Featured Recipes for Tea From Our Newsletters

Ingredients:

3 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiled water
2 tbsp  plus 1 tsp green tea leaves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Preparation:

Preheat oven in 360F. Brew 2 tbsps of sencha green tea in 2/5 cup of boiled water. Cool the green tea. Mix vegetable oil in the green tea. Whisk eggs in a bowl. Add sugar in the bowl. Shift flour, baking powder, and 1 tsp of green tea leaves into another bowl. Add the half of flour mixture into egg mixture and mix quickly. Add the half of green tea mixture into the bowl and mix well. Add the rest of flour mixture into the batter and mix well. Further, add the rest of green tea mixture into the batter. Mix the batter well. Spread some butter on a cake pan and place a baking sheet at the bottom. Pour batter into the cake pan. Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes in the oven.

from About.com: Japanese Food (http://japanesefood.about.com)

Ingredients:

1 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons Flour
1 1/3 Cups Confectioners Sugar, divided
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
½ Cup Butter at room temperature, cut into chunks
2 Tablespoons Lavender Honey
½ Teaspoon Dried Lavender
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract, divided
2 Tablespoons Milk

Directions:

Mix Flour, 1/3 cup of Confectioners Sugar, and Cornstarch in food processor, then cover.  Add Butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form.  Add Honey, Lavender, and ½ teaspoon of the vanilla.  Cover and pulse until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

Place dough in an un-greased 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom (if you don’t have one, a pie dish or 8X8 baking dish works just as well).  Cover with waxed paper and press to form a smooth, even layer.  Remove the wax paper.  Pierce dough with a fork and then score the top with a sharp knife into 12 wedges.

Bake in a preheated 300oF oven for 25-30 minutes or until firm and starting to brown.  (Shortbread should be pale in color.)  Place the pan on a wire rack.  Cut the shortbread into wedges while still warm but not hot.  Remove from the pan to a wire rack to cool.  

Mix remaining Confectioners Sugar, Milk, and Vanilla in a small bowl until well blended and smooth.  Drizzle over the cooled shortbread.
Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine December 2008

Note: The tea will be used whole in the cookie dough.  You may want to sort out any larger pieces or grind.

Ingredients:

3 Teaspoons Chai Tea (such as our Classic Chai Black Tea)
3 Cups all purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 ½ Cups Butter, softened
1 Cup Sugar
2 Egg Yolks
2 Tablespoons Molasses
1 Recipe Powdered Sugar Icing

Directions:

In a medium bowl, combine Tea, Flour, and Pumpkin Pie spice.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat Butter on medium to high for 30 seconds.  Add Sugar, beat until light and fluffy.  Beat in Egg Yolks and Molasses.  Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can.  Stir in remaining flour mixture.  Divide dough in half.  Cover and refrigerate 3 hours or until easy to handle.

Preheat oven to 350oF.  Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper  On lightly floured surface, roll half the dough at a time to ¼ inch thickness.  Cut dough with 4 inch cookie cutters.  

Bake 12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.  Cool on cookie sheets 2 minutes.  Transfer to rack to cook completely.  Decorate with Powdered Sugar Icing (recipe follows).  Makes 18-20 cookies.

Powdered Sugar Icing

Ingredients:

1 ½ Cups Powdered Sugar
½ Teaspoon Vanilla
4 Teaspoons of Milk plus additional milk as needed

Directions:

In medium bowl, combine sugar, vanilla, and milk.  Stir in additional milk, 1 Teaspoon at a time until piping consistency.  

To Store:

Layer cookie between waxed paper in covered airtight container.  Store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, December 2008

 Lavender Honey Tea Bread

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
Use a Bundt pan or any other decorative ten-cup fluted pan.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons lavender honey
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon dried lavender blossoms

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 8-ounce container sour cream (1 cup)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation:

Bring milk to simmer in small saucepan; add honey and 1 tablespoon lavender blossoms. Stir until honey dissolves. Remove from heat; cover and let steep 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour decorative 10-cup fluted pan or Bundt pan. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.

Strain milk mixture into another medium bowl; discard solids in strainer. Whisk sour cream into milk mixture to blend. Using electric mixer, beat 1 cup sugar and butter in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after each addition. Add flour mixture alternately with milk mixture in 3 additions each, beating just until smooth. Transfer batter to prepared pan; smooth top with rubber spatula.

Bake bread until tester inserted near center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool bread in pan on rack 10 minutes. Turn out onto rack and cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoon lavender blossoms in strainer set over small bowl. Press sugar mixture through strainer, discarding large bits. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and store at room temperature.) Sift strained powdered sugar mixture over bread.

Baker's wisdom:
For a delicate texture, mix in the dry ingredients just until the tea bread batter is blended.

Adapted from Bon Appétit Magazine  February 2006