy and smooth.
- Frost the Cookies: Once cookies are completely cooled, spread about 1 tablespoon of the lavender cream cheese frosting evenly on each cookie using a mini offset spatula. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to spoon and level the flour to avoid dense cookies.
- Freshly ground Earl Grey tea enhances the flavor and texture of the cookies.
- If you don’t have vanilla bean paste, vanilla extract can be used as a substitute.
- The optional purple food coloring in the frosting adds a lovely lavender hue but is not essential for flavor.
- The round cookie cutter step after baking helps achieve professional-looking, uniform cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 4.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 35mg
