What are the Cookies to Accompany Tea? 5 Pairings for 5 Different Types of Tea

Tea and cookies: a classic of classics. Although the tradition of accompanying sweets with tea, whether cookies or cakes, has an all-European mold and nothing to do with the Eastern tea ritual, drinking tea with cookies is a habit of many people, who cannot give up a hint of sweetness to balance the astringent and intense taste of tea. But what are the best cookies to accompany tea? Different types of tea need different cookies, and in this article we wanted to offer you 5 special and surprising pairings.

Tea Cookies: A Western Custom

The custom of eating cookies with tea, as well as sweets, is a Western tradition: in the East, tea is eaten alone or to accompany main meals, in a ritual known as the tea ceremony. In some countries dunking cookies in tea is seen as a real faux pas, but let’s face it: what could be better than tea with cookies for company?

The pairing of tea and cakes actually seems to have a more recent history, although it still dates back to the mid-1800s: the story goes that Duchess Anne of Bradford, who was often plagued by weakness and a sense of hunger during the afternoon, requested a light meal to accompany her five o’clock tea, as she was unable to wait until dinner. The tea-time custom of accompanying cookies and cakes to one’s afternoon tea is therefore attributed to her, a custom that has risen from a stately and aristocratic ritual to the present day, where tea and cookies are an unbeatable pairing, the star of the snack but also of breakfast (and for many, even dinner!), perfect for getting the day off to the best possible start with a boost of energy.

Not just a tradition in the UK: a steaming hot cup of tea on a winter afternoon, drunk plain or with very little sugar, very little milk, accompanied by a tray of different kinds of cookies, buttered, spiced and citrus can be a real treat, and now a proposition of many cafes and tea rooms: it is no coincidence that cookies are considered a food of good cheer, thanks to the aromatic notes, sweet taste and inviting scent, which make them a winning pairing with tea: this pairing is so popular that there are even actual rankings of cookies based on which one has the best hold on immersion in tea!

Tea and Cookies, Winning Pairing: Even Science Says So!

Soaking cookies in tea for many people is a must that accompanies the enjoyment of their cup of tea, not only at snack time, but also at breakfast in place of milk or coffee, and there are even many people who drink tea and cookies instead of dinner. Especially if tea is drunk plain, pairing it with cookies can really enhance the flavors, and make tea time a special time.

There is even a scientific basis for this: a study from the University of Nottingham reportedly showed how soaking cookies in tea (of Digestive, in this case) would improve the taste. This is certainly important news for the British, whose daily cookie consumption exceeds that of any other European country. Scientist Ian Fisk, the study’s author, also demonstrated on a BBC program how his theory is true: he had the program’s presenter eat cookies with a tube inserted into her nose, which allowed Fisk to analyze how many aromas are released when eating a cookie au naturel, and when eating it dipped in tea, showing that a cookie dipped in tea releases twice the aromas of the natural one. In fact, tea allows the aromas to release into the mouth and nose more easily, making the cookies taste better and sweeter.

So if you feel guilty about consuming tea with cookies because of a calorie issue, take comfort in knowing that this is a pairing backed by science!

5 Tea and Cookie Pairings

A cup of tea with some yummy cookies is therefore a great snack or breakfast, but we know that the choice of cookies cannot be random: the types of tea can also be very different from each other, and each tea, with different notes and characteristics, requires its own cookie, since wisely pairing the two can best enhance their flavor notes, fragrance, and confer greater benefits. Let’s discover five tea and cookie pairings together!

Earl Grey Tea and Shortbread

A classic, incredibly British pairing: both Earl Grey tea and shortbread are part of the traditional English afternoon tea ritual. Earl Grey is a very famous and fine tea, a blend of Chinese and Indian black teas flavored with bergamot essential oil. Earl Grey is a tea with a black tea base, which can tolerate robust and full flavors, at the same time it is mellowed and lightened by the agre aroma of bergamot well matched with the crumbly texture of shortbreads and their intense butter flavor. The shortbreads are also perfect for dunking in Earl Grey, especially when served plain, without sugar or milk. For the real Scottish shortbread recipe to go with your Earl Grey, crumbly and just thick enough, combine 300 grams of flour, 200 grams of butter, 100 grams of sugar and a pinch of salt. Make sure the butter is cold and knead everything together. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1 cm and cut the cookies into rectangles, make the typical holes and bake for 15 minutes at 180 degrees.

Lapsang Souchong Tea and Dark Chocolate Cookies

Lapsang Souchong tea is a very special brew: it is a very robust Chinese black tea with an intense smoky taste that therefore needs a thick, equally robust tasting cookie that can sustain the strong notes of Lapsang. This tea is made through a special process of drying and smoking on coniferous wood: the infusion will have a coppery, dark but bright color, and its flavor and aroma will intensely release the notes of smoke and resin, while maintaining a sweetish, full taste. It is a tea that goes well with milk, and our recommendation is to pair it with a rich dark chocolate cookie, perhaps with added hazelnuts, such as craquelé cookies, the sugar-coated cookies with characteristic cracks that reveal the inviting soft, dark chocolate interior.

Darjeeling Tea and Orange and Cardamom Cookies

Darjeeling tea is considered the “Champagne of Teas,” and not for nothing. It is one of the most popular afternoon teas, a black tea of Indian origin that yields a light infusion with a light amber color and floral notes. Darjeeling tea has a slightly astringent, musky flavor and is often compared to the taste of muscat grapes. Our suggestion is to pair its floral notes with the citrus notes of a spiced orange cookie: we suggest cardamom to echo the memory of where this fine tea comes from, a combination of flavors for a complex but not overpowering cookie: for an even richer cookie, prepare a buttery shortbread and fill it with a cardamom-spiced orange marmalade.

Chai Tea and Ginger Cookies

Chai tea, also known as masala chai, is a spiced black tea infusion originating in India. It is prepared by letting spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, pepper and ginger steep together with the tea leaves, resulting in a full-bodied, intense and fragrant brew. For a chai tea recipe you can consult our blog article on the subject. To the spicy and pungent notes of the masala chai, we recommend pairing a ginger cookie, or alternatively a cinnamon cookie, of simple flavored shortbread, complementing the spices within the infusion, for a warming and invigorating, sweet yet pungent combination, ideal for cold winter afternoons.

Japanese Green Tea and Raspberry and White Chocolate Cookies

Japanese green teas are generally fine teas with a fresh, herbaceous taste. If you are a lover of these green teas, such as Gyokuro tea, Sencha tea or the highly prized Matcha from our e-shop. try a delicate but mouth-watering combination with cookies, just like the American ones, in which the white chocolate chips are replaced with white chocolate and raspberries, for a very sweet taste that balances that of green tea, to be drunk absolutely pure: yummy, fragrant and rich, to be prepared with muscovado sugar and dehydrated raspberries. The richness and delicacy of these cookies goes well with the light bitter flavor of green teas, and will be sure to impress your tea party guests.