If you’ve ever been to Abbotsford, you may have visited Oldhand Coffee. A cozy, welcoming cafe that has such a soft spot in the hearts of so many. The owners, Kristina and Johannes, are two of the kindest people you’ll ever meet, and have created a special community within the walls of their shop…and I bump into someone I know pretty much every time I visit. They were one of the first legit specialty coffee shops in Abbotsford, and serve amazing treats alongside their drinks.

Earl grey snickerdoodles are one of my favourites of theirs, and I knew I wanted to recreate them at home. Flavourful, chewy, with a hint of that classic snickerdoodle tang…they are perfection. For all those times I’m not able to make it to Oldhand, I can always make these!

This cookie batch is on the small side (a lingering effect of lockdown grocery shopping practices), but can easily be doubled or tripled! I’ve made them as large cookies!! And smaller (reasonably sized) cookies!! And both are wonderful. The drizzle really makes these pop! But can of course be skipped if you’re short on time. I hope you love these as much as I do….and if you’re ever in Abby, be sure to stop in at Oldhand.

Earl Grey Snickerdoodles

yields: about 8-10 regular cookies, or 5 large cookies

Cookie ingredients

1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter, room temperature

2/3 cup (132 g) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg**

1 2/3 cup (208 g) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/2 tablespoon finely ground looseleaf earl grey tea (I used 2 bags of Twinnings - but Karla's Specialteas is the best!)

1/8 teaspoon salt

cinnamon-sugar topping

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

drizzle

1 teaspoon finely ground looseleaf tea

1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk/cream

*if using unsalted butter (or margarine), increase total salt measurement to 1/4 teaspoon

**egg substitution - use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed plus 3 tablespoons water in place of the egg if desired

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for 2-3 minutes on medium high speed until lightened in colour and fluffy. Add in the vanilla extract and the egg, and mix on high until incorporated.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, looseleaf tea, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, and mix on low until combined.

In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping. Roll the cookie dough into balls, and then roll in the cinnamon-sugar topping. Transfer the cookie dough balls onto the prepared baking sheet, and make sure they are at least 2 inches apart since they'll spread quite a bit! The bigger the cookie, the more room it will need.

Bake for about 13-14 minutes for regular sized cookies (approx 60g/each), or 17-18 minutes for large cookies (approx 90g/each). The cookies will puff up quite a bit while baking resulting in a thick, soft cookie. If you prefer for them to have a flat top, use a solid flipper to gently flatten the tops of the cookies about 2/3s of the way through the bake time. This will result in a slightly chewier texture.

Let the cookies cool for 5-10 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a cooling rack.

To make the drizzle: in a small bowl combine the looseleaf tea, powdered sugar, and milk. Add more milk or powdered sugar as needed until your desired consistency has been reached. Drizzle over the cookies and serve!

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for several days, or store in the freezer to keep them the freshest!

tips:

Want more cookies? This recipe is on the small side, but you can double or triple it easily!
Don’t eat (or have) eggs? Replace the egg with: 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed + 3 tablespoons water - stir together and let sit for 5 minutes before adding to the dough
Leave the tea out for plain snickerdoodles!
Freeze raw cookie dough in balls on a sheet pan, then transfer to an airtight container for longer term storage. Pull cookies out whenever you’d like, and bake from frozen. Add 1-2 minutes of bake time!

happy cookie baking!

-Kelsey