Earl Grey Blondies Recipes

DOWNTON ABBEY EARL GREY SHORTBREAD COOKIES

Steps:

• Blend the butter and earl grey tea leaves together and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours, longer is fine. If you are running short on time, this step can be skipped and the tea can be added with the powdered sugar. Just note that the flavor may not be as strong.
• Once the butter has finished setting. Preheat oven to 350­° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Cream the butter and tea mixture and powdered sugar in a large bowl or stand mixer.
• Add in the flour and salt. Continue to mix until a soft dough forms. The mix will be dry and crumbly at first but will come together.
• Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface until it's 1/4-inch thick.
• Cut out cookies using a 2-inch round cookie cutter.
• Bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 12 to 15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown in color.
• Once cooled, whisk together the glaze ingredients and dip or drizzle the cookies as desired and place on wax paper to set.

EARL GREY BLONDIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides; coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray.
• Pulse the brown sugar, granulated sugar and tea in a food processor until the tea leaves are finely chopped into a fine powder and evenly dispersed. Set aside.
• Whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until brown flecks appear, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the sugar-tea mixture and the maple syrup. Let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the eggs one at a time, then add the vanilla extract and lemon zest.
• Fold the brown butter-egg mixture into the flour mixture with a rubber spatula, then fold in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely in the pan.
• Lift the blondies out of the pan using the foil overhang; discard the foil. Cut into small squares and serve.

EARL GREY TEA CAKE WITH DARK CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE ZEST

Steps:

• Prepare the frosting: In a small saucepan, bring 1/2 cup/120 milliliters heavy cream to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir in the tea, remove from the heat, cover and let stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. Strain the tea through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids, and chill the remaining cream until completely cold, at least 1 hour.
• Prepare the cake: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, tea, baking powder and salt.
• In large bowl, beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the orange zest and beat to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the flour mixture on low, until just combined, then beat in the milk. (Don't overmix.) Add the chocolate and fold it in using a spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake just until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then tip the cake out onto the rack to cool completely.
• To finish the frosting, add the remaining 1/4 cup/60 milliliters cream and the confectioners' sugar to the tea cream. With an electric mixer on medium, beat the cream mixture until medium-stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mascarpone and beat just until stiff peaks form. (Do not overmix.) Top the cake with the frosting to serve. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; let come to room temperature before serving.

BLONDIES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and line a 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides.
• In a medium saucepan combine the butter and sugar, and heat over medium until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, and whisk vigorously until well combined.
• Let mixture cool for about 10 minutes, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time. Whisk in the vanilla.
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and stir to combine. (You might still have some flecks of flour. That's OK.) Stir in 1 1/4 cup of the chocolate. Transfer to the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the remaining chocolate.
• Bake until the very top looks just set, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 18 to 20 minutes. Do not overbake.
• Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes. Lift out using the paper, and transfer to a cutting board. Cut into 16 pieces.

JUNETEENTH MACARONS

Steps:

• For the macaron shells: Combine the egg whites, cream of tartar and 1 teaspoon of the granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Whip on medium speed until it's foamy and triples in volume.
• Meanwhile, sift together the confectioners' sugar, almond flour, black cocoa powder and unsweetened cocoa powder into a medium bowl. Set aside.
• Reduce the speed of the mixer and gradually add the remainder of the granulated sugar. Whip on medium speed until the mixture holds medium peaks, then add the black food color. Continue to whip until the meringue holds stiff peaks.
• Place a medium round tip into a pastry bag. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.
• Remove the meringue from the mixer. In two additions, fold the sifted confectioners' sugar mixture into the meringue with a rubber spatula. Make sure most of the dry ingredients are incorporated before adding the second half.
• Once all of the dry ingredients have been incorporated, use the spatula to press the batter against the side of the bowl to remove air bubbles. The batter is ready when it will hold the track of a full figure eight made in the batter with the spatula.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared pastry bag. Pipe rounds about the size of a silver dollar onto the prepared baking sheets. Make sure to leave at least 1 1/2 inches between each macaron.
• Bang each sheet pan on the countertop at least 5 times to remove any air bubbles. Sprinkle each macaron with the sprinkles. Allow the macarons to sit at room temperature until dry to the touch, at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Bake the sheet pans of macarons one at a time on the middle rack of the oven until the shells puff and feel firm to the touch, 20 to 22 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through. Allow the macaron shells to cool completely on the pan.
• For the mango Swiss buttercream: Fill a medium saucepan halfway with water and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat so it just simmers.
• Whisk together the egg whites and sugar in a medium heat-safe bowl. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar fully dissolves; make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
• Transfer the mixture to the bowl of the mixer. Whip on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Reduce the spread and gradually add the softened butter. Once all of the butter has been added, stop and scrape the sides of the bowl. Continue mixing on medium speed until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.
• Add the freeze-dried mango powder and lemon extract and mix until the buttercream is thick and silky, 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Transfer the mango buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe a quarter-size mound of buttercream onto the flat side of one macaron shell and gently top with another macaron, making a sandwich cookie. Repeat with the remaining macaron shells.

CITRUS ICEBOX PIE

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Stir together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a medium bowl until combined. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Bake until the crumbs have toasted and set, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• For the filling and graham cracker layer: Puree the cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk in a food processor until silky and completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the citrus zest, juice and salt, then pulse until combined.
• Pour half of the filling into the cooled cookie crust, then sprinkle with the chopped graham crackers. Top with the remaining filling, then smooth out the top into an even layer with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until chilled through and set, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.
• For the whipped cream topping: Whisk together the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in a large bowl until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a star tip. Pipe large star-shaped dollops of whipped cream around the edge of the pie, then decorate with lime and lemon rounds-you can cut slits in them first then twist the rounds, if desired. Cut the pie wedges and serve chilled.

ICE CREAM TRIFLES

Steps:

• Make the cherries jubilee: In a medium saucepan, combine the cherries, sugar and grenadine over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the rum and cook for 1 more minute. Remove from the heat and let cool in the pan. Can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to 5 days.
• To assemble each of 6 trifles: Place the ice cream in a pastry bag (no tip needed). Place 1 cake round in a clear 8-ounce plastic food-safe jar (2 1/2 inches in diameter and at least 3 inches tall). Pipe about 1/4 cup of the ice cream. Top with a tablespoon of cherries jubilee. Repeat the layering with the cake, ice cream and cherries jubilee. Cover with the final layer of cake and top with some of the chocolate sauce. Cover and freeze for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes before serving.

EARL GREY BROWNIES

Steps:

• Brownies.
• Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving 2 inches hanging over two opposite sides. Butter the foil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring often. Add 1 cup of the sugar and stir for 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the mixture into a large bowl.
• In a medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar and the eggs. Whisk well. Pour 1/2 of the egg mixture into the chocolate mixture, stirring to combine.
• In an electric mixer, beat the remaining egg mixture for 2 minutes or until thick and pale colored. Fold the beaten egg mixture into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold in the flour mixture.
• Pour the batter into the pan. Bake the brownies in the middle of the oven for 35 to 38 minutes or until the top is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out lightly streaked with chocolate. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate the brownies in the pan for at least 1 hour. (The brownies can be made up to 1 day in advance.).
• GANACHE.
• In a medium bowl, combine the chocolate and honey. Set a fine strainer over the bowl.
• In a small saucepan, combine the cream and tea leaves or bags and heat over medium-high heat until bubbling. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes. Pour the cream through the strainer into the chocolate mixture. Use a rubber spatula to stir the cream and chocolate until the chocolate melts.
• Set aside 1/2 cup of this ganache mixture at room temperature.
• Refrigerate the remaining ganache in the bowl for 45 minutes or until it sets.
• In an electric mixer, beat the chilled ganache for 1 minute or until creamy and lightened. Spread it over the brownies. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• If the 1/2 cup ganache you set aside has thickened, heat it for 10 to 15 seconds in a microwave or set it in a bowl of warm water and stir until it is pourable. Pour it onto the chilled ganache layer. Return the pan to the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until firm.
• Holding onto the foil overhang, lift the brownies out of the pan. Set them on a cutting board. Using a thin, sharp knife, and wiping the blade clean after each cut, make 4 cuts in one direction to yield 5 rows. Give the pan a quarter turn and make 4 cuts in the other direction to yield 5 more rows. Lift the brownies off the foil.