Tisane Tea Cookies

^{This post has been sponsored by Mark T. Wendell. All opinions expressed are my own.}

Our Tisane Tea Cookies are a delicious blend of floral and herbaceous with notes of almond and vanilla. It all comes together beautifully in a buttery crisp cookie!

Summer's inexorable close is approaching, and with that comes cozy drinks, baked treats, and quiet afternoons spent reading.

This past week broke up the malaise of muggy summer days with a cold spell, a cold spell I welcomed with open arms - culinarily-themed ulterior motives. Indeed, I took the chilly respite to turn on my oven and start baking.

Which brings us, of course, to today's tea cookies. These cookies feature a crisp buttery texture that's perfect alongside a warm cup of tea. We've infused the cookies with almond extract and an herbal tisane that gifts the cookies subtly floral notes and a subdued natural sweetness.

What is Tisane?

Let's begin with the star of today's recipe - Mark T. Wendell's Linden Flowers Royal Nectar Tisane. To say that this is not a 'regular' tea would be an understatement, as depending upon who you ask tisane is not really tea, but rather a category unto itself.

Perhaps the most significant difference between tea and tisane is that tea is harvested from Camellia Sinensis plants (aka tea plants), whereas tisane is 'not' harvested from tea plants. And, when phrased like that it is easy to see why some draw a line between the two. Furthermore, tisane is naturally caffeine-free, whereas tea plants are, indeed, naturally caffeinated. The floral and herbal infusions of tisane produce a healthy blend that is often used to treat certain ailments such as inflammation, headaches, and upset stomach.

As alluded to above, tisanes have a natural sweetness and soft aroma making them especially perfect as a nighttime drink.

Today, we took inspiration from traditional tea-infused cookies and crafted this crisp, buttery shortbread-like treat that is speckled with Linden Flowers which I find to resemble Chamomile with its delicate floral taste and sweet fragrance.

Ingredient Notes

These slice-and-bake cookies come together with ease. What's more, this recipe uses only simple ingredients that are readily available at your local supermarket.

Below are our ingredient notes and substitutions so you can give this recipe a try today:

• ½ cup butter - While I always prefer using unsalted butter, I think it's especially important here. Too much salt will mask the extracts and tisane. I do not suggest using any other fat alternative here unless it's vegan butter. Coconut oil or any neutral cooking oil will completely change the texture and taste.
• 1 egg yolk - Aside from adding a golden hue to the dough, using only the egg yolk adds richness to the dough and helps blend the ingredients together. If you're interested in a vegan alternative, you can always use a flax or chia seed egg, but please read through this nifty guide first if you're new to baking vegan.
• ½ cup sugar - Plain white granulated sugar or caster sugar is ideal for today's recipe. I do not recommend any sugar finer than caster sugar as it will result in a drier, more crumbly cookie. I'm not a fan of liquid sweeteners either if you're looking for a sugar alternative. Originally when I was testing today's recipe, I added 1/3 cup of sugar but ended up upping the amount as I felt the cookies weren't sweet enough and were too plain.
• ½ teaspoon almond extract - I really love the almond extract in these cookies. It's quite a subtle note but adds a nice richness to the flavor profile. If you're not a fan of almonds, you can, of course, omit this ingredient.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - When baking vanilla gets added to pretty much everything. The first time around, I only used almond extract but there was something lacking. The vanilla just adds that extra depth so, note to self and to you- never skip on the vanilla.
• 2 tablespoons cream - Heavy cream keeps the dough rich but adds the right amount of moisture that you will need. Alternatively, you can use whole milk or for a vegan alternative, oat milk since it is extra creamy.
• 1¼ cups AP flour - I originally tried the recipe with 1½ but that was too much. I took it down to 1 cup, but that was too little. I personally found that quarter of a cup extra is all you need for a dough that is soft and pliable enough but will hold its shape while baking. For gluten-free alternatives, try King Arthur's Gluten Free All Purpose Flour or Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. These are the only two I have come to love as far as GF flours go. They always give me the undetectable result I'm looking for, while others produce very grainy or dense results.
• 2 tablespoons Linden Flowers Royal Nectar Tisane - Make sure the tisane is finely grounded into the batter. While the cookie dough chills in the fridge, you allow the tisane to infuse its delicate flavors. To substitute you can use any tea or tisane you like, such as Earl Grey, Chamomile, or Chai. Browse through Mark T. Wendell's expansive collection of teas for more ideas and variations!
• Raw sugar - As a finishing touch, I like to sprinkle these cookies with raw sugar or coarse sugar. If you do not have either on hand, bake as directed and once they're out of the oven and have set, but are still warm enough, roll them in powdered sugar.

More Cookie + Tea Recipes to Love

Here are some more cozy cookie recipes to love this season alongside our favorite tea pairings:

• Shortbreads & Scottish Breakfast Tea - Tender yet crisp, and richly satisfying, these delicate morsels have a charm that’s nothing short of universal, making them a staple on dessert tables and tea-time spreads.
• Traditional Italian Almond Cookies & Oriental Spice Black Tea - For almond lovers, this cookie is for you! It's perfect for dunking and it's not too sweet.
• Soft Apple Pie Cookies & Organic Berry Tea Blend - This recipe perfectly encapsulates the warm feelings and flavors of autumn, with its sweetly spiced apple filling and soft cookie crust. 
• Strawberry Guava Scones & Guava and Strawberry Tea - The subtle sweetness of the guava & strawberry tea gives the scones a luscious layer of complexity, that pairs deliciously with the buttery dough.
• Pumpkin Caramel Loaf & Spiced Masala Chai - Still one of my favorites to date, this is the perfect recipe to welcome fall with. It's so comforting and satisfying!
• Pecan Snowball Cookies & Holiday Fruit and Spice Tea Blend - This recipe features a lightly sweet, delicate pecan cookie rolled in confectioner's sugar.

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If you enjoyed today’s Tisane Tea Cookie recipe, or have any questions or suggestions, be sure to let us know in the comments below. We always love hearing from you. Happy Baking!

**Don't forget that today and always, you can get 15% off any Mark T. Wendell order of $50 or more when you use the code LivingtheGourmet at checkout!

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