I’ve been off caffeine for a while now. I don’t miss it too much. The one place I really miss caffeine is iced tea. I have a few good herbal teas that make decent iced tea, but good southern sweet tea just hasn’t been a possibility. Decaffeinated tea just tastes a little off to me. While I was brainstorming new cookie recipes, I thought I would love to make a tea flavored cookie. There are tons of cookies flavored like coffee but none like tea. And because tea was the one thing I really want but cannot have, it made the thought of a sweet tea inspired cookie even more delicious. These cookies smelled great while they were baking, just like hot tea brewing. I did eat one… for QC purposes. I swear and they are delicious, sweet, lemony, and with a great tea flavor.

Sweet Tea Cookies (about 3 dozen)

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup honey (I know it’s not in traditional sweet tea but it accentuates the tea flavor)
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 bags black tea, divided use
• 3 eggs
• Zest of 4 lemons (approximately 1 1/2 Tablespoons)
• 4 cups flour
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Icing:

• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 2 tea bags, divided use
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon extract

Heat the milk until hot but not boiling. Steep one tea bag until the milk cools to room temperature. Discard the tea bag. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and honey. Add the milk and mix well. Add the eggs one by one, beating after each addition. Add the lemon zest and again beat well. In a second bowl mix the dry ingredients, including the contents of the second bag of tea (if you are using whole leaves run them through your food processor until finely minced). Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 2 additions, mixing well.

Form 1 1/2 inch balls with the dough and place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Make the icing right before use. Steep one tea bag in the 1/2 cup water for approximately 5 minutes. Mix the powdered sugar and the contents of the second bag of tea. Add the lemon extract. Gradually add the brewed tea until the icing is the consistency of a very thick glaze/thin frosting. Frost cookies with a silicone pastry brush and enjoy.