Yellow & Blue Afternoon Tea
This summer marks two years since my transformative summer in England, and one of the things I miss the most is Afternoon Tea. A pause at any moment during the day when you need it most, to refresh, regroup, and step back into the day. To commemorate my time in London, I thought I would do a British inspired post. So pull out your china and invite your Mom over because a Yellow & Blue themed Afternoon Tea is what’s on the menu.
Photo by Angie Stefanec
Yellow & Blue Tea
In the summer, it can be tempting to switch from hot tea to iced. And I am going to encourage you not to. The custom of Afternoon Tea is to drink hot tea year round, but in the summertime, I enjoy a more floral or citrus tea to lighten things up. My tea of choice for a summertime Afternoon Tea is this Yellow and Blue tea from Harney & Sons. A chamomile based tea (yellow), blended with threads of lavender (blue), poses for a perfectly posh pairing to it’s cookie.
Brew either a pot or individual cups per brewing instruction
Photo by Angie Stefanec
Lemon Poppyseed Cookies
Photo by Angie Stefanec
There is no better pairing to this tea than an airy citrus cookie, and A Spicy Perspective’s Lemon (yellow) Poppyseed (blue) Cookies are just that. I have all of these ingredients on hand at any given time, so it’s easy to make a quick batch. Here’s how to make them:
Ingredients
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
Zest of 2 lemons
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp of vanilla
2 tsp of poppyseeds
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a separate medium bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the bowl and beat in the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla, and the poppy seeds. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl, then mix until well combined.
Scoop the cookie dough onto the baking sheets in 1 -tablespoon portions, two inches apart. Sprinkle the tops with extra poppy seeds if you like. Bake for 10 minutes, until the edges are just barely golden. Then cool on the cookie sheets for 5 minutes before moving.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.
Use your favorite dishes to serve your tea and cookies, and enjoy the ritual of the Afternoon Tea!
Photo by Angie Stefanec