Earl Grey Cookies
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Mar 24, 2026 
My Earl Grey cookies are inspired by a classic British teacake, with a delicious twist. I infuse the dough with dried Earl Grey tea leaves, then bake the cookies until light and tender before topping them with a velvety lemon glaze. The result is a soft, delicate cookie with a perfect balance of sweet, citrusy, and slightly bitter flavors, perfect for an afternoon snack or dessert.
When’s a tea cake not a teacake? When it’s a tea cookie, obviously! (Wait, what?) Ok, sorry, I’ll back up… Southern tea cakes in the United States, also called tea cookies, are different from British teacakes. These Earl Grey cookies marry the two different sweet snacks together to create a wholly new treat! Let’s first break down tea cakes vs. teacakes vs. tea cookies: Traditional British teacakes are sweet yeast rolls speckled with fruit, meant to be served with hot tea. However, the American version is more like a soft, puffy, chewy cookie made with baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast. Therefore, although they are often called “tea cake” these treats are actually tea cookies. Since the American version was inspired by British teacakes, I thought I would give a nod to their origins in this tea cake recipe by adding Earl Grey tea right into the dough of my classic sugar cookie recipe for flavor. This creates a unique earthy undertone to balance the sweetness of the cookies, including the kiss of lemon glaze on top! Taste them… I think you’ll thank me, no matter where you live.
Table of Contents
Sommer’s Recipe Highlights
Perfect Sugar Cookie Texture – I’ve baked quite a few batches of cookies in my day. So I’m very confident when I say my step-by-step recipe guide and expert tips practically guarantee your cookies will bake up perfectly soft, lightly chewy, and crisp around the edges. Mixing tea leaves into the dough adds nice little speckles of taste and a bit of texture, but doesn’t make them gritty or grainy.
Luscious Lemon Glaze – I make the cookie glaze with only two ingredients: powdered sugar and fresh lemon juice. That’s it! The sweet flavor and tartness is a delicious contrast to the deep, delightful leaf-y flavor of the black tea. It flows smoothly onto the cookies as you dip, and firms up quickly without getting too hard or crunchy.
Simple Southern Treat – I’m on team Eat Cookies All Day, and these lighter tea cookies are perfect for after-school snacks, to serve with hot tea in the morning or afternoon, or to nibble on as you sit out on the front porch drinking iced sweet tea in your rocker… Morning or afternoon, or both. And of course, they are a delightful dessert after a classic Southern dinner!
Key Ingredients and Tips
- Softened butter – I always recommend using unsalted butter. Then I have total control over how much salt is in the cookies.
- Sugar – Just regular granulated plain white sugar.
- Eggs – I set the eggs out on the counter for 15-20 minutes before using, so they come to room temperature. Cold eggs slow down the baking process.
- Vanilla extract – I always use a high-quality vanilla for baking. Some ingredients you can play fast and loose with, but not when it comes to vanilla! Like with my scottish shortbread recipe, you’ll taste the huge difference in flavor between imitation and the real stuff.
- Dry ingredients – These cookies use a classic combination of all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Earl Grey tea leaves – I purchase loose-leaf dried tea leaves, but you can also just remove the leaves from packaged tea bags.
- Cookie glaze – I only use powdered sugar and fresh-squeezed lemon juice for a smooth glaze.
How to Make
Find the full recipe with ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, storage tips, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
Prep – I start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F and lining two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Make the Dough – I add softened butter and sugar to the bowl of my standing mixer, and cream them together on high for about 5 minutes. I know it’s done when the mixture is super fluffy and light. Then I scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula to get the sugar and butter down to the bottom. I turn the mixer on low, then beat in eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt, one at a time.
I turn the mixer off and scrape the bowl down again, then set the speed back to low. Now I add the flour to the mixer as it runs, 1/2 a cup at a time. When I add the last 1/2 cup, then I also pour in the Earl Grey tea leaves and run the mixer for another minute, just until the flour and tea are totally incorporated. Then I immediately turn off the mixer to avoid overworking the dough.
Scoop – I use my 1 1/2-inch cookie scooper and roll up balls of the cookie dough. If you don’t yet have true cookie scoop, this is your sign to pick one up like, now! It really is the key to rolling perfect portions and makes things way easier than trying to scoop with two spoons.
I’ll gently shape the dough into balls, but try not to mess with them too much… This is a no-chill recipe, so over-handling the dough can make the cookies flat. Place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets so they have enough room to spread out a bit.
Bake – I start by baking the cookies in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Then I check them for doneness to see if the edges are set and golden. If they look done I immediately pull the pan from the oven, otherwise they stay in for another minute or two.
They’ll look slightly underdone when they are ready to be taken out, but it’s very important not to over-bake the cookies so they’re soft with a slight crunch on the outside. So not to worry, they will set up and harden on the hot baking sheet while they are cooling!
Make the Glaze – While the cookies are cooling on the baking sheet, I whisk together fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar in a small bowl to make a smooth glaze. If the powdered sugar is a bit lumpy, I recommend giving it a quick sift through a sieve to make it easier to combine with the juice. Add more sugar to thicken it or juice to thin it out, but keep in mind that the lemon glaze needs to be thick enough to stick and will harden, so don’t go overboard either way.
Dip the Cookies – I know it’s hard, but it is essential to wait until the cookies have completely cooled before dipping them in the glaze. If they’re at all warm, the glaze won’t stick as well and will melt into the cookie.
To get the perfect glazed cookie, I hold it upside down by the very outer edges. Then carefully dip straight down into the glaze, and lightly wiggle the cookie around to get an even coat almost all the way to the edge. Pull the cookie straight up above the bowl and quickly twist your wrist to set the cookie upright. I don’t know why, but this simple move always makes me feel like a fancy baker!
I set the cookies back on the baking sheet as I dip one by one. Let them all dry for at least 15 minutes so the glaze sets firm.
Expert Tips
- Measure your flour accurately. For fluffy Earl Grey-infused cookies, be careful measuring your flour. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with the flat edge of a butter knife. This ensures you won’t add too much flour, which can make the cookies dense!
- Don’t over-mix the dough. Once the flour is added to the cookie dough, gluten starts developing. To make sure you have soft cookies, avoid over-mixing the dough.
- Let the cookies cool before you glaze them. To make sure the lemon glaze stays on the cookies, the cookies need to be fully cooled!
Storage Notes
I store the cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to a week.
These little tea treats freeze fabulously! Just not with the glaze. When I plan to make a batch of cookies to freeze, I’ll bake ’em up but skip making the lemon glaze. Instead, I cool the cookies and wrap them individually in plastic wrap. (You can also stack them with pieces of parchment paper between the layers.) Then place them together in an airtight ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
They thaw at room temperature in about 15-20 minutes, then I make the glaze and dip the cookies before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, because it is a black tea, Earl Grey does have quite a good amount of caffeine. But not as much as coffee or energy drinks. However, keep in mind there is only 1 tablespoon of tea leaves in the entire batch of 36 tea cakes, so I never feel like I’m buzzing around after eating a cookie or two.
That being said, you can opt for a decaf tea for caffeine-free cookies!
If your cookie dough balls spread too much when baking, it could be because your butter was too soft, you didn’t use enough flour, overmixed the dough, or placed the dough on a warm baking sheet. To fix this problem, try chilling the dough for 30 minutes and then try baking them again.
Yes, absolutely, you can change the flavors however you like! Try making this tea cookies recipe with chai, matcha powder, or your favorite herbal tea leaves.
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More Cookie Recipes
Earl Grey Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon earl grey tea leaves about 3 bags
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 teaspoons lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Set out several baking sheets and line them with parchment paper.
- Set out a stand mixer. Add the softened butter and sugar to the mixing bowl. Beat on high for 3 to 5 minutes until the butter is extremely light and fluffy.
- Scrape the bowl, then turn the mixer on low and beat in the eggs, vanilla extract, baking powder, and salt.
- Scrape the bowl again, then turn the mixer on low and add in the flour, 1/2 cup at a time. Quickly add in the Earl Grey tea leaves with the last portion of flour. As soon as the flour is fully blended, turn off the mixer as to not overmix the dough.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure the dough portions out in 1 ½ tablespoon scoops. Roll each scoop into a ball. Place the balls on the cookie sheets, 2 inches apart.
- Bake the tea cakes for 10-12 minutes until puffy in the center and just barely golden around the edges. Allow them to cool on the cookie sheets.
- Meanwhile, set out a small bowl and combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Whisk well until the glaze is smooth. Once the tea cookies have cooled, dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and set them back on the parchment paper to dry.
super fluffy absolutely yummy!! not to sweet but just sweet enough!! will be making these again!!
We very much enjoyed these cookies. The unglazed cookie is very nice, and once they are topped with glaze they are really yummy. I needed a quick sweet treat and these were very easy and quick to put together, yet they look and taste kinda fancy. I will definitely plan to make them again. Oh, and I had only one Earl Grey tea bag, so I added one Lady Grey tea bag and it worked well.