Earl Grey Stained Glass Floral Cookies (Printable version)
Delicate Earl Grey cookies with stained glass candy centers and edible flowers. Elegant vegan, gluten-free treats perfect for tea time.
# What You'll Need:
→ Cookie Dough
01 - 1 3/4 cups gluten-free all-purpose flour blend
02 - 1/3 cup almond flour
03 - 2 Earl Grey tea bags or 2 tsp loose leaf tea
04 - 1/2 tsp baking powder
05 - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
06 - 1/2 cup organic granulated sugar
07 - 1/2 cup vegan butter, softened
08 - 2 tbsp unsweetened plant milk
09 - 1 tbsp maple syrup
10 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
→ Stained Glass Centers
11 - 1/2 cup vegan hard candies, various colors, crushed
12 - Edible dried flowers (rose petals, cornflower, violets, lavender), as desired
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - Open the Earl Grey tea bags and finely grind the contents if using loose leaves.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the gluten-free flour, almond flour, ground Earl Grey tea, baking powder, and salt.
04 - In a large bowl, cream together the vegan butter and sugar until fluffy. Add plant milk, maple syrup, and vanilla extract, and mix well.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing until a soft dough forms. If too sticky, chill for 15 minutes.
06 - Lightly flour a surface with gluten-free flour. Roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use a large cookie cutter for the outer shape and a small cutter to create a window in the center. Transfer the cut cookies to the prepared trays.
07 - Fill the cut-out centers with 1–2 tsp crushed vegan candy. Sprinkle with a few edible flowers, pressing gently so they adhere to the candy.
08 - Bake for 9–11 minutes, until edges are just golden and candy centers have melted.
09 - Allow cookies to cool fully on the tray before transferring, as the stained glass will harden as they cool.
# Expert advice:
01 -
- The bergamot from Earl Grey creates this sophisticated floral backbone that people cant quite identify but keep reaching for
- Watching the crushed candies melt into translucent windows feels like magic every single time
02 -
- Overfilling the candy centers causes overflow during baking so stick to 1 to 2 teaspoons per window
- These cookies are fragile when hot but become sturdy once completely cooled
03 -
- Crush the hard candies just before using so they dont absorb moisture and clump together
- Work quickly once the candy centers are filled because they start setting immediately