Spooky Series: Earl Grey Ghosts

Some ghosts are terrifying.

These ones are buttery.

Meet the Earl Grey Ghosts.

Little shortbread biscuits infused with fragrant Earl Grey, covered in smooth white icing and finished with two tiny black eyes.

No complicated faces.

No elaborate decorations.

Just a collection of very cute ghosts who look like they have absolutely no idea how they got here.

We are using Jeeves & Jericho Earl Grey to bring black tea and bright bergamot into a classic buttery shortbread.

Crisp, delicate and just citrusy enough.

Almost too cute to eat.

Almost.

Earl Grey Ghost Shortbread Recipe

Makes approximately 18 to 20 biscuits

Prep time: 25 minutes, plus 1 hour chilling

Bake time: 14 to 17 minutes

Decorating time: 30 minutes, plus icing drying time

Ingredients

For the Earl Grey shortbread:

225g unsalted butter, softened

100g caster sugar

300g plain flour

50g cornflour

8g Jeeves & Jericho Earl Grey tea

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

For the royal icing:

250g icing sugar

15g pasteurised egg white powder or royal icing mix, following the manufacturer's instructions

Water, according to the icing mix instructions

Black food colouring or black royal icing for the eyes

First, prepare the Earl Grey

Take 8g of Jeeves & Jericho Earl Grey and grind it into a fine texture using a spice grinder or pestle and mortar.

We want the tea to run through the shortbread, not appear as large pieces of leaf.

The finer the tea, the more evenly it distributes through the dough.

You should still see tiny flecks in the finished biscuits.

That is a good thing.

We just do not want anyone discovering an entire tea leaf halfway through a ghost.

Make the shortbread dough

Beat the softened butter and caster sugar together until smooth and creamy.

Do not whip too much air into the mixture.

We want delicate shortbread that holds its shape.

Add the vanilla extract and finely ground Earl Grey.

Mix until the tea is evenly distributed.

In a separate bowl, combine the plain flour, cornflour and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.

Mix gently until a dough forms.

It might look crumbly at first.

Bring it together with your hands, but avoid overworking it.

Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap it and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Shape your ghosts

Heat the oven to 170°C, or 150°C fan.

Line two baking trays with baking paper.

Roll the chilled dough to around 6mm thick.

For ghosts like the ones in our inspiration image, you want a very simple shape.

A rounded head.

Straight or gently curved sides.

A slightly wavy bottom.

Think of a little sheet floating around with absolutely no idea where it is going.

Use a small ghost shaped cutter, approximately 6 to 7cm tall.

Look for one with a smooth, rounded top and a simple scalloped bottom, rather than a ghost with arms.

If you cannot find one, make a cardboard template and carefully cut around it with a small knife.

Transfer the biscuits to the baking trays.

Keep the shapes simple and similar in size.

Then refrigerate the cut biscuits for another 15 minutes.

This extra chilling helps keep those clean outlines when baking.

Bake

Bake for 14 to 17 minutes.

You want the biscuits set with only the lightest golden colour around the edges.

Keep the tops pale.

That is important because we want the white icing to sit on a beautifully light shortbread base.

Leave the biscuits on their trays for 10 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack.

Allow them to cool completely before decorating.

Warm shortbread and royal icing are not a good combination.

Make the royal icing

This is the key to getting that smooth white finish.

Instead of a simple icing sugar glaze, we are using royal icing.

Royal icing sets firm and creates a clean, opaque surface, exactly what we want for our little ghosts.

Prepare the royal icing according to the manufacturer's instructions, using the icing sugar and pasteurised egg white powder or a suitable royal icing mix.

Whisk until smooth and glossy.

We want two consistencies.

A thicker icing for outlining.

And a slightly thinner icing for filling the centre.

Divide the icing between two bowls.

Keep one portion thick enough to hold a piped line.

Gradually add a few drops of water to the other portion until it flows smoothly.

To test the filling icing, drag a spoon through it.

The line should disappear back into the icing in around 10 to 15 seconds.

That is the consistency we want.

Too thick and it will not settle smoothly.

Too thin and your ghosts will start escaping across the baking tray.

Give your ghosts their white coats

Transfer the thicker royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle.

Pipe a neat outline around the edge of each biscuit.

Follow the rounded head and wavy bottom carefully.

Leave a tiny border of biscuit visible around the outside.

This helps create that beautiful contrast between the pale icing and the golden shortbread edge.

Now fill the centre using the thinner royal icing.

Use a cocktail stick to gently move the icing into the corners and smooth the surface.

Give the biscuit a very gentle tap on the worktop to help the icing settle.

You should end up with a smooth, slightly raised white surface.

No texture.

No swirls.

Just a little white ghost.

Repeat with the remaining biscuits.

Then leave them somewhere cool and dry until the icing has set completely, ideally overnight.

Patience is important here.

We want the icing to look beautifully smooth.

Add the eyes

Now for the easiest decorating job in the world.

Two tiny black dots.

That is it.

Use a piping bag with a very small round nozzle and a little black royal icing.

Pipe two small eyes near the top of each ghost.

Keep them fairly close together.

No mouths.

No eyebrows.

No dramatic expressions.

Just two tiny eyes staring into the distance.

If you want them to look like the reference image, keep the eyes small and round and position them slightly above the centre of the head.

You can also use a black edible icing pen once the white icing is completely dry.

Let the black icing set before moving or stacking the biscuits.

And there you have it.

A tray full of Earl Grey Ghosts.

Looking slightly confused.

As ghosts should.

Why does Earl Grey work so well in shortbread?

Earl Grey and butter are extremely good friends.

Classic Earl Grey combines black tea with the distinctive citrus aroma of bergamot.

That gives it a fragrant, slightly floral character that works beautifully in baking.

Shortbread brings richness.

Earl Grey brings brightness.

The two balance each other.

The buttery biscuit softens the tea's more robust notes, while the bergamot stops the finished shortbread feeling too rich.

Then the vanilla icing adds a little sweetness.

It is a very simple combination.

And that is exactly why it works.

How do you get the ghosts looking like the picture?

There are a few details that make all the difference.

First, keep the shape simple.

Rounded at the top, slightly wavy at the bottom.

No arms or complicated details.

Second, roll the shortbread to around 6mm thick.

This gives the biscuits a lovely substantial appearance with a visible golden edge.

Third, use royal icing.

A standard icing sugar glaze will not give you quite the same smooth, opaque finish.

Fourth, leave a small border of shortbread visible around the white icing.

It makes the ghosts look beautifully defined.

And finally, keep the faces minimal.

Two small black eyes.

Nothing else.

Sometimes less really is more.

Can you make Earl Grey Ghosts ahead?

Absolutely.

The shortbread dough can be prepared a day ahead and kept wrapped in the fridge.

Once baked, the undecorated biscuits can be stored in an airtight container for several days.

For the best results, decorate the biscuits at least a day before you need them.

That gives the royal icing plenty of time to dry completely.

Once the icing is firm, store the biscuits in a cool, dry place in an airtight container, with baking paper between the layers.

Avoid refrigerating the decorated biscuits if possible, as condensation can affect the icing finish.

Make them your own

Add a little finely grated lemon zest to the dough if you want to bring out the bergamot.

Make miniature ghosts for a Halloween party.

Create a whole tray of slightly different ghost shapes.

Or keep them as close to the original inspiration as possible.

Simple white icing.

Golden shortbread edges.

Two tiny black eyes.

We think that version is pretty difficult to beat.

Too cute to haunt anything

Halloween baking does not need buckets of food colouring or an elaborate decorating kit.

Sometimes all you need is a good biscuit, a little icing and a ridiculous amount of personality.

These Earl Grey Ghosts are buttery, fragrant, delicately crisp and full of bergamot character.

They look brilliant on a Halloween table.

They taste even better with a cup of Earl Grey.

And unlike most ghosts, we would be delighted to find a few of the