Whether as a gift for someone special or a fun treat for friends (or yourself), these homemade heart-shaped cookies are just the thing for Valentine’s Day. They’re also a fine way to celebrate the love of tea!
We’ve spiced things up by combining sweet and soothing vanilla with the warming notes of freshly brewed chai, added at the recipe’s creaming stage.
Chai love
Chai is the Hindi word for tea. Indians commonly enhance black tea with milk, sugar and spices such as cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, ginger, star anise and pepper. There are also regional variations, for instance in Kashmir, it’s typical to add a pinch of salt.
Such spices were originally drunk with boiling water alone as an Ayurvedic remedy called kadha. Believed to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, these brews are still used as cough and cold remedies.
Every family and vendor across India will have their own favoured chai recipes. Outside of the country, when you buy a blend called ‘chai’ or ‘masala chai’ it means tea in the Indian style, with the spices added.
Our own organic Chai Black Tea is a traditional chai blend with great depth of flavour. Prominent cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cardamom give it extra zing as do a fine supporting cast of nutmeg, black pepper and mace.
Besides a punchy taste, these all-organic spices contribute to a light, brassy colour when brewed. It’s also a wonderfully aromatic tea.
With this blend as an ingredient, our Vanilla Chai Cookies are the perfect way to let someone know they spice up your life!
The gift of tea
If you’re thinking of gifting the treats, why not make the gesture extra special with a packet of your loved one’s favourite tea to enjoy them with?
If they’re a chai fan, besides our Chai Black Tea you could consider our Intense Chai.
As the name suggests, this takes the punch up a notch, with a higher proportion of cinnamon and the addition of fennel and liquorice. Unlike our black tea, this one’s also caffeine-free.
Your Valentine will also surely appreciate our aptly named Loving Moments blend. This fruit and floral medley enhances organic white tea with a whole garden of delights – blueberry, elderflower, cranberry, hibiscus, rosehip and super berries.
We designed this tea specially to evoke warmth and affection. With gifting in mind, it’s even presented in a thoughtfully stylish box.
Valentine’s Day Vanilla Chai Tea Cookies:
Prep time: 20 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Makes: 12 servings
Ingredients:
- 230g butter, softened
- 200g caster/bakers’ sugar
- 145g brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 60ml English Tea Shop Vanilla Chai Tea, brewed
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 500g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 40g icing/powdered sugar
- 3 tbsp milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- Sprinkle of freeze-dried strawberries
Method:
- Begin by creaming the butter, adding in the sugars (except the icing/powdered sugar), eggs, brewed tea, and vanilla.
- Next, add the flour, baking powder, and salt, mixing well.
- Chill the cookie dough in the fridge for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan.
- Roll the dough out on a floured surface and cut the heart shapes. Place them on a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes then remove from the oven and let cool before moving to a wire rack to complete cooling.
- While the cookies are cooling, combine the icing/powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a small bowl to create the glazed icing.
- Spread a little of the glaze on each cookie and add a dash of cinnamon and freeze-dried strawberries.
- Finally, you’re ready to enjoy the perfect Valentine’s Day treat!
Shortened Steps:
- Cream butter, mix in sugars (except icing/powdered), eggs, tea, & vanilla.
- Add flour, baking powder, salt and mix well.
- Chill dough for 1-2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
- Roll dough, cut hearts, place on parchment-lined tray.
- Bake for 10-12 mins, cool on a wire rack.
- Make glaze with icing/powdered sugar, milk and vanilla.
- Glaze cookies, sprinkle cinnamon and strawberries.
- Enjoy your Valentine’s Day treats!