Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Herb Spiced Sugar Cookies and Icing

Makes 24 cookies

Click here to download this recipe in printable PDF format.

Your family will love this delightful recipe! Featuring icing made with Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride® Herbal Tea, these cookies showcase the simple pleasures of butter, sugar and spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. They're the perfect treat for holiday gatherings, tree–trimming festivities, or just to take the chill off a cold winter's day!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all–purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup (packed) brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp molasses
• Sugar to coat cookies

• 2 cups powdered sugar (sifted, then measured)
• 1/2 cup water
• 6 bags Celestial Seasonings Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride Herbal Tea

Instructions

Making the cookies

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves, coriander, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in vanilla, eggs and molasses. Mix in dry ingredients. Place dough in the freezer for 1 hour. Roll dough into approximately 24 balls and roll in sugar to coat. On a cookie sheet, press dough balls to form 1 1/2-inch rounds. Bake until cookies puff slightly but are still soft, about 12 minutes.

Preparing the icing

To make a tea concentrate, boil water with Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea bags in a small pot until it is reduced to just under 1/2 cup. Allow to cool. Discard tea bags. In a mixing bowl, combine powdered sugar and 3 Tbsp tea concentrate. Stir until icing is blended and smooth, adding more tea by the teaspoonful if icing is too thick or more sugar by the tablespoonful if it's too thin. Using a small spatula, spread a thin layer of icing atop each cookie. Enjoy!

Archaeological evidence suggest green tea has been consumed for more than 5,000 years.