Hibiscus Tea Butter Cookies and What I Didn’t Tell You

Do you like tea?  Or perhaps you like coffee better.

How about some delicious buttery cookies to go along with that?  And make that dainty and delicious bites of hibiscus infused cookies that as you bite into them, flavors of slight tartness and gentle sweetness begin to unravel in your mouth.

I mentioned the other day that I’m not good at eating foods that are too tart.  However, it’s a different story when I have a distinctive sweetness to go along with that sour flavor.

Ever since I was little, I’ve always wanted to go to a classy little tea house.  The mere thought of sipping tea with lovely friends at a quaint little shop has been my “secret wish” ever since I can remember!  Okay so it’s not a secret with anymore…but it’s all good, because I get to share this lovely recipe with you, and I hope you feel just as delighted as I felt when I bit into these beauties!

Hibiscus Tea Butter Cookies *Vegan*

Makes approximately 12-14 cookies depending on size

Ingredients for Cookies:

• 2 TBSP~1/4 C dried hibiscus leaves (amount depending on preference)
• 1 C Earth Balance (or butter)
• 1 TBSP almond milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp sea salt (or regular)
• 1 C organic pastry flour+3/4 C rice flour
• 1/3 C+1 TBSP  powder sugar

Ingredients for Lemon Icing:

• 1 C powder sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• lemon zest to taste
• 1/2 TBSP almond milk
• 1/2 TBSP Earth Balance

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F degrees (177 C degrees).  In a food processor or Vitamix, process the hibiscus leaves until they become small pieces.  You don’t want big chunks, but ones that are small enough and aren’t overpowering when they’re inside the cookies.
2. Grab a big bowl and stir all of the dry cookie ingredients together except for the hibiscus and powder sugar.  Then, in a stand mixer or a separate large bowl, beat and cream the Earth Balance, milk, vanilla, lemon juice powder sugar, and hibiscus leaves.  After it’s mixed well, add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients until it’s well incorporated.  The dough will be somewhat tough to mix, but make sure everything sticks together.
3. Separate into 2 balls and make roll them into logs about the size of a regular chocolate chip cookie.  Freeze them for 1 hour or longer.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and start cutting into the dough very carefully.  I prefer to cut into one side and slowly roll the dough over as I’m cutting, so that there aren’t abnormally shaped cookies flattened on one side.  Lay them about 1 inch apart and bake for 12-14 minutes.  Then cool them on racks.
5. For the icing, mix all of the ingredients in a cleaned processor or by hand.  I like to use the processor because it incorporates the Earth Balance faster and more evenly.  Put the mixture in a ziploc bag and when you are ready to use it, snip a tiny piece from one corner.
6. Once the cookies are cooled down, you may ice them any way you want!

I realize these look like Italian sausages, but I promise that they are not! 

You may decorate them with drizzling patterns, polka dots, or go to town and dip them in the icing!  Whatever your little heart desires.  Also, note that they aren’t that sweet, so you may like more icing rather than little drizzles of it.

Serve it with a cup of tea or coffee on a gorgeous sunny afternoon.

You may use any other tea leaves depending on your taste and preference, too!  It doesn’t have to be hibiscus, and instead it can be green, black, earl grey, or some exotic flavor.   If you don’t have rice flour available, you may use all-purpose flour.

****Note:  If only all-purpose flour is used for the whole recipe, then amount of Earth Balance (or butter) may have to be lessened.***

I used the beautiful dried hibiscus leaves that Sophia gave me several months back.

Sophia can make some mean iced tea with this stuff, and I need to make her creation sometime.  It was delicious.

What I Didn’t Tell You…

Last Sunday, Greg, Susan, Emily, and I went food-tasting for the wedding!

As for the location, Menifee Lakes Country Club (where we will be having the wedding) is the only option we have to do food-tasting at because they have their own catering service, and we have to go through their service..  However, we did have several menus to choose from.

We went with the options of Hawaiian buffet and a Traditional style buffet.

All photos courtesy of Susan and Emily

There were both pros and cons for both menus obviously, but the pros of the Traditional menu far outweighed those of the Hawaiian one!  So we went with the Traditional.  Unfortunately, that one costs $500 more than the other one, but good food is something that I really put an emphasis on when it comes to the wedding.  Well, it’s always important to me because I truly enjoy good food!  So naturally, I want to cater to our invitees as much as possible when it comes to that.

I’m so tan here!

This is super random!  But what a contrast between fine dining and mission trip food!    This was taken in India back in the summer of 2010 when Greg, my church, and I went to Punjab for a mission trip.  Their food is one of the best I have ever tried, and I miss the people there so much!  Can you tell I’ve been thinking about India a lot lately? Haha.  That country will always hold a special place in my heart, and I cannot wait to go back someday.

Can you kimchi squat like that?  Koreans are pros at this “classy” way of sitting

This is where Greg and I had our engagement photo shoot.  It’s the downtown area of San Juan Capistrano, and it’s such a beautiful and fun place to visit! If you are around So Cal, you have to put San Juan in your list of cities to visit.

Emily was hauling around all the “stuff” while we were having fun being models, so we wanted to pose together for all her great help.   This is a sneak peak preview of the real deal guys!  So stay tuned.

I also have my bridal shower tomorrow, and words cannot describe how excited I feel!  I’m so thankful to my friends for setting this up, and I’m beyond thankful that Sharon (Greg’s mom) is coming today just for the shower.  Also, I get almost teary when I think about the fact that my mom will be joining us as well.  I know that it’s normal for the bride’s mom to attend such events, but I actually didn’t expect her to be there because she’s always so busy working, which is quite understandable.  Surprisingly, she is taking a few hours off tomorrow just to be there with me.    Craziness!

Have a beautiful day and stay in touch y’all!

Have you tried baked goods that are infused with tea/leaves? What’s your fave?

Coffee or tea drinker? 

What would your ideal wedding reception menu look like?

What place or time from your past do you miss?  Would you go back there if you could?

Love,

Ellie <33

Tagged as: bridal shower, coffee and tea, food tasting, friendships, God's blessings, Hibiscus tea butter cookies, India mission trip, love, Menifee Lakes Country Club, San Juan Capistrano downtown, tea rooms, wedding reception menu