In The Wild Heart Kitchen

The tale of my all purpose dough and the memories that feed me.

I am a self taught baker and cook. But my love of baking came from somewhere. I had a Bubby.

Did you have a Bubby? With that knowing, crooked smile? Do you remember her house? The slight smell of mothballs entwined with stuffed cabbage, cookies, and tea? Is the outdated kitchen still considered vintage? Going to Bubby’s was always an adventure. Old photographs, mismatched cups and plates. Everything had an exact place sitting on a doily. My mother would often leave me at Bubby’s house for the day. 

A day at Bubby’s house had three guarantees: Wheel of Fortune and The Price is Right would hum in the background, there would be tuna fish and cream cheese sandwiches for lunch, and we would bake.

Baking was the highlight of my day. Bubby had one dough to rule them all. She used it as cookie dough, apple cake dough, hamantaschen dough, rugelach dough, and on and on. It was perfect and lemony and soft but crunchy in all the right ways, all at once. I love this dough. It’s the  taste of my entire childhood and sifts through my dreams on a regular basis.

And I have no idea how to make it.

What I do have are her rolling pin and cookie cutters. It felt like a passing of the torch-  where her baking ended and mine would begin. I also have her baking wisdom, still vivid in my mind, instructing me how the dough should feel just right, how to dust the counter with flour, how to roll the dough out just enough.

And it was just enough. It is just enough.

She taught me just enough to push me into exactly where I am.

Over the years, I have developed my own form of her all purpose dough. Instead of margarine I use butter (oh, how I love butter!). I grate in lemon zest like she did, knowing it will perfume the dough with lemon essence and cut the sugar flavor in the cookie. Just like my Bubby, I use my all purpose dough for hamantaschen and countless styles of cookies. 

My all purpose dough is also the base for these scrumptious Earl Gray cookies. My Earl Gray cookies are buttery, fresh, and incredibly light. They have a finer crumb than a shortbread; almost melting away in your mouth, yet are sturdy and hold up to the tea dunking test. Adding raw tea to the dough creates a beautiful cookie with a subtle bergamot flavor that compliments the lemony dough. 

I find these cookies are absolutely delicious in their simplicity. Keep them tucked away in a tin for a rainy day pick-me-up. If you want a cookie with an extra elegant flourish, spread a thin layer of quality preserves to create sandwich cookies. They are perfect for a tea date with a friend and the small treat to serve my little girls for tea time on a Sunday afternoon. 

Though this dough has evolved over time, the memories it evokes remain constant.  In the vintage kitchen with the doilies, I still see Bubby, with the crooked fingers and all knowing smile, standing by the stove waiting for the kettle to boil. She’s tapping the counter, humming softly. Now, in my own kitchen, I too wait for the kettle to boil, for the cookies to ready, and for someone to share them with.  

Print Recipe

Earl Grey Cookies with Apricot Preserves

Course: Brunch, Dessert, Tea

Cuisine: European

Keyword: apricot, cookies, earl grey

Servings: 30 Sandwich Cookies

Author: Johanna Rothenberg

Ingredients

• 2.5 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature/softened (roughly 282.5 grams)
• ½ cup sugar
• zest of 1.5 large lemons
• 1 Large Egg at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 tablespoons ground earl grey tea see note
• 2.5 cups all purpose flour plus extra for sprinkling.
• 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
• ½ teaspoon table salt
• 30 teaspoon quality apricot preserves see note

Instructions

• Fit a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter and sugar on medium speed. You may need to scrape down the bowl a few times. The mixture should be completely combined and whipped.
• Add lemon zest, egg, orange juice, and vanilla extract. Mix on a medium speed to combine.
• Add the ground tea, flour, baking powder, and salt. Begin the mixer on low to slowly incorporate the ingredients and to avoid a flour cloud! Mix for a less than a minute, until the dough begins to form and there is no visible flour remaining. The dough should be slightly pliable.
• If the dough is still overly sticky (sticking to your hands like goo) mix in flour, a tablespoon at a time, and knead the dough by hand. This will ensure your dough does not become too dry or overworked.
• Remove the dough from the bowl, gently press the dough together. Split the dough in half and form each piece into a very flat disc. Cover each disk thoroughly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours. The dough can rest in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Remove dough from the fridge and let it rest wrapped on the counter, until the dough is no longer hard and chilled. This can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes.
• On a well floured surface, gently roll out the dough until 1/8-1/4 inch thick. You may need to reflour the surface if the dough begins to stick. Be sure to pay attention that your dough is even in thickness. You can tell by running your hand over the dough, your hands will notice if there are any bumps, waves, or changes.
• Using a 2.5 inch cookie cutter, cut out your cookies. Gather the scraps into a ball, roll the dough out and cut out more cookies. Repeat this process until you have none to little scrap remaining.
• If you want to make sandwich cookies, take half of your cookies and stamp out a smaller circle in the middle of them. These will be your cookie “tops”.
• Place your cookies on a tray lined with parchment paper and freeze them for 5-10 minutes until firm. This will help the cookies keep their shape better while baking.
• Place your cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 10-15 minutes until the edges turn slightly golden brown.
• Let cookies cool completely.
• If you are making sandwich cookies: place 1 teaspoon of quality apricot preserves on a cookie “bottom” (one with no hole) and place a cookie with lid on top.
• Serve with a cup of tea and enjoy!
• This cookie tastes better the next day! Store in a tight fitting glass jar for up to five days. If they are filled with jam, cookies should be kept in the fridge.

Notes

This cookie’s flavor deepens after it has rested. It tastes best the next day.

Storage: Keep cookies in a glass jar with a lid (with no jam) for 4 -5 days. Once filled with jam, store cookies in the fridge.

Grinding tea leaves: Grind your tea with a mortar and pestle. You can also put the tea in a zip top bag with the air squeezed out and roll a rolling pin over it until the tea is ground short of turning to powder. You want some small bits! If you see any twigs in the tea (this is common) remove them.

Apricot Preserves: Use the best quality preserves you can find. This will affect the final outcome of your cookie!

Freeze the raw, cut out cookies: Freeze on a cookie sheet until hardened, then place in a zip top bag. When you are ready to bake them, bake them frozen, as directed in the method section of this post.