by Tea Master DANIELA CUBELIC 

Tea is a scrumptious, unique & creative way to enhance the taste of desserts, including something as classic as a chocolate chip cookie.

The easiest way to bring the flavour of tea into baked goods is to work with recipes that use water as a primary ingredient (rather than just oil or fat). The reason is that tea releases its flavour most effectively into water. While it’s possible to infuse tea into oil, it requires a much longer steeping or infusion time & a dramatically higher quantity of tea than when you are brewing tea in water. Even then, the taste of the tea doesn’t always come through very well.

The other secret to incorporating tea into recipes for baked goods, is that starch (to a lesser degree than fat) absorbs flavours quite a bit, so you’ll need to use more brewed tea in the recipe than you might expect, but the results will be better than if you were making a recipe based primarily on fat. 

I was thrilled to discover this fabulous decadent vegan chocolate chip cookie recipe because it is made with water, making it incredibly simple to substitute the water with tea. Unlike many of the other vegan cookie recipes I’ve encountered previously, this one uses simple ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store (& that are often in your pantry already) & doesn’t compromise on taste.  In fact, it’s so good, they call this recipe “secretly vegan” because you wouldn’t know the dairy is missing.  

It’s by New York’s Ovenly Bakery. Find the original recipe here on Food52. 

To further enhance the tea flavour in these cookies, I recommend infusing the chocolate chips with tea as well. If you’ve never tried this trick before, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is. Check out our blog post on this for more details, or just follow the instructions below.

Making tea-infused chocolate is a great activity for kids—they’ll be wowed at the magical flavour transformation. You may want to make extra for snacking!

I love this recipe with LONDON FOG, but it works well with any teas that pair well with chocolate. Try it with SOUR CHERRY (& in that case, I recommend white chocolate chips), WESTCOAST PEPPERMINT, IMPERIAL EARL GREY, HERBAL CHAI & SILK ROAD CHAI. 

Healthy Tip Accompanying this food item with the same tea used in the recipe (hot, iced, or as a tea latte) can enhance the enjoyment of all the flavours, as it adds a layer of complimentary flavour, which amplifies & brightens the taste of all the ingredients. Tea is also a delicious, low-calorie, healthy alternative to alcohol or sugary drinks. 

As well, when you’re eating carbs or sweets, it can also be a great idea to reach for teas that help counteract these effects. 

Mulberry tea has been used in Asian traditional medicine for hundreds of years as a way to support blood sugar balance & assist weight management. Studies are starting to support these ideas, & are finding that the mulberry can help block carbohydrate absorption. 

Detox tea may be an even better choice when having rich or higher-fat foods, as well as carbs & sweets, as the herbs in it were traditionally consumed to counteract all three of these.

Accompanying treats or rich foods with a cup of Detox or Mulberry tea, or having these teas half an hour or an hour after eating, may be a healthier & smarter way to indulge. 

Recent studies show that a HOT BATH can have similar benefits as exercise! Effortlessly burn calories, stimulate the metabolism, manage blood sugar & more. Click HERE to discover how to optimize your bath & learn about the surprising benefits of a bath. 

We love seeing what you're making! ⁠Share & tag your Silk Road recipes with the hashtag #SilkRoadCommuniTEA - you’ll find us on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER & PINTEREST.

Get inspired with more tips, techniques & recipes - watch & learn directly from Tea Master Daniela Cubelic in this captivating VIDEO SERIES.

Learn how to make chai tea soup, tea hot chocolates, mulled cider teas, tea infused oatmeal, ice cream tea floats, tea lemonades, iced teas & more. You’ll also discover fascinating facts & info about the health benefits of tea, tea history & secrets for tea brewing.

 

TEA-INFUSED CHOCOLATE CHIPS

INGREDIENTS 

2 tablespoons of LONDON FOG tea (placed into a tea filter bag)
1¼ cups vegan dark chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the bag of tea in the bottom of an airtight container.  

2. Place chocolate over top of the tea & put the lid on the container

3. Put the container into a cupboard away from moisture, heat & sunlight. Leave it for about a week for the flavours to infuse.

Note: if you can’t wait a week, double the amount of tea used & leave for 1–2 days.

LONDON FOG CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

dairy-free, gluten-free & vegan 
makes approximately 18 cookies 

INGREDIENTS 

2 tablespoons of LONDON FOG tea (you can re-use the tea that was used to flavour the chocolate chips)
¾ cup boiling water
2 cups gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour (or use your favourite flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1¼ cups tea-infused dark chocolate chips (see above)
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed light or dark brown sugar (make sure to break up clumps before incorporating into your mix)
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon canola, grapeseed, or any other neutral oil

optional: flakey sea salt to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Make a tea concentrate by steeping green or black tea in boiling water for 7 minutes, & then strain. Note: if you are using a herbal tea, steep for 10 minutes. Refrigerate the tea until it’s at room temperature. You’ll need about ½ cup of brewed tea for the recipe, but the reason you’re steeping the tea in ¾ cups water is that you’re using quite a lot of tea leaves & they will absorb some of the water, leaving you with about ½ cup.

2. While tea is steeping, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, & salt in a medium bowl. Then add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients & toss them to coat.

3. Measure out ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon of tea concentrate into a large bowl. Add the sugars & oil & whisk vigorously until smooth & incorporated; about 2 minutes.

4. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, & gently stir until no more dry flour is visible. Do not over mix.

5. Cover dough tightly & refrigerate for 12–24 hours. Do not skip this step, as it is important for the texture of the cookies.

6. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from the refrigerator & use an ice cream scoop, a spoon or your hands to portion dough into 2-inch mounds. If you are opting to garnish with flakey salt, sprinkle a small amount on top of each cookie.

7. Bake for 10–13 minutes, rotating once. Bake until the edges turn golden; do not over bake. Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet & then transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Serve the cookies with a cup of the tea you’ve added to the recipe, which will enhance the taste of the cookies even more. These cookies are also delicious accompanied by a tea latte—you can adapt the recipe found here with your tea of choice.