Winter Tea-Time Snacks
"The night was clear and frosty, all ebony of shadow and silver of snowy slope; big stars were shining over the silent fields." –Lucy Maud Montgomery
When the winter air chills outside, it is simply blissful to wrap up in a cozy duvet and enjoy the warm comfort of a hot cup of tea. After the rush and busyness of the holidays, winter is the time for quiet reflections. Take a moment to write a letter, read a poem, or simply sit by the glow of the soothing fire with a steaming cup of tea.
Here are some simple recipes for tea time snacks that are sure to delight.
Almond Tea Biscotti
What You’ll need to make 12 Biscotti:
| 1/4 cup |
boiling water |
50 mL |
| 1 |
Redrose Tea Bag |
1 |
| 1/3 cup |
almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped |
75 mL |
| 1 1/4 cups |
all-purpose flour |
300 ml |
| 1/4 cup |
firmly packed light brown sugar |
50 ml |
| 2 tbsp |
granulated sugar |
30 mL |
| 1/2 tsp |
ground cinnamon |
2 mL |
| 1/2 tsp |
baking powder |
2 mL |
| 1/4 tsp |
salt |
1 mL |
| 1 |
egg, beaten |
1 |
| 1/4 cup |
vegetable oil |
50 mL |
- Preheat oven to 325° F (160° C). Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. In small saucepan, pour boiling water over tea bag; cover and brew 5 minutes. Strain and cool.
- In large bowl, combine almonds, flour, sugars, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir in 1 egg beaten with oil and tea. On baking sheet, shape dough into 10 x 3-inch (25 cm x 8 cm) log. Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool completely.
- With serrated knife, cut on the diagonal into 1/2-inch (1 cm) wide slices. Arrange slices on their sides on same cookie sheet. Continue baking about 30 minutes, turning once, or until crisp and golden brown. Let cool completely.
Cranberry Tea Loaf
What You’ll need:
| 1 1/4 cups |
water |
300 mL |
| 1/4 cup |
cranberry juice cocktail |
50 mL |
| 4 |
RedRose Tea Bags |
4 |
| 3 cups |
all-purpose flour |
750 mL |
| 1 tsp |
baking soda |
5 mL |
| 1/2 tsp |
salt |
2 mL |
| 1 1/4 cups |
granulated sugar |
300 mL |
| 1/4 cup |
Imperial Margarine |
50 mL |
| 2 |
2 eggs |
2 |
| 1 cup |
chopped cranberries |
250 mL |
| 1 cup |
chopped walnuts or pecans |
250 mL |
- Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Grease 9x5x3-inch (2 L) loaf pan; set aside.
- In 1-quart (1 L) saucepan, bring water and cranberry juice to a boil. Remove from heat and add tea bags; cover and brew 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and squeeze; cool.
- In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large bowl, with electric mixer, beat sugar and Imperial Margarine until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in cooled tea mixture. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until blended. Stir in cranberries and walnuts. Turn into prepared pan.
- Bake 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. On wire rack, cool 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely.
