As the winter holidays approach, parties abound at work, home, and friends’ apartments, which means there are plenty of opportunities to bake. Partygoers are surely looking forward to classic desserts like apple pie and Sufganiyot, but why not delight their taste buds with a tea surprise? Here are 5 recipes that add tea to the classic holiday desserts you and your fellow party animals will relish:
1) Green Tea Gingerbread Cookies
Green tea gives these gingerbread cookies from Eat Green Tea a little something extra. Start by mixing green tea leaves and butter over heat for about ten minutes, then stir in add molasses and chocolate. Add flour, brown sugar, baking soda and powder, milk, salt, and ginger to create dough. Chill the dough, and then cut into gingerbread men (or women!) before popping in the oven. Decorate as you wish with icing, and enjoy!
2) Chai Sufganiyot with Orange-Pumpkin Buttercream
Hannukah Donuts enjoy notes of chai in this recipe from Chowhound. One chai tea bag joins cinnamon, cardamom, salt, vegetable oil, milk, vanilla, eggs, butter, and flour to make the donuts themselves. A tasty orange-pumpkin buttercream filling seals these donuts’ spot in innovative territory.
3) Green Tea Shortbread Cookies
Green tea gives these shortbread cookies from Smitten Kitten a holiday makeover, and white chocolate filling offers a snowy accent. Mix unsweetened green tea powder with flour, salt, sugar, butter, and almond extract to create a yummy dough ready for your favorite holiday cookie cutters. The green dough is a perfect candidate for cookie trees, leaves, and wreaths, but who wouldn’t love a green snowman cookie?
4) Black Tea Apple Pie
This recipe from Sift and Whisk adds black tea to classic apple pie. Pour black tea over apple slices and then let them dry before baking them into the pie. According to the author, “The tea flavor in this pie is very light and only peeks out every few bites or so.” That means it’s a great candidate for an audience expecting a classic but is open to a little adventure.
5) Chocolate Matcha Babka
Babka typically enjoys extras like walnuts or raisins, but for maximum holiday cheer, follow this recipe from Aloha Belly and add chocolate and matcha to the sweet yeast treat. This recipe requires you to plan ahead, as the dough must rise overnight. Plus, working with yeast is not especially easy. But if you’re feeling more ambitious than buying a store-bought mix, roll up your sleeves and attempt this tea-infused babka.
