Peach Tea Cookies
Peach tea infused butter is used to make the base of a brown sugar cookie dough with a peach jam filling and a bright lemon and peach tea glaze. Summertime will never be the same after you have one of these delicious cookies!
I scribbled this flavor idea hastily in my baking journal in the summer of 2019. I had been sitting on this combination for quite some time waiting for the right occasion to create a magical cookie concoction. This week would prove it was the time for a peach tea cookie to shine and I have been giddy ever since.
Looking for more peach recipes?? Here are my favorites:
We are currently in the height of peach season here in Texas and I have access to so many small, flavorful, and juicy peaches. It’s the time of year where I can eat my weight in fresh local fruit. I always stock the fridge with more than we can eat to turn into jams for us to enjoy throughout the year. One thing about me, I love making jam from local fruit.
This is the second time I have experimented with using tea to infuse flavor into the butter for the cookie dough. I am pleasantly satisfied with the results! Lots of peach flavor nuanced throughout the cookie. The tea blend I used also had cinnamon and hibiscus which created a warm and sweet profile. The slight bitterness and astringent flavor from the black tea helped balance the sweetness of the cookie.
Homemade peach jam is added to the peach tea infused cookie dough base and is also stuffed in the center of the cookies to offer a sweet and peachy bite inside. Additional brewed tea and lemon juice is used to create a thick glaze with a delicate peachy pink color for a topping. I sprinkled some coarse pearl sugar I crushed as a crunchy and decorative topping for the glaze. The crunch of the glaze and pearl sugar is a nod of nostalgia, mimicking the leftover sugar I’d find at the bottom of my glass of peach iced tea growing up.
My dad loved peach tea and although we had a bastardized instant tea mix version (I have grown from this, I swear) the flavor of peach tea reminds me of a cool summertime treat we would enjoy as kids. Sickly sweet, served over lots of ice with a few sugar crystals hanging out at the bottom of the glass just waiting to be siphoned into thirsty mouths.
Occasionally we were allowed to order peach tea at a restaurant where they would brew the tea and add peach syrup with maybe some fancy peach slices mixed in, so decadent. My sister and I felt so regal with our fancy drinks (thanks Olive Garden for the memories). And thus, was born an obsession with peach tea in the summertime.
I had to recreate these sweet peachy memories into a cookie I could share with my family over a freshly brewed pitcher of tea. I won’t even get started on the right way to enjoy tea. We are in Texas, and I know how polarizing this debate can be. After 35 years of living in Texas, the older I get the less I have an affinity for sweet beverages. I would much rather enjoy a sweet treat in the form of a decadent little cookie. These peach tea cookies are how I am going to enjoy this classic summertime beverage.
Why I Love This Recipe
Flavor-So much peach flavor. Because I am using a peach tea infused butter in a brown sugar cookie dough, the peach flavor is fragrant and sweet throughout the entire cookie. The peach tea I am using also has tiny bit of cinnamon which plays on the warm flavors of the brown sugar and vanilla in the dough.
Peach jam is added to the dough to fortify the peach flavor as well as being used as a filling for the inside of the cookies. Peach tea is steeped in hot water and used to make a glaze with lemon juice for a bright and juicy pop of summer flavor.
Texture-These are soft baked cookies and have a fine crumb thanks to the cake flour we are using in the dough. They are light and the peach jam keeps the centers soft and moist. The edges of the cookies are crisp while the glaze and pearl sugar on top offer a satisfying crunch and crumble that pair nicely with the soft cookie underneath.
Summertime Cookies-These are just too fun to pass up on baking. You need to add them to your baking list! Peach tea cookies don’t require very many ingredients, don’t need to chill, and are a novel and fun treat to share with family and friends. Plus, you can take advantage of all the yummy flavors of fresh local peaches. Win, win!
Ingredients You Need:
Peach Tea Cookies
- Butter-unsalted, room temperature.
- Peach Tea Bags- I used Perfect Peach by the brand Bigelow. I found this at my local HEB but any peach tea you prefer will work. You want to use a loose-leaf tea to infuse the butter and for steeping in water for the glaze.
- Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Salt
- Egg and extra egg yolk
- Peach Jam– This is my go-to recipe for peach jam!
- Flour
- Cake Flour-this will create a soft and light cookie.
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Vanilla Extract
- Powdered Sugar
- Lemon- I used lemon zest for the cookie dough and a teaspoon of the juice for the glaze.
How I Make Peach Tea Cookies
Peach tea cookies are very simple cookies to make and require very little prep time. This cookie dough requires no chill time and can be baked right after filling them. The glaze uses 3 ingredients, and I was pleased the brewed peach tea colored the glaze a lovely peachy light pink.
You can freeze this cookie dough to bake at a later date by placing it into a sealable bag or container and storing in the freezer for up to 3 months. Add 2 minutes to the bake time and place on a parchment lined baking tray directly from freezer.
Peach Tea Butter
First, I have to infuse the butter with tea. To do this I melt 2 sticks of butter over medium heat along with the contents of 2 peach tea bags. The butter will completely melt, and I let it get hot enough to sizzle a bit, this took around 4 minutes. Once the butter and tea are hot, cover and turn off the heat to the stove. Allow the butter and tea to infuse for 10-15 minutes covered.
Strain the butter using a fine mesh strainer into a large mixing bowl. I press the loose tea firmly with the back of a small spatula to get as much butter and flavor out of the loose tea. Allow the butter to cool to room temperature before making the cookie dough.
Peach Tea Cookie Dough
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
In a bowl mix together room temperature peach tea butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Mix on high with a handheld mixer for one minute until creamy.
Next, I add in the egg yolk, egg, vanilla extract, peach jam, lemon zest from one lemon and mix on high until the mixture is creamy. This took me a minute or two and I scraped down the bowl halfway through mixing to make sure everything was combining well.
Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder with the mixer on low speed just until the dough comes together. I finished mixing the dough with a spatula.
Filling Cookies with Peach Jam
I stuff each portion of scooped cookie dough with peach jam next. Here is how I do this:
I take a two-ounce cookie scoop and scoop out a portion of cookie dough into the scoop. With my thumb I create an indention in the dough about an inch deep and wide. I fill the indent with a half teaspoon of the peach jam. Then, I press and pinch the dough together over the filing to seal it in. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling placing the filled cookie dough directly on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
There will be 6 peach tea cookies per parchment lined baking sheet. Bake one sheet pan at a time at 375*F for 10-12 minutes. Cookies are done baking when they are slightly puffed and light golden brown on the edges and top.
These peach tea cookies will need to cool completely on a wire rack prior to dipping in glaze.
Peach Tea Glaze
Cool the cookies to room temperature then they are ready for the peach tea glaze.
Steep one peach tea bag in half a cup of very hot water. You can warm the water on the stove, in a kettle or in the microwave but make sure it is piping hot. Allow the tea bag to steep for 5 minutes.
In a bowl combine the powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 3 tablespoons of steeped peach tea until it is a thick and creamy glaze. The glaze should have the consistency of thick honey. I added peach tea by the teaspoonful until the desired consistency is reached.
Dip the cookies one by one into the glaze and return them to a wire rack to allow the glaze to set up. I sprinkled crushed pearl sugar on the tops for added crunch, but you can omit if you don’t like crunchy sugar on top of cookies.
Allow the glaze to set up for an hour, or longer depending on how humid and hot your kitchen is. Store these cookies in a single layer inside a tightly closed container.
These cookies surprisingly pair well with a tall icy glass of peach tea.
Enjoy!
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Peach Tea Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 sticks Butter unsalted.
- ¾ cup Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 Peach Tea Bags
- 1 Lemon
- 1 Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 1 tspn Vanilla Extract
- ½ tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Cake Flour
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour
- 6 oz Peach Jam Please use this recipe: https://sunshinetxcookies.com/texas-peach-jam-small-batch/
Peach Tea Glaze
- 1 Peach Tea bag
- ½ cup Water
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tbsp Pearl Sugar for decoration on top of the cookies. I crushed sugar slightly for sprinkling. Optional.
Instructions
- First, melt butter in a medium sauce pan with the contents of the two tea bags. Stir frequently to make sure the tea and butter are mixed well.
- Let the butter melt and sizzle for a minute with the tea then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 10-15 minutes to infuse.
- Strain the tea out of the butter by pouring the melted butter carefully into a mixing bowl. Allow butter to cool to room temperature before making cookie dough.
- When the butter is cooled add both types of sugar and mix with a mixer on high speed for one minute.
- Add the peach jam, egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest to the butter sugar mixture and mix on high for 2 minutes. It should look smooth and creamy.
- Sift the cake flour, all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt over the wet mixture and mix on low until it comes together in a soft dough.
- I use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure the dough is evenly incorporated.
- Using a 2 ounce scoop I scoop out a portion of cookie dough. While the dough is in the scoop I make an inch indention in the center and fill with a half teaspoon of peach jam. I pinch closed, release the dough onto a cookie sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake cookies at 375*F for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies are golden lightly on the edges and top.
- Allow cookies to cool on a wire rack until completely cool to the touch for glazing.
Peach Tea Glaze
- Place 1/2 cup of water in a sauce pan or in the microwave to get piping hot.
- Steep one peach tea bag in the very hot water for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the tea bag to get as much tea flavor out and discard the bag.
- In a bowl place the powdered sugar and add 2 tsps of lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of peach tea.
- Mix until smooth and creamy adding more tea if the glaze is too thick. The glaze should be the consistency of honey.
- Dip each cookie into the glaze and place on a wire rack to allow the glaze to set. Glaze will set anywhere form 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how hot and humid your kitchen is.
- Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with crushed pearl sugar while the glaze is still wet.
- Cookies will keep for one week in a tightly closed container.
- Enjoy!
