The London Tea Room makes a signature black currant-vanilla tea called The Naughty Vicar, which has light floral notes and a lovely aroma. When I made small cups for my visiting family, I had no idea the monsters I’d create. They now consume this tea several times a day, and I’m frequently asked to buy it by the pound. I have no idea how they run through it so quickly.
I wanted to do something different with the tea to take advantage of its unique, popular flavor. The London Team Room occasionally uses it in a shortbread, but it hasn’t been in the rotation recently, so I decided to make my own. I ground the leaves and tossed them directly into the shortbread. It’s an easy recipe, and it produces the butteriest, melt-in-your-mouth texture. If you like Danish butter cookies, you will love these. They’re ideal with – you guessed it – a cup of tea or coffee. They’re also addictive, so beware! Enjoy and happy baking.
Naughty Vicar Shortbread Makes about 20 cookies
2 heaped Tbsp. loose-leaf Naughty Vicar tea
½ cup powdered sugar
1½ sticks (6 oz.) room temperature butter
2 egg yolks
2 scant cups flour
• In the bowl of a food processor, add the tea and powdered sugar and pulse until the tea is finely ground.
• Add the tea and sugar to a large mixing bowl with the butter and egg yolks and combine with a spatula. Add the flour and mix until incorporated and a dough forms. Shape the dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour until well chilled.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Remove the dough and roll it out on a lightly floured surface about ½-inch thick. Use a small cookie cutter to punch out the cookies and place on a baking sheet. Roll the dough again and continue cutting cookies until all the dough is used.
• Bake 15 minutes, until golden around the edges and a little golden on top. Let cool completely before eating.
This article appears in June 2014.
