Brown Butter Hojicha Earl Grey Cookies (Print View)

Aromatic cookies featuring brown butter, hojicha powder, and Earl Grey tea for a unique Japanese-British fusion treat.

# Components:

→ Brown Butter

01 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter

→ Dry Ingredients

02 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
03 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
04 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
05 - 1 tablespoon hojicha powder
06 - 2 teaspoons ground Earl Grey tea leaves

→ Wet Ingredients

07 - 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
08 - 1/4 cup granulated sugar
09 - 1 large egg
10 - 1 large egg yolk
11 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

→ Optional Add-ins

12 - 2/3 cup white chocolate chips or chopped white chocolate

# Directions:

01 - In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Continue cooking and stirring frequently until the butter foams and turns golden brown with a nutty aroma, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
02 - In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, hojicha powder, and ground Earl Grey tea leaves until well combined.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Beat until well combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract; mix until smooth.
04 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated. If using, fold in white chocolate chips.
05 - Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight for optimal flavor and texture development.
06 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop dough into 2-tablespoon mounds, spacing 2 inches apart.
07 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set and the centers remain slightly soft.
08 - Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack for complete cooling.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These cookies taste like a perfectly steeped cup of tea you can actually hold in your hand—no mug required.
  • Brown butter does something magical here, giving everything a depth that makes people ask what your secret ingredient is.
  • They're fancy enough to impress but simple enough that you won't stress about the process.
02 -
  • If you skip grinding the Earl Grey tea leaves finely, you'll bite into hard bits of dried tea that taste aggressively bitter—learn from my mistake by pulverizing them with a mortar and pestle or spice grinder first.
  • Brown butter can go from golden to burnt in about thirty seconds, so never walk away from the saucepan; keep stirring and stay present.
  • These cookies are best eaten within three days because the tea flavors are brightest when fresh, but they'll still be delicious on day four if you hide them well.
03 -
  • If your brown butter solidifies while you're preparing other ingredients, just gently warm it for a few seconds—you want it liquid but cool, not hot.
  • Scooping the dough with an ice cream scoop rather than a spoon ensures every cookie is exactly the same size and bakes evenly.
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