#tea shortbread

[fullcravings]

Earl Grey Shortbread

[lapsang-and-earlgrey]

Q Branch Tea Shortbread Part 3

Hanako’s Matcha Green Tea Shortbread 

Hanako came to the UK to study for her MEng in Computing - Software Engineering at Imperial College where Q occasionally gives lectures. Q was so impressed with her that he kept an eye on her and offered her a job as soon as she graduated.

ingredients

300g/10.5oz/ 2 cups Flour (plain/all purpose)

200g/7oz/1.75 sticks Butter at room temperature 

100g /3.5 oz/1 cup Caster Sugar (if your in the us buy the finest grain sugar you can but dont use confectioners/powdered sugar)

2 tbsp Matcha Tea Powder (you can also use sencha powder which is cheaper)

1tsp of Vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp water if needed

Method - the traditional method (see the other posts for other methods)

Mix the flour and matcha together with a spoon or fork and sift it into a large bowl. Add the sugar.

Cut the room temperature butter into small chucks and add to the bowl give it a rough stir at this stage add the vanilla extract.

Using clean hands rub the butter into the flour; working it through your fingers by using your thumbs and the heal of your hand to push it against the tips of your other fingers (I hope this makes sense) work the mixture together until it the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. if your mixture is a little dry and 1-2 tablespoons of water a little at a time and mix until you can form the dough into a ball.

Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface. 

If you have a cute biscuit cutter roll the mixture out until it's 6mm or 1/4 inch thick and cut out as many shape as you can. You can re roll the left overs but don’t do it more than twice or your biscuits will crumble and be over worked. Place them on a baking tray and cover and chill them for 15 minutes.

Alternatively divide the mixture in two and roll it into logs about 18 cm/7 inches long 5 cm/2 inches wide. Wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for 15 minute before cutting into 6mm or 1/4 inch thick rounds.

Bake in a preheated oven 180C /360F for about 8 minutes before they brown turn the oven off and leave to cool with the door slightly ajar. This allows the biscuits to bake fully without loosing that beautiful natural green colour or overwhelming the green tea flavour.

Freezing instruction: because this makes enough to feed a whole branch of minions.

These biscuits can easily frozen either as individually cut out biscuits by freezing them on a baking tray before transferring them to a freezer safe container once frozen or as logs to be cut up once defrosted.

[lapsang-and-earlgrey]

Q-Branch Tea Shortbread Part  1

Many of us, me included headcanon R Q’s right-hand women as coming from the Indian sub continent so I present a recipe inspired by this fan-canon

R’s Marasala Chai Shortbread

ingredients

300g/10.5oz/ 2cups all Flour 

200g/7oz/1.75 sticks Butter

100g /3.5 oz/1 cup Caster sugar

Four tea bags / 2 tbsp of un-Flavoured Tea Engish or Irish breakfast is good but pg tips are fine.

2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/4 tsp Ground Cardamon

1-2 tbsp of water

Method 

Put the sugar and butter in a large bowl. Using a stand mixer or an electric whisk or a food processor and cream together til it's just combined. Do not over beat it you’ll ruin your biscuits.

Mix the tea and spices and the flour with a fork or spoon until well mixed.

Sift the flour and spices into the butter and sugar on a low-speed mix until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs.

Depending on your flour add 1-2 tbsp of water a litte at a time until the mixture begins to bind together. Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and form it together using your hands.

If you have a cute biscuit cutter roll the mixture out until it's 6mm or 1/4 inch and cut out as many shape as you can. You can re roll the left overs but don’t do it more than twice or your biscuits will crumble. Place them on a baking tray and cover and chill them for 15 minutes

Alternatively divide the mixture in two and roll it into logs about 18 cm/7 inches long 5 cm/2 inches wide. Wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for 15 minute before cutting into 6mm or 1/4 inch thick rounds.

Bake in a preheated oven 180C /360F for about 10 minutes or until they just start to tun golden.

Freezing instruction:

These biscuits can easily frozen either as individually cut out biscuits or as logs to be cut up once defrosted.

[lapsang-and-earlgrey]

Q Branch Tea Shortbread Part 2

Q’s Earl Grey and Lemon Shortbread

Q didn’t start the Q branch baking baking competitions but he joined in with gusto. After all minions need other hobbies. Sometimes MI6 even has inter-branch competitions but they have been none to bring out the cheats

Sorry I over baked these a little

Ingredients

300g/10.5oz/ 2cups Flour (plain/all purpose)

200g/7oz/1.75 sticks Butter

100g /3.5 oz/1 cup Caster sugar 

4 Earl Grey Tea bags or 2 tbsp of Loose Leaf Earl Grey 

The Zest of One Lemon

2 tbsp Lemon Juice 

Method - The food processor all in one-ish method. ( see the other posts for other methods )

If you’re using loose leaf which I recommend because the flavour is always better; use a very clean coffee grinder or pestle and mortar to grind up the tea leaves. You can also use a knife to chop it but thats too much hard work.

Zest the lemon and chop it finely if necessary. 

Combine the lemon zest, flour and tea in the food processor and mix until well combined.

Add the sugar and butter and pulse until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the lemon juice and continue to pulse until the mixture the liquid is incorporated.

Turn the mixture out onto a floured surface and form it together using your hands.

If you have a cute biscuit cutter roll the mixture out until it's 6mm or 1/4 inch thick and cut out as many shape as you can. You can re roll the left overs but don’t do it more than twice or your biscuits will crumble and be over worked. Place them on a baking tray and cover and chill them for 15 minutes.

Alternatively divide the mixture in two and roll it into logs about 18 cm/7 inches long 5 cm/2 inches wide. Wrap it in cling film and leave it in the fridge for 15 minute before cutting into 6mm or 1/4 inch thick rounds.

Bake in a preheated oven 180C /360F for about 10 minutes or until they just start to turn golden. (unlike the above picture)

Freezing instruction: because this makes enough to feed a whole branch of minions.

These biscuits can easily frozen either as individually cut out biscuits by freezing them on a baking tray before transferring them to a freezer safe container once frozen or as logs to be cut up once defrosted.