Hello!!!
It is officially fall! A perfect fall day to me is sipping a warm drink and casually reading amidst the mid-day buzz of a busy coffeeshop. Soo what’s my drink of choice? I honestly fell off the pumpkin spice latte train a long time ago… so when this time of year rolls around, I turn to my trusted London Fog order. A London Fog is essentially an earl gray latte with vanilla syrup: warm, milky, and slightly sweet. I think it’s literally the most comforting drink on a fall afternoon.
I wanted to recreate this drink in cookie form! And these earl gray vanilla cookies turned out so delicious. They’re a little bit peppery, fragrant (as tea is), but also really subtle. Because of this, I feel like they’re the perfect fall cookie. They’re really a transition cookie, moving us slowly in the direction of those more spicy, holiday cookie flavors.
I had to learn a little bit of baking science for this recipe because I’m pretty picky about my cookies. I prefer them to be on the chewier and flatter side. To achieve this I use more brown sugar than white sugar, an extra egg yolk, and melt my butter.
To make these cookies extra chewy, I also use a hack I learned from Joshua Weissman a few years back. Here is a link to the video, but the basic premise is to lightly drop/bang your cookie sheet on the oven rack about halfway through cooking to pop any air bubbles that have formed. This will result in a denser and more chewy cookie.
Anyways, these were seriously so easy and delicious. I hope you make them. :)
London Fog Cookies
** my basic cookie recipe was adapted from Joshua Weissman’s Chocolate Chip Cookie video
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 whole egg
1 egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp earl gray tea (about 2 teabags), finely ground
1 tsp salt
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, mix together the dry ingredients until combined.
Now in a larger bowl, combine the white and brown sugar using an electric mixer.
Add the melted butter and cream together until homogenous and slightly fluffy. It won’t look creamy, but there shouldn’t be any obvious chunks of sugar.
Turn the electric mixer down to low and add in the vanilla, egg, and egg yolk one at a time. Beat for another minute until the sugar mixture looks creamier.
Add in the dry ingredients and continue beating until it just starts coming together. Then, switch to a rubber spatula and make sure everything is fully incorporated.
Refrigerate the mixture at least 30 minutes.
Using a cookie scoop or your hands, create ~2 tablespoon sized balls.
Bake 8-10 minutes (or until golden), using the drop pan method at the 6 minute mark to flatten the cookies out.
Enjoy!!
Currentlys
reading: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
A collection of stories exploring the relationships between first-gen Chinese mothers and their daughters. I thought this book was beautiful and a little bit painful. A good read.
listening to: “Three Tree Town” by Ben Howard
I heard this song for the first time in a hostel in Quebec City, Canada when I was 17. It’s a song I associate with transition in my life and it’s just a peaceful vibe.
eating: Tavolata in Seattle has a 2 pastas + bottle of wine for $45 special every Monday and Tuesday evening. It was such a good meal, spent in great company. We also got tiramisu for dessert…which is unfortunately the only thing I have a picture of.
thanks for reading!! <3
Inge
