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Earl Grey cookies for the win! Soft, melt-in-your-mouth cookies with an explosion of Earl Grey flavor. They take a regular sugar cookie to the next level by adding a hint of floral aromatics. They are easy to make and only require a few ingredients. Try them for yourself and thank me later!

Thick, melt in your mouth cookies are IN!

Are you ready for the best tea time cookies of your life? Yes I said it… These are the best thick earl grey cookies you will ever have. Have them with tea, have them with milk, set them next to a slice of my honey tea cake or eat them straight up on their own. You won’t regret it 🙂

A stack of four thick Earl Grey cookies next to pink flowers and a box of Earl Grey tea.

This is our favorite earl grey cookie recipe!

Have I ever told you about my undeniable love for earl grey tea…?

It actually all started when I started working at Bouchon bistro here in Las Vegas. After long days of work my best friend who worked downstairs at the bakery would bring me a London fog. I didn’t know what it was made out of but I just knew it tasted like heaven.

After a couple of times of drinking that magical drink, I asked her… What the heck is this? How do you even make it!!

She said that it contained her favorite tea, earl grey and a splash of milk, sometimes even a little vanilla to sweeten it. Oh my god! I had been obsessed with teas for some time but I didn’t know about earl grey! These days my cozy cafe drink at home is usually a honey oat milk latte, but earl grey still has my heart.

Earl grey is the secret ingredient in these cookies 😉

Sure, soft sugar cookies are cool. But have you ever had easy sugar cookies with a hint of delicious earl grey tea? If you have, good for you! You might need to try mine next. But if you haven’t, these are going to absolutely blow your mind if you’re a tea person.

So to all my tea lovers, make these easy cookies and enjoy them anytime. I would share some of mine but they’ve been long gone!

What’s so special about these sugar cookies?

  • They pair so well with any afternoon tea
  • These cookies are light, buttery, and will melt in your mouth
  • They have a gentle floral note for a fancier cookie
  • These cookies store very well so make them and enjoy them all throughout the week!

Key Ingredients

Two Earl Grey tea bags on parchment paper surrounded by Earl Grey cookies and pink flowers.

To make this small batch sugar cookie recipe with earl grey you will need:

  • Butter- A good sugar cookie always contains a good amount of butter!
  • Granulated Sugar– You will need some sugar for rolling and some sugar for the actual cookie recipe
  • Earl grey tea– I used two tea bags of earl grey to get the exact amount that I needed. Baking with tea is one of my favorite tricks, same idea as the matcha in my matcha chocolate chip cookies.
  • An egg– Your egg will need to be at room temperature.
  • Vanilla extract– Vanilla extract is so so good in sugar cookies.
  • Flour– You will need regular all-purpose flour for this recipe.
  • Baking soda & baking powder– These leavening agents will make sure that your cookies are nice and thick.
  • Salt– Always add salt if using unsalted butter to give your cookies an extra depth of flavor!

What is earl grey tea?

Earl Grey tea is a black tea that incorporates bergamot orange flavors. This specific type of orange has an extremely flavorful and fragrant peel but the actual fruit itself is not the best. This tea has about the same amount of caffeine as regular black tea.

So next time you think of earl grey tea, remember that it is a popular black tea that has floral notes from the bergamot orange oil.

What do these earl grey sugar cookies taste like?

HEAVEN! They taste like heaven…

Oh you weren’t looking for that answer? Ok.. ok.. These earl grey cookies taste like a very good sugar cookie with a slight hint of earl grey tea.

By adding the earl grey into the cookie dough instead of just on the sugar coating you get a great depth of flavor that will transport you to those relaxing afternoons where everything good was going on in the world. The floral and aromatic flavors that the earl grey tea gives to these sugar cookies is just out of this world. If floral cookies are your thing, my chewy honey cookies are next on your list.

As far as texture, these cookies have a very similar texture to a snickerdoodle cookie. They are soft and they gently melt in your mouth for the best textural experience!

How to Make Earl Grey Cookies

Butter, sugar and ground Earl Grey tea creamed together in a metal mixing bowl with a teal spatula.
  1. Cream the butter, sugar and tea. Beat the butter, sugar and ground earl grey tea in a stand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the room temperature egg and vanilla and mix just until incorporated.
A cookie scoop lifting Earl Grey cookie dough speckled with tea leaves out of a mixing bowl.
  1. Add the dry ingredients and scoop. Add the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt and mix just until the flour disappears (don’t over-mix!). Scoop 16 equal dough balls with a small cookie scoop.
Rows of round Earl Grey cookie dough balls speckled with ground tea, lined up on a baking sheet.
  1. Chill the dough balls. Place them on a parchment or silicone-lined baking sheet and pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes. While they chill, preheat the oven to 350F.
An Earl Grey cookie dough ball being rolled in a white bowl of granulated sugar.
  1. Roll in sugar. Roll the chilled dough balls in the palm of your hands (optional), then in the granulated sugar, and place them back on the baking sheet.
Thick baked Earl Grey cookies on parchment paper with pink flowers and a box of Earl Grey tea.
  1. Bake and cool. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. They keep baking after they come out, so don’t worry if they look slightly underdone. Cool on the sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

How to store these earl grey sugar cookies?

You can either place your cookies in an airtight container and leave them

  • At room temperature for up to 4 days.
  • In the fridge for up to a week.
  • Or in the freezer for up to a month.

Since they keep so well, they are perfect for a homemade cookie box. Pack them next to my brown butter chocolate chip cookies and healthy 3-ingredient almond butter cookies, then grab a few more ideas from my easy cookie recipes.

More Tea Time Cookies

easy thick earl grey cookies
5 from 28 votes

Thick Earl Grey Cookies

These thick earl grey cookies have a gentle floral taste with a melt in your rmouth texture. Perfect tea time cookies.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 16 cookies
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Ingredients  

  • 1 stick butter
  • 1/3cup +2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp earl grey tea ground
  • 1 egg at room temperature
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1+1/3 cup flour
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 3 tbsp sugar for rolling

Instructions 

  • Start by mixing the butter, sugar, and earl grey tea in the stand mixer for about 2-3 minutes or of until light and fluffy. Add in the room temeprature egg and vanilla and mix just until incorporated.
  • Now add in the sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to the wet mixture and mix just until the flour disappears. You don't want to overmix your cookie dough.
  • Using a small cookie scooper scoop 16 equally sized cookie dough balls and place them on a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 20 minutes. While the cookies are chilling turn on the oven to350 F to preheat.
  • Once the cookies have chilled in the freeze you can either roll them in the granulated sugar right away or roll them in the palm of your hands first and then roll them in the sugar then place them back on the baking sheet.
  • Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes. The cookies will continue baking as your remove them from the oven so don't worry if they look slightly underdone. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then transfer to a cooling wrack. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 235Calories | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 143mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 267IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Chahinez Tabet Aoul

Chahinez Tabet Aoul is the recipe developer, photographer, and writer behind Lifestyle of a Foodie and Simple Copycat Recipes. Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Chahinez is known for creating approachable, high-reward recipes that feel like they came straight from your favorite restaurant. Only easier, more fun, and made right a thome!

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5 from 28 votes (26 ratings without comment)

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16 Comments

  1. BEE says:

    Should the butter be cold or room temperature?

    1. Chahinez says:

      Room temperature so that it’s able to spread and mix more easily

  2. Katie says:

    5 stars
    I wanted a strong earl grey flavor after eating some disappointing London fog milanos. So I added three tea bags of earl grey and they tasted great. They came out so fluffy and tasty! An added plus is that they are very easy to make!

    1. Chahinez says:

      I’m so glad to hear that!

  3. Ai Kyen says:

    Can this recipe be rolled into 8mm thick into cut-out sugar cookies?

    1. Chahinez says:

      Sure I don’t see why not 🙂

  4. Krista says:

    Just about to start this recipe! Google says 1 stick of butter means 1/2 a cup. Hope that’s right! When I first thought “stick” I thought one of those blocks of butter (2 cups haha).. that would have been a LOT of butter for one recipe glad I googled it! Here goes!

    1. Chahinez says:

      HAHA that would have been a HUGE amount of butter LOL hope it turned out well!

  5. Tee says:

    5 stars
    easy recipe!!! I started making these at 830 at night and was done by 930 with prep work and clean up!! my partner and my kid LOVED them. they are so soft and not overly sugary. I doubt led the ingredients and added an extra egg. everyone loved it!!

    1. Chahinez says:

      So glad to hear they loved these Tee! Thank you!

  6. Bam says:

    I made these cookies and they are amazing! They are so soft and delicious. The hint of Earl Grey aroma really elevates the cookie. I look forward to making these again. Thank you! 🙂

    1. Chahinez says:

      Thank you so much for trying them! I’m glad to hear that they came out amazing :)!

      Enjoy,
      Chahinez

  7. Monica says:

    making these for the second time!

    1. Chahinez says:

      Thank you so much for letting me know how much you’re enjoying them! They’re definitely extra special with a cup of tea 🙂
      Enjoy,
      Chahinez

      1. Beatrice says:

        I’m curious, how many cookies does this make?
        Thank you :0)

      2. Chahinez says:

        It makes 16 cookies!
        Chahinez

  8. Anand Dwipesh says:

    Yummmmmmy 😋