Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies

I have been making these cookies for well over 14 years. I found this recipe from Claire Robinson on the Food Network webpage. These cookies are so delicious, the perfect post-meal snack: sweet, savory, and fragrant. They are a staple in my house.

Annotated Cooking Notes: Truth be told, I have made these for years and still struggle to roll the dough up into a perfect log. Nonetheless, they taste delicious, even if more often than not, mine are not perfectly round.

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons loose Earl Grey tea leaves

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature

Directions:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt until the tea is just spotted throughout the flour. Add the confectioners' sugar, vanilla, and butter. Pulse together just until a dough is formed. Place dough on a sheet of plastic wrap, and roll into a log, about 2 1/2-inches in diameter. Tightly twist each end of the wrap, and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3. Slice the log into 1/3-inch thick disks. Place on parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheets, 2 inches apart (2 probably needed depending on the size of the sheets). Bake until the edges are just brown, about 12 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks and cool to room temperature.