Peach Tea Shortbread Cookies are crunchy,buttery treats. Infusing the butter with peach tea leaves gives these special cookies the delicious aroma and flavor of peach tea.
Why you'll love this recipe
Peach Tea Shortbread Cookies are filled with the flavors of the spring and summer, yet pair perfectly with a warm cup of tea to ward off unseasonable cold. Coating the shortbread in creamy dark chocolate turns simple cookies into comfort food.
The delicious cookies get their flavor from peach tea leaves. Using tea as a flavoring was new to me, so I researched and found several ways to add tea flavor to baked goods.
After a few trial runs, I found that the cookies with the best flavor and texture were made with infused butter. Infused butter sounds much more impressive and complicated than it actually is.
Go ahead and be impressed if you like, but don’t run away because you think this recipe is too involved. This technique takes less than 15 minutes.
How to make tea infused butter
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add tea leaves to the melted butter and remove from heat.
- Seep for 10 minutes.
- Place a fine mesh strainer over a large mixing bowl. Pour in the butter, straining out the leaves.
That’s it. The butter, infused with fragrant peach tea, is mixed with just a few other ingredients to create melt-in-your-mouth, crunchy Peach Tea Shortbread Cookies. A dip in dark chocolate gives the cookies a flavor boost and a little sparkling sugar adds bling.
Instructions
This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Combine the infused butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flour and stir until a slightly crumbly dough forms.
- Form the dough into a log. Wrap the dough log in parchment paper, then in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm enough to slice.
- When ready to bake, slice the dough log into ¼” rounds and place on a parchment lined baking sheet about 1” apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until bottom edges are just beginning to brown.
- When the cookies are completely cool, dip one half of each cookie into melted chocolate. If using decorating sugar, sprinkle immediately after dipping.
- Refrigerate the dipped cookies for 5-10 minutes only, to set the chocolate.
Storage
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for at least 1 week. Separate layers of cookies with waxed paper. Uncooked dough logs can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 1 month.
Related recipes
Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies are chocolate cookies speckled with bits of chopped peppermint chips.
Oatmeal Shortbread Cookies get their special toasty flavor from oats added to this melt in your mouth, buttery cookie.
Vanilla Bean Shortbread Cookies have spectacular vanilla flavor and a delicious crunch.
Chocolate Shortbread Cookies are packed with chocolate. These cookies have chocolate dough, chocolate chips, and two chocolate coatings!
Shortbread Thumbprint Cookies have an indentation in the middle that you can fill with candy, chocolate, or jam! Sprinkles add color for holidays or sports teams.
Dr. Seuss Cookies are easy slice and bake sugar cookies that are perfect for a Green Eggs and Ham snack!
Ready to bake? Join the free membership group to get new recipes and a newsletter delivered to your inbox! You can also stay in touch on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. I’d love to stay in touch!
Peach Tea Shortbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons peach tea leaves Slightly less if tea is finely ground. I used the leaves from 6 Republic of Tea Ginger Peach round bags.
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of table salt
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup dark melting chocolate
- ¼ cup decorating sugar optional
Instructions
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter with tea leaves. When the butter is completely melted, remove from heat and allow to seep for 10 minutes.
- Remove the tea leaves from the butter by pouring the butter through a fine mesh strainer into a medium mixing bowl. Discard the tea leaves.
- Stir in sugar, vanilla, and salt.
- Add the flour and stir until combined and a dough forms. The dough will be slightly crumbly but should hold together when formed into a log.
- Form the dough into a log about 12 inches long (with a 1 ½” diameter) and place onto the center of a sheet of parchment paper. Fold the parchment over the dough and push a ruler edge or dough scraper against the bottom of the log to remove air pockets and compress the dough.
- Wrap the compressed dough log in the parchment paper then in plastic wrap. Inserting the wrapped log into a cardboard paper towel tube will help keep the log rounded on all sides.
- Refrigerate for about 2 hours until firm enough to slice.
- WHEN READY TO BAKE: Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice the dough log into ¼” rounds and place on the prepared baking sheet about 1” apart.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes until bottom edges are just beginning to brown. The top of the cookies will still be unbrowned and slightly soft to the touch. (They will firm up as they cool.)
- Allow cookies to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Line a baking sheet (that will fit in your refrigerator) with wax paper.
- Melt dipping chocolate according to package directions. (I melted mine in a double boiler, over a gentle heat, until it was a pourable, dipping consistency.)
- Dip one half of each cookie into the melted chocolate. To remove excess chocolate, with the cookie still held over the pot, tap gently on the wrist on the hand holding the dipped cookie. Place on the wax paper. If using decorating sugar, sprinkle immediately after dipping.
- Refrigerate the dipped cookies for 5-10 minutes only, to set the chocolate.
- Cookies must be completely cool and/or chocolate completely set before storage. Store at room temperature in an airtight container for at least 1 week. Separate layers of cookies with waxed paper. Uncooked dough logs can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for 1 month.
Notes
Nutrition
First Published: March 21, 2014. Last Updated: December 21, 2022. Updated for more information and better reader experience.
Sarah
Looks great! Did you use the black or green peach ginger tea? Thanks!!
The Monday Box
Hi, Sarah. I used the black peach ginger tea (probably decaf because that is what I have in the house most often) made by Republic of Tea, but I see no reason why you couldn't use green tea instead if that is the flavor you prefer. I idea is to get the flavor you love in your tea cup into your shortbread! 🙂
Kristine's Kitchen
What a good idea to infuse the butter with the flavor from the tea leaves! I love shortbread cookies, and these are so pretty!
themondaybox
Thanks, Kristine! The infused butter really absorbs the scent and flavor of the tea! I especially like that you don't end up with tea leaves in your cookies! 🙂
Reeni
I never heard of that technique before! I love peach iced tea! I think I'd have a cookie with peach tea to drink it with - double peachy. I was approached by the same company but was hesitant. The chocolate looks so smooth and perfect - I'm glad you found something that finally worked for you. I have been using Guittard wafers lately with good results.
themondaybox
The infused butter worked really well, Reeni, and I am looking forward to trying it with different teas. I agree that these cookies would be wonderful with a glass of iced peach tea! Did you order your Guittard wafers online? We don't seem to have them available locally. The Chocoley wafers produced such a thin, lustrous coating with a snap. A big step up from candy melts! The Chocoley people are great to work with. Email me if you want further details. I had an excellent experience with Chocoley.
shannon
peach!! baked goods with tea are awesome, and peach is one you don't always see! love the steeping method, too; very creative and i bet it flavors everything wonderfully.
now what's that you say about it being spring? because...i saw snowflakes outside yesterday, and i just saw someone walk by the window with about 39 jackets on. 🙁 i...want...spring.
themondaybox
I too want spring...that's where the peach tea in cookie idea came from! Peach just screams warm weather to me. The infusing methods are not mine....I did "Shannon-style" research to investigate the methods of the rich and famous. I then spent days baking and force feeding cookies to my taste testers. .....well, the first 3 batches were eaten enthusiastically,all cookies after that required coaxing:) these really are lovely with a glass of iced tea or a cup of steamy tea.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
These looks delicious and so pretty too. Peach tea is a favorite in our house!
themondaybox
Thanks, Tricia! I am so glad your comment finally worked! I am fine with technology as long I am not expected to fix anything!
We always have a pitcher of Republic of Tea Ginger- Peach tea in our fridge...having a tea flavored shortbread cookie to nibble as you sip is doubly nice. 🙂
mmmarzipan
these sound too good to be true! what an amazing flavour combo!
themondaybox
Thanks! Peach tea is a family favorite and dipping that flavor in chocolate just makes it extra yum. 🙂
Jess @ On Sugar Mountain
teehee I am eager for winter to end as well! It's been wicked here in NJ and I need some spring in my step. 🙂 I bet these shortbread cookies are just the thing I need! Love how you dipped them in chocolate, too. Chocolate brightens everyone's mood!
themondaybox
Thanks, Jess! I agree that chocolate dipping ups the deliciousness factor! Have a cookie and imagine a glorious and warm spring!
Ashley
Infusing the butter with the tea leaves sounds like a great way to go! I've been wanting to play around with tea in baked goods so I am definitely going to have to give that method a try! And I mean chocolate covered peach cookies?? Sign me up for that!
themondaybox
The only other way that gave real tea taste was grinding the leaves and putting them in the cookie. The tiny bits are only minimally noticeable in the texture (a little gritty) but I thought there was a bitter aftertaste (well, yeah, you are eating tea leaves). Infusing the butter is so easy and then you just proceed as usual with a recipe. I can't wait to see what you come up with, Ashley!
chrisscheuer
What a fun and pretty way to celebrate spring!
themondaybox
Thanks, Chris! Yeah, to spring! 🙂
Monica
These peach tea shortbread cookies look incredible, Wendy. And great job on your testing to come up with the infused butter idea...I wish I could be so creative and patient. I was really admiring the chocolate dip and interesting to hear you explain the product you used. It's so hard to get a thin coating of shiny chocolate (that doesn't bloom the next day) on cookies and things. These must be a wonderful treat! Great pictures and I want to just grab that cup of tea with those cookies. : )
themondaybox
Thanks, Monica! I really was thinking about you when I tried the chocolate coating! I kept asking myself if Monica, a certified chocolate enthusiast,would like it. :)The product was free, which technically makes this a sponsored post (sort of exciting, my first) but I think the photos back up my words, at least the part of thin and a bit of a shine. The coating even snaps when you bite into it like tempered chocolate! Several days later.....no bloom!! I was also surprised that it was so easy to melt and flowed so well over the cookies. It tastes like chocolate (not sweet wax). Verdict: As long as a deep (high cocoa butter %) dark chocolate isn't required, I think you would like this stuff a lot for ease, looks, and flavor. 🙂
Monica
I am honored you thought of me...I see that I have advertised my chocolate addiction very properly and thoroughly. : ) I'm happy to learn of this. Tempering is not something I see myself doing and I would opt for a shortcut like this if I needed to. I am always amazed when people tell me they dipped things with regular chocolate and don't have problems with bloom because I always do...not having to worry about that is great. I am really impressed it even snaps!! Good find, Wendy. Have a good weekend... : )
kerenbaker
Are you serious? Awesome awesome idea for the steeped tea leaves in the butter. I HAVE to try these. Thanks for sharing ( although my hips do not thank you!!) X
themondaybox
Omg,Keren...I hear you about the hips. 🙂 Taste testing is a killer! 🙂 I was amazed to learn about infused butter too! You can use any tea you like, as long as it is a strong fragrant tea , Earl Grey for example, it should work. 🙂
Charisma
These look adorable and really tasty!
themondaybox
Thanks, Charisma! They are good munching on their own but especially lovely with a cup of tea. 🙂