High-gluten flour and time to rest create cake-like cookies that pair perfectly with tea.

So far my trip is fantastic…I’ve drunk enough tea to sink a dragon boat. Maybe this is why I’ve had cookies on the brain, especially ones that go well with tea. My most recent batch of cookies reminded me of the baked goods I had in England, at a mossy comfortable inns with names like “The Squirrel.” The biscuits were memorable because they were surprisingly cake-like, not crispy, and used spicing to complement the house tea.

My cookies are similarly designed to be thicker and chewier than normal. If you want them even more cake-like, add 2 tablespoons extra all-purpose flour. If you’d like them thinner with crispier edges, add 2 tablespoons more butter.

Lemon should go well with a wide host of teas, so I’ve chosen to use it to spice up my cookies.  If you let the dough rest in the refrigerator (frankly the longer, the better), your lemon will infuse the dough and your cookies will cook up with a better color, texture, and flavor.

A sprinkle of sea salt on the top of your cookies would add a special touch, enhancing the lemon and chocolate flavors even more. A bit of candied lemon peel pressed into the top would also be a delicious and beautiful decoration.

You can also add chopped nuts to the cookies. Chopped toasted almonds would complement the chocolate and lemon very well.

Resting in the fridge gives your cookies a uniform shape, a higher rise, and a golden hue.

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Lemon Chocolate Cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup melted butter

2 heaping teaspoons lemon zest

½ teaspoon lemon extract

2 cups high-gluten flour, like bread flour

2 tablespoons regular all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon powdered milk

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 eggs

1 cup good-quality dark chocolate chips (or chunks from a good chocolate bar)

Instructions:

1.) Cut butter into small pieces. Melt in a small pan over low heat. Wait until the butter becomes a deep gold color and smells divine. Remove from heat and place in a large bowl.

2.) Quickly mix the lemon zest and the lemon extract into the warm butter. Let the butter cool while you mix the rest of the ingredients, so the lemon flavor infuses into the butter.

3.) In a second bowl, shift together the flours, baking soda, salt, and powdered milk.

4.) Combine the sugars and cooled butter. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well.

5.) Add your shifted flour mixture to the butter a little bit at a time (about 3 batches). Stir to integrate the flour fully before each new flour addition.

6.) Fold in your chocolate chips.

7.) Chill your dough for at least an hour, and optimally overnight. The longer the dough can rest, the better the final color and shape will be.

8.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place large balls of dough on a cookie sheet, protected with parchment paper.

9.) Bake cookies for 18-20 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Since oven temperatures can vary, check the cookies at 15 minutes for doneness.

Didn't even last through the pictures...it smelled too good!

Try to let them cool before eating…but after smelling the lemon, I doubt you’ll be able to wait for too long.