Guest Post: Chamomile Lemon Shortbread

Today's guest post comes to us from Ben, who we hope will share more of his fabulous recipes in future! -Friday


I’m a bit of a tea obsessive. What started as an (unhealthy) addiction to coffee, has now seen me
change lanes to tea. And with this change, I’ve always tried to get creative with my tea use. From 
putting together therapeutic cups of turmeric tea, to using tea bags as a way to battle my shoe odors, 
I’ve found a plethora of ways to adapt it for everyday use.

Enter these chamomile tea and lemon shortbread biscuits.

Using tea for baking isn’t always the first thing that comes to mind when I think of interesting ways to 

incorporate it, but these shortbread biscuits are too good not to try.

Chamomile is the perfect ingredient for these shortbread biscuits. Its delicate flavors and relaxing 

properties match beautifully with the lemon zest, bringing together a subtle taste to an already 

comforting food in the form of shortbread. Also unsurprisingly they pair wonderfully with a cup of tea, 

whether it be chamomile or another favorite of yours.

Despite what many might think, shortbread is actually really straightforward to make. It is important 

however to pay attention to the recipe’s step regarding placing the tray in the freezer prior to baking. 

This is really important so don’t skip it! It helps make sure that the dough maintains its shape when 

cooking while also having that unique shortbread crisp to it. If you follow this step though, then you’re 

golden.

Another thing to pay attention to is the use of tea. When splitting open the teabags, make sure that 

they’re fine ground tea flakes. Anything larger will leave you with large chunks in your shortbread, and 

may overpower the flavor of the rest of the shortbread. (You can also grind whole chamomile in a spice grinder to reach the best consistency! -Friday)

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Yield: 30 shortcake biscuits

You will need:

8oz/225g butter, softened
4oz/110g fine/caster sugar
zest of 1 lemon

4 tsp finely ground tea, taken from the contents of 3 chamomile teabags (or loose leaf! -Friday)¼ tsp salt
8oz/225g plain flour
4oz/110g cornflour/cornstarch

Your choice of cookie cutter shapes

Let’s make this thing!

Start by preheating your oven to 325°F/170°C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.

Put the butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Mix together with an electric whisk until the mix is 

pale and fluffy.

Tip in the finely ground tea into the mix. Also add the lemon zest and salt. Combine all ingredients 

thoroughly with the electric whisk. Set to one side.

In a new bowl, sift in the cornflour/cornstarch and then the flour. Once sifted in, mix in the butter mix 

until it forms a dough.

Lightly flour your kitchen or cooking surface. Shape the dough into a ball and roll it out on the floured 

surface. Try to achieve a thickness of about half a cm.

Using your choice of cutters, cut the dough into shapes and then place each new piece onto your 

lined baking trays.

Put the trays in a freezer for 15 minutes while your oven heats up.

Put the trays in the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.

Remove the trays from the oven and set to one side while the shortbread biscuits cool. Move them 

to a wire rack and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Leave to cool completely before either enjoying 

immediately or putting away in a tin to have later.

About the author

Ben is a former semi-pro cyclist and big eater. Now he is just a big eater. He writes about food and 

drink for lazy chefs at The Online Grill.