Dark Earl Grey Cookies

I almost called these cookies "Earl Greyer" but  decided that's what we'd name our Weimaraner...if we ever get one.

This cookie is inspired by some chocolates my parents brought back from Belgium. Yup...they take off to Brussels, and all I got was some Earl Grey tea-flavored Neuhaus chocolates. Who am I kidding? That was the perfect souvenir...way better than any T-shirt they could have gotten me.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find those chocolates anywhere. That's the reason I came up with this recipe: to duplicate the flavor of those chocolates Mumma and Puppa brought home for me.

It may sound odd, but tea and chocolate go really well together. The rich, bitter-but-sweet flavor of the dark chocolate and the lightly floral and citrusy, smoky undertones of the tea are delicious. One warning, though: These pack a caffeine kick, so you might want to use caffeine-free earl grey tea if you'll be eating these cookies past lunchtime.

I use three kinds of chocolate in this cookie: cocoa powder, melted dark chocolate, and dark chocolate chips. For the tea, I simply cut open tea bags and emptied their contents. (I used Twining's Earl Grey tea.) These cookies are rich and fudgy like brownies but with a refined, elegant flavor you'd find in a schmancy truffle from a chocolatiere.

Makes 3 dozen cookies. (To see this recipe in process, check out Picturing Dark Earl Grey Cookies.)

Creamables	1 stick butter 1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar 1/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup cocoa powder
Wet Ingredients	1 egg yolk 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla 2 ounces melted dark chocolate Contents of 4 Earl Grey tea bags
Dry Ingredients	1 1/2 cups oatmeal 1 1/2 cups flour 1 cup dark chocolate chips 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon salt Contents of 1 Earl Grey tea bag

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients and then add to the creamables. Mix together until smooth.
4. In another large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
5. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
6. Roll each dough ball in turbinado or raw sugar.
7. Place sugared dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
8. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.

Comments

[April]

These look so good! And how dare your parents go to Belgium without you?? :-) Hugs.

[Lorraine]

What a creative recipe!! These really do look delicious.

[Alicia]

Oooooo!!!! These look so good.

[IYC]

thanks for the batch! they're awesome, as usual. i'll miss cookie mondays so much. they were the best and you're the best! see u soon, g!

[Laurel]

Now this sounds like my kind of cookie and something I can make from ingredients here...since I live in Brussels! Can't wait to give them a try. I hope your parents enjoyed Belgium

[stripeydots]

Hi Greg, I'll be making these this weekend, can't wait to taste the tea and chocolate combo!

[Mumma]

WOW! You have an amazing memory...Dad and I went to Brussels back in '98. Those chocolates must have left quite an impression on you, but Belgian chocolate is the BEST I've ever tasted. Get yourself a passport and we can "hop over the pond" for some taste testing! Belgium is a beautiful country...and the mussels in Brussels are SO-O-O good!!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, everybody. It looks like these guys are going to be really popular! Thanks for all your comments. :-)

[Noel]

Hi Greg, Very cool and unique cookies. I'm very surprised about including the actual tea leaves in the cookie though. How small were the leaves inside the bags? I'm afraid of trying with the loose leaf Earl Grey tea I have because I think it might end up with large leaves in the cookies, giving them an unpleasant texture.

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Noel. Great question. I wrote a whole post about it here:

http://oatmealcookie.typepad.com/the_oatmeal_cookie_blog/2008/10/read-query-what-kind-of-tea.html

[Antonia]

What an interesting recipe - I am something of an earl grey addict but have never really used it in cooking. I'll have to bookmark these!

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Antonia. Please let me know how they turn out. :-)

[Kate Dohl]

These cookies are so awesome! A friend made them for a cookie exchange, and even my afraid-to-try-anything-new husband loved them and we have added them to our Christmas Cookie Plate. I did have to refrigerate the batter to make balls; or was I supposed to not roll them?

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, Kate. I'm so glad you and your husband liked these guys. Yay! I use a scooper to make the dough balls, so a slightly sticky dough is OK for me. No worries if you had to chill the dough a little. Whatever works for you! :-)

[Em]

I finally made them! Used loose leaf- the magic bullet grinded it up very nicely. Used all my tea for the wet ingredients, so the dry went without, but they are dang tasty regardless!

[MsTea]

Hi! I also made these and posted your recipe in my Hungarian tea blog called Tealevelek! I also have a video about the baking process! I have one question - when you mean 1 stick butter, how much does it weigh? (You know in Hungary we might have butter in different size - just make the perfect cookies :) ) Thanks for the recipe! I added some Grand Marnier, it was great!

http://tealevelek.blog.hu/2010/06/08/earl_grey_suti_rulez

[Oatmeal Cookie Guy]

Hi, MsTea. Wow. It's so cool to know that people from all over the world are eating my cookies. Thanks for trying out my recipe and for writing in!

I guess it is kind of weird that we measure butter by the "stick" here in the United States. Here's a helpful breakdown for you: 1 stick of butter = 113.5 grams or 1/4 pound or 4 ounces or 1/2 cup or 8 tablespoons or 14 teaspoons.

[Barichan]

Hi! I also made these, and woow, great :) Thank you very much! Thanks for the recipe!