Rainbow cookies have been my obsession for a while now. I think I never really tried making them as I am not a fan of regular shortbread cookies, as I find then quite bland and boring in taste. Then the idea: why not adding some extra flavour, by using one of my favourite tea?

Orange and Grapefruit cold tea has been my latest addiction. I decided to use both the tea leaves and a tea infusion for creating some colorful, citrusy cookies. Add some grapefruit and orange zest too, if you want a stronger taste. You won’t regret it. Rainbows never fail to bring a smile, and seeing one will make it worth having those rainy days.

“Be everything that you are unapologetically, most of you will find out that you are not just one color, you are a rainbow.”
Mridula Singh

Grapefruit and Orange Infused Rainbow Cookies

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 20

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British, Italian

Equipment

baking tray
kitchen robot (optional)

Ingredients

250 gr Flour
100 gr Butter
1 Egg White
100 gr Caster Sugar
3 Orange and Grapefruit Tea Bags
to taste Orange or Grapefruit Zest
1 drop Liquid Food Colouring I used Wilton Gel Icing Colour Set

Instructions

Put the teabags on a glass with 15-20 ml of water. Leave it aside for 5-10 minutes. Beat the butter until creamy, by using a kitchen robot or some whisks.
Add powdered sugar and beat until combined. Add the eggs, vanilla, and salt. Beat until well combined. Add the infused water, some tea leaves and the orange and/or grapefruit zest.
Slowly add the flour until dough is moist and holds together, but doesn’t stick to your hands. Place dough on a cutting board and form into a ball. Cut in 6 equal pieces.
Add a different colour to each piece, kneading until the colour results homogeneous. Gloves are optional but suggested.
Starting with purple, roll the dough into a log about 15-20 cm long. This will be the center of the rainbow.
Next, roll out the blue dough with a rolling pin until it’s 4 mm thick, slightly longer than the purple, and wide enough to wrap around the purple dough. Wrap the blue dough around the purple, pinching together any cracks that form, cutting off any excess dough. Repeat with the rest of the colors.
Repeat with the green, yellow, orange, and red doughs. The further away from the purple you get, the wider the dough needs to be to go around the previous color, making the red dough the widest.
Let the log rest in the freezer for about 2 hours, wrapped in plastic film.
Once chilled, remove the plastic wrap, and cut the dough in half to make 2 rainbow shapes. Preheat the oven at 160C.
Slice cookies about 1 cm thick and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until the bottom has browned slightly. Cool and enjoy!