Time for a Vegan, Gluten-Free Afternoon Tea! Earl Grey Shortcake Recipe by Abby Phon for Hynt Beauty

We're back today with a healthy and elegant afternoon tea-time treat by Abby Phon, a health & wellness life coach and vegan recipe guru who has been partnering with Hynt Beauty to provide us with original Hynt recipes that feature one or a few of the ingredients that we formulate into our makeup and skincare products.

Introducing her new vegan & gluten-free Earl Grey Shortbread recipe which features Bergamot Oil from real Earl Grey Tea Leaves, and a dash of Vanilla, too. "Personally, I LOVE Earl Grey Tea," says Abby, who found it challenging to avoid the caffeinated drink while she was breastfeeding. She eventually went for the decaf version but it got her thinking about how she can infuse that flavor into a baked goodie to go with the tea "...or just as well with the red raspberry leaf tea I was drinking to support and tone my uterus," she jokes. "Bergamot (Citrus Bergamia) is actually a cross between a lemon and an orange, and has a very citrus-y scent. It's best known for being the main flavor in Earl Grey tea, but besides its distinctive aroma, bergamot oil is amazing for your skin and body!"

Bergamot is full of polyphenols and is helpful in minimizing the appearance of acne scars and other skin marks, too.

Earl Grey Shortbread Recipe

(Vegan & Gluten Free)

Ingredients

• ½ cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, softened
• ½ cup maple syrup (or coconut nectar)
• 2¼ cups gluten-free flour blend (I used Pamela's Artisan Flour Blend)
• 2 tbsp organic earl grey loose leaf tea (or the insides of 4-6 tea bags)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Blitz earl grey tea in a spice/coffee grinder, blender, food processor (or mini-prep) until powdery
3. Add Earth Balance, maple syrup, tea, vanilla and salt to a food processor and pulse until well combined
4. Add flour and pulse until a dough forms
5. Form into a patty and refrigerate for ~20 minutes to firm up
6. On a floured surface, flatten to a ½ thick rectangle and cut into squares
7. Transfer to a baking pan or cookie sheet and bake for 14-15 minutes, until just browned on the edges.
8. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. (Don't worry if they are a little soft - they will harden as they cool!)

Check out Abby's other original Hynt Beauty recipes on the rest of our blog like her Chocolate-Covered Organic Raw Matcha Macaroons and Matcha Green Tea Smoothie recipes!