One of the best ways to try new recipes and think creatively about cooking is to be inspired by a new ingredient — a newly grown herb, a fresh fruit in season, a locally-sourced cheese. Earlier this year, I was lucky to receive a lovely batch of tea samples from London-based tea company Marulin. I love enjoying tea on its own (a couple of years in the U.K. will do that to you), but I was also eager to try out some new recipes using the fragrant and flavorful tea from Marulin.

Cookies are an excellent way to incorporate tea into your recipes. You can do so many variations on classic shortbread, sugar and chocolate chip cookies, adding another level of flavor with tea leaves or powder. The two recipes I decided to try are (1) Earl Grey shortbread cookies and (2) Matcha mint chocolate chip cookies. In both, you can taste the fragrant tea leaves blending well with the sugary and buttery goodness. Both are fairly light too, so they make for a great summer treat. I recommend pouring yourself a nice big cup of tea, grabbing a small plate of these cookies, and just relaxing.

Above: Earl Grey tea cookies resting on a wire rack.

Above: Matcha mint chocolate chip cookies ready for eating!