We had a dark, rainy day earlier this week that left me wanting nothing more than to curl up with a big mug of tea and honey. There’s something so cozy and comforting about those flavors together. I’m not quite ready to make the switch back to warm beverages though – I’m still firmly in Summer mode – so I came home and whipped up this light, fluffy buttercream instead.
Tea and honey buttercream. I’m not sure why it’s taken me 30 years to come up with that idea, but it’s DELICIOUS! I sandwiched mine between oatmeal cookies that came in my last shipment from Walkers (how cute are those little minis?!) for the perfect little sweet bites.
I used a swiss meringue buttercream for this recipe. It has a light, fluffy texture that reminds me of whipped cream. It’s a tiny bit more work than regular buttercream and will require you to turn on the stove, but it’s well worth it.
Instead of white sugar, I used honey. It makes the frosting subtly sweet and gives it a complex flavor. At first, the predominant flavor is from the tea, but the honey flavor becomes stronger at the end and lingers for a bit.
It was great paired with the oatmeal cookies, which are really rustic and oat-y, but it would also be amazing on top of yellow cupcakes.
If you want to try the cookies, Walkers generously offered a discount code for Healthy. Delicious. readers. Enter the code HDSCHOOL on the Walkers site and you can “buy two get one free.” (Code expires August 29.)
Tea and Honey Buttercream
Start with butter that’s very soft and creamy. If it’s too cold, your buttercream will be grainy and won’t come together. If that happens, melt two tablespoons of the frosting then whip it back in to the rest. It will look very melty at first, but will thicken up when you start whipping it.
Author: Lauren Keating
Serves: 1 cup
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- ¼ cup honey
- pinch salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 16 pieces (room temperature)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 bags English breakfast tea
Preparation
- Combine egg white, honey, and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk by hand until the mixture has reached 120 degrees (it will feel warm to the touch).
- Remove from heat and whisk until stiff peaks form, about 7 minutes. The meringue will be thick, glossy, and col to the touch.
- Add the butter one piece at a time, whisking well until it’s all incorporated. Whisk in vanilla and the contents of the tea bags. Continue mixing 2-3 minutes or until the frosting is completely smooth.
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As an official Walkers Shortbread Blogger Ambassador, I received a selection of miniature cookie to use in my recipes. I was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are my own.
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