Black Tea &

Salted Peanut

Bar Cookie

One of my great grandmothers had an afternoon tea routine. It was nothing like a Japanese, Chinese or English tea. Our afternoon tea? Iced sweet black tea and tea cakes (soft cookies). Sometimes with roasted peanuts.

I was thinking about this slower, not necessarily better, time... What if I combined the elements of my childhood tea into a bar cookie?

The resulting bar cookie is reminiscent of the soft, not too sweet tea cakes my grandmother and great grandmother served to tide you over until dinner.

This recipe is adapted from Ovenly's Secretly Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies on Food52's website. I tried it and declared it to be my 2016 recipe of the year. I've made this in many flavors: rose and coriander, chocolate and espresso, lime, oatmeal and coconut. Endless possibilities.

Black Tea & Salted Peanut Bar Cookie

Text and Photo by Jac Kyles Baker

Makes 4 to 8 slices, depending on how you slice it

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp fine salt (I used pink)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup canola oil or any neutral oil

1/3 cup strong brewed black tea, warm

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 roughly chopped salted peanuts*

Preparation

Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl.

Combine sugar and salt. Add warm tea and whisk until sugar and salt dissolves. Add vanilla to mixture.

To liquid mixture, add oil. Whisk until oil and water combine, about two minutes. Liquid will thicken to the viscosity of a thin syrup.

Make a well in the bottom of the flour bowl. Pour in a third of the liquid into the well and stir in some of the flour. Repeat step two more times until a smooth batter forms.

Pour batter into oiled or parchment lined 6 inch round microwave safe pan. Top with chopped peanuts. Lightly press peanuts into batter.

Place pan into microwave and bake on HIGH for 1 minute and 20 seconds.

Carefully remove pan from microwave. Cool on rack.

Store in an airtight container.

Cook's Notes

*Use whole peanuts (preferably shelled) and chop them. Whole peanuts are fresher than pre-chopped peanuts.

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