Today I’m sharing a recipe for Paleo Shortbread Tea Cookies, with instructions to shape them like little tea bags — perfect for tea time, showers, or favors.
Why Mention Mozart?
If you’ve seen the movie Amadeus you’ll remember the scene where Antonio Salieri marvels at Mozart’s effortless genius, describing the composer as if he were “taking dictation.” I relate to Salieri’s mixture of admiration and envy when I encounter extraordinary talent. While I’m not plotting against anyone, I do often wish for similar creative gifts.
That said, these paleo shortbread tea cookies feel like a small creative victory for me. They combine baking and a simple craft to create an elegant, gluten-free treat that works well for tea parties, baby showers, or as unique party favors. The cookies are grain-free, gluten-free, nut-free and sweetened with maple syrup, with a dark chocolate coating for extra decadence.
Gluten Free Shortbread Tea Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup arrowroot starch/flour
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, ghee, or butter
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla (double vanilla if you like)
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- dash of fine ground sea salt (about 1/8 teaspoon)
- 3–4 ounces dark chocolate
Instructions for Paleo Shortbread
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Combine all ingredients (except the chocolate) in a food processor and pulse several times until evenly distributed. The mixture will be crumbly.
- Turn the dough onto parchment or wax paper and press it together into a solid piece.
- Use your hands and a rolling pin to roll it into a flat disk about 8″ x 10″ and roughly 1/8″ thick (it can be slightly thicker).
- Cut a tea bag-shaped template from parchment and place it on the dough. Cut out tea bag shapes with a knife.
- Carefully transfer each cut cookie to a lined baking sheet using a spatula.
- Use the end of a wooden skewer or similar tool to poke a small hole near the top of each cookie (this will hold the string for the tea bag look).
- Bake for about 15 minutes, until set.
- Let the cookies cool slightly, then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Recheck the holes with a skewer and clear any that are partially closed.
- While cookies cool completely, melt the dark chocolate in short bursts in a microwave-safe bowl, stirring occasionally until just melted (don’t overheat).
- Dip each fully cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, letting excess drip off, and return them to the lined sheet.
- Chill the chocolate-coated cookies in the refrigerator or freezer for a few minutes to set the coating.
Instructions for the Tea Bag Craft
- Cut a length of thread or embroidery floss about 10–12 inches for each cookie. Fold it in half and push both ends through the hole in the top of the cookie, then thread the loose ends through the loop to secure.
- Cut small tags from cardstock (about 1″ square works well).
- Decorate one side of each tag with stamps, handwriting, or a small design. You’ll need two tags per cookie so you can sandwich the thread between them.
- Apply glue to the blank side of one tag, lay the two loose thread ends onto the glue, then glue a second tag on top to seal the thread inside. Trim any excess thread if needed.
Makes approximately 15–18 cookies.
These paleo shortbread tea bag cookies are surprisingly sturdy. In my batch of 15, none cracked while assembling or decorating. They’re not overly sweet but capture the texture of shortbread well. Coconut flour can be dry and arrowroot sometimes leaves a slight powdery texture, but the fat from the coconut oil or ghee and the maple syrup help balance that. I used 85% dark chocolate for a more bitter finish; 70% would be a good alternative if you prefer a sweeter chocolate.
My kids enjoy an after-school tea, and these cookies felt special for our little ritual. They work well for casual tea time or a more formal gathering when presented in a pretty box.
Special thanks to my friend Pamela for helping with the craft assembly and lending props for the photos.
If you like paleo desserts, you might enjoy trying other recipes that use similar ingredients and techniques for satisfying, grain-free sweets.
