As I flew from Dubai to Boston on Saturday, I walked the cabin of that 777, looking at the faces of my fellow passengers, many asleep in the usual awkward way we sleep on long haul flights, in the back of the plane. And I choked up. All these people, people like many I know and love: With families and friends and dreams and lives to lead. What must it have been like to be on that MAS flight that went missing? Did they cling together, those strangers? Did they pray or cry or scream in fear? Did they know what was happening?
As I walked the aisle, I prayed for them, for their families, for answers and closure, and row by row, I prayed for my own fellow passengers, that they would have safety and God’s protection, all the way to their final destinations. It was a very emotional experience, 35,000 feet in the air, being held aloft by the laws of physics and, I firmly believe, the angels around us. If you don’t believe in angels, I hope you at least believe that we can be that for each other, supporting and uplifting, bringing joy and light whenever and wherever we can.
As I mentioned yesterday, this week I am visiting an old friend in Michigan., someone who has been a source of inspiration and unabashed giggling for many years. We met in Malaysia back in 2001 and she is one of my closest friends in all the world. Naszreen was raised in her home country of Sri Lanka, then Saudi Arabia, finally finishing her education at boarding school in the UK. She married an American and has two wonderful children. Together we have been through years of PTA work, including two exhausting years on the executive committee, chaired two fundraising galas for the American Association of Malaysia, braved through and won a vigorous fight for her health.
These days she is fulfilling a dream she has had for many years, with the opening of a teashop in the Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Woods. I am inspired by her courage, the way she has worked steadily and with purpose to make her dream come true. She’d deny it forever but she is one of those angels I mentioned, for me.
Today’s cookie is flavored with one of the hundreds of teas she sells. As I browsed her little shop (If you'd like to see some photos, scroll to the bottom of this post.) yesterday, opening bulk tins and reading labels and inhaling the fragrance of everything, she regaled me with her wealth of knowledge about the various teas, their properties and uses. I finally settled on a flavored green tea because it smelled so fabulous. The shortbread turned out wonderfully as well. Bake a batch for someone you want to lift up.
This recipe was adapted from Food Network.
Jasmine Lychee Green Tea Shortbread
Ingredients2 cups or 250g flour
2 tablespoons loose tea leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup or 95g powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup or 225g butter, at room temperature
Method
In a food processor, pulse together the flour, tea, and salt, until the tea is chopped up fairly small and it's well distributed throughout.
Add in the sugar, vanilla, and butter and pulse again until a soft dough forms.
Put the dough into the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to chill. I left mine overnight and it was lovely and firm.
When you are ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F or 190°C.
Use a sharp knife to slice the log into circles. If you prefer a thicker, soft cookie, cut them about 1/2 inch or a little thicker than 1 cm. For a crispier cookie, cut them about 1/3 inch or 8mm thick. Line your baking pan with parchment paper and place the dough slices about two inches or five centimeters apart.
Bake in your preheated oven until the edges are just brown, about 9 or 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let the cookies cool in the pan for several minutes.
Enjoy!
The Creative Cookie Exchange challenge this month was to create a cookie using tea or coffee for flavoring and the group has some great recipes to share. Many thanks to our host this month, Laura of The Spiced Life.
If you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
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Vanilla Rooibos Tea Cookies from All That's Left Are The Crumbs
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Matcha Green Tea Cream Filled Sugar Cookies from NinjaBaking.com
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Orange Spiced Tea Cookies from A Baker's House
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Chocolate Espresso White Chocolate Chunk Cookies from Karen's Kitchen Stories
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Mocha Viennese Swirl Cookies from Baking Yummies
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Hazelnut Espresso Cookies from Basic N Delicious
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Café au Lait Bars from The Spiced Life
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Piped Coffee Butter Cookies from Made with Love
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Chai Chocolate Chip Cookies from Noshing with the Nolands
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Coffee Crisps from Magnolia Days
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Matcha White Chocolate Cookies from It’s Yummi!
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Jasmine Lychee Green Tea Shortbread from Food Lust People Love
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Mocha Meringue Cookies from Cookie Dough & Oven Mitt
- Earl Grey French Macarons with Honey Rose Water Buttercream from Sweet Cinnamon and Honey
You are also invited to follow our Pinterest board where you will find links to loads of Creative Cookie recipes from all of our members and Like our public Facebook page. Happy baking!
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| The store front. Isn't it adorable? You can like her Facebook page here. Thanks! |
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| Tea on offer. |
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| Teaware on offer. |
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| Tea in wooden boxes and personally branded tea mixtures. |
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| Black teas with fruit. |
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| More teaware. |
