Super sweet treats are not my cup of tea anymore. It’s interesting, because I was one of those individuals that could drink full-sugar bubble tea (shops never offered sugar level customizations – do you remember those days?), eat milk or white chocolates, and not really feel the after effects of sugary pastries. Now, not so much. Once you cut down on the amount of sugar you consume on a normal basis, the body adapts and doesn’t feel so great with over-indulgences.
I must admit, I’m also a bit afraid of adding a lot of sugar into my cookies these days. If I can cut down the sugar, I try. You need a certain amount of sugar to balance the taste of butter/shortening and to help the dough spread, etc, and so I keep playing with different amounts in my recipes.
These London fog chocolate chip cookies don’t contain a large amount of sugar, and the end result isn’t too sweet. They are super satisfying still because you have the hit of sweetness from the semi-sweet chocolate chips. Also, the tea leaves and lavender add a lovely, strong flavour so you will not miss the sugar.
An extra egg yolk in this recipe provides additional chew to the cookies, so they have a pleasant mouth feel! If you ever have extra egg yolks, save them and add them into cookie dough!
London fogs were my first foray into coffee shop/café drinks. I remember my mom recommending them to me, as she said they are really good. The first time I tried one was from Starbucks – though it’s funny how they aren’t listed as a regular part of the menu! What was your first coffee shop drink growing up?
If you give this recipe a try, tag me on Instagram and #takeontreats!
Please credit this page if you repost my recipe.
Lower Sugar London Fog Cookies
Ingredients:
- 159 g all-purpose flour
- 70 g white sugar
- 55 g brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup salted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup shortening (I used golden Crisco)
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 earl grey tea bag, opened
- 1/4 tsp ground lavender (culinary grade)
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions:
- If baking off right away: Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Combine butter, shortening and sugars in a stand mixer or with an electric mixer for 2-3 minutes until light and creamy.
- Add in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract and combine.
- Slowly beat in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, earl grey tea, and lavender
- Mix in chocolate chips.
- If you want to chill the dough to allow the flavours to sit or if the dough is too soft and sticky, transfer dough into an air-tight container and refrigerate. I refrigerating my dough for about 2.5 days before baking.
- If you chilled the dough, allow it to come to room temperature while preheating the oven.
- Scoop dough and form balls. I made my cookies 30-35 g of dough each. I baked 6 cookies at a time.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on your oven and if you prefer softer or crispier cookies.
- Allow cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The texture of these cookies improves the next day!
- Store cookies in an air-tight container and room temperature for a few days, or freeze them for longer storage.
