We know that as the days get warmer, there are some of you that will want your tea over ice. So, this month, we would like to share a basic formula for iced tea.

1. Start by using cooled spring or purified water.

2. Bring said water to an appropriate temperature; say 210 degrees Fahrenheit for black teas.

3. Once the water is hot enough, add 2 teaspoons (6-10 grams) of tea for every 8-10 ounces of water.

4. While you wait for your tea to steep, acquire a tall glass and fill it up about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way with ice.
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5. When the tea is done steeping (3-5 minutes) pour the brew over the ice and enjoy.

   The Tea Adventurers' Guild is an eclectic lot. Not only do our members originate from a wide variety of places, but we continue to venture into parts both known and otherwise, and collect items, ideas, and customs along the way. As a result, the kitchen of the RMS Dragon Fire is host to all manner of hybridization and experimentation. The Professor, in particular, gets real joy from a perfect blend or twist. These cookies are a prime example of one such reinterpretation that has become quite a hit with all members lucky enough to snap one up before they all disappear. A cannoli? A cookie? Divine tasting? Perfect with a cup of tea? Well...yes.

Holy Cannoli Cookies

The Lady's suggested tea pairing: Iron Goddess Oolong

Yield: 36 cookies

Ingredients:
​1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fresh orange zest
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all purpose flour
1 (10 oz) bag mini chocolate chips, divided
1 cup chopped pistachios

Instructions:
In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, then the ricotta cheese until well combined. Incorporate the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and fresh orange zest.

Next, mix in the baking powder​, baking soda, and salt until well combined. Mix in the flour. Stir in the pistachios and 1 cup of chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or lightly grease.

Using a medium cookie scoop or spoon, drop about 1 1/2 tablespoons of cookie dough for each cookie, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie and the next.

Bake cookies at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 8-11 minutes or until golden brown around the edges. Cool slightly, then move to wire racks to cool completely.

Microwave remaining chocolate chips in 20 second intervals on high in a small microwave safe bowl, stirring between intervals until melted and smooth. Spoon melted chocolate into a small resealable bag, clip one small corner off the bag, and drizzle melted chocolate over the cookies. Let cool for chocolate to set.

Original recipe courtesy of the Snappy Gourmet: ​https://snappygourmet.com/cannoli-cookies-recipe/ You should check out her site for many other delicious recipes.

     There are those here at the Tea Adventurers' Guild, and doubtless other places as well, who look upon breakfast as a mirror of dessert, as though sleep and sugar go hand-in-hand, no matter the order in which they happen to appear. I am a proud member of said group, and have decided to share with you one of my favorite morning desserts. It includes bacon, which, I am quite sure, precludes any and all argument about whether or not it is morning appropriate. However, we have been known to enjoy this particular bit of yum at various points during the day, and encourage such rebelliousness in you as well.

Bourbon Bacon Pecan Sticky Buns

The Lady's suggested tea pairings: Airship Afternoon or Golden Spires of Yunnan

Yield: 12 rolls

Ingredients:
Dough:
3/4 cup warm water- not hotter than 201 degrees Fahrenheit 
2 1/4 teaspoons active Rapid Rise yeast
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
4 1/2 - 5 cups all purpose unbleached flour

Caramel Glaze:
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
12 Tablespoons butter
1/3 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 Tablespoons bourbon

Filling:
5 slices bacon, cooked and finely chopped, divided
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Bacon Pecan Topping:
1/2 of the prepared caramel glaze
1/2 cup pecans, chopped coarsely
3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

For the dough:
Attach dough hook to your stand mixer. Into mixer bowl add warm water, yeast, and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Gently swirl once with a spoon and let sit for about five minutes, or until the yeast becomes slightly foamy. Add in remaining sugar and salt. Turn mixer on low. In a large measuring cup, whisk together buttermilk, oil, and eggs, and pour into mixer bowl. Allow to mix. Add 2 cups flour to mixer bowl and stir on low until incorporated. Add remaining flour in 1/4 cup increments until the dough is sticky but not sticking to the sides of the bowl or your hands. Remove dough from the mixer bowl and place in a new bowl that is lightly greased. Cover with plastic wrap and a dish towel and place in a dark, warm spot. If your dryer is running, you might try placing the bowl on top. Allow to rise 1-2 hours or until dough has roughly doubled in size.

For the caramel glaze:
In a medium saucepan, combine all the ingredients and whisk constantly over medium heat until the butter has melted and the mixture has combined. Remove from heat. Pour half of the caramel glaze into the bottom of a lightly sprayed 13 x 9 inch baking dish or casserole pan. Set aside the other half to use in the topping later.

Add the filling:
In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and nutmeg. Roll out proofed dough into a 16 inch by 12 inch rectangle. Pour melted butter over the dough and distribute it over the surface with a pastry brush. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the melted butter. Sprinkle about half of the cooked and chopped bacon. Starting at the long edge of the dough, tightly roll the dough in on itself. When you reach the end of the dough, pinch together the seam and place seam side down on your work surface. Using a very sharp knife, cut the log of dough into 12 sections. Arrange the sections on top of the caramel glaze in the baking dish. Don't pack them too tightly, as they will need room for a second proofing. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and let rise again for 1-1 1/2 hours.

Bake rolls in an oven preheated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, or until the rolls register 180 degrees Fahrenheit on an instant read thermometer. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. 

For the bacon pecan topping:
If the caramel glaze has thickened too much, reheat gently for a thinner consistency. Stir in the remaining bacon and chopped pecans. With a serving platter, cover the baking dish containing the sticky buns. Carefully invert the baking dish so the sticky buns fall out onto the serving platter. Top with the bacon pecan topping. Serve while warm.

Brennan, Lauren. "Bourbon Bacon Pecan Sticky Buns." Country Cleaver, 6 Feb. 2016, 
www.countrycleaver.com/2013/09/bourbon-bacon-pecan-sticky-buns.html

     It is a truth universally acknowledged that holiday cookies are a fantastic thing. However, as much as we at the Tea Adventurers' Guild enjoy a good baking session/kitchen dance party, there are times when the idea of actually using the oven can prompt sudden fits of the profound inability to overcome inertia. The following recipe is often just the answer-- a lovely halfway point between a cookie and a candy.
​No-bake cookies can be a little temperamental in humidity, which can inhibit proper setting, but that has yet to prevent their consumption. If you like, simply toss them in the freezer for a bit and enjoy them while still frozen. It is also worth noting that substitutions can be made for the peanut butter. We have tried both almond butter and cashew butter with very pleasant results. The original, however, is still the Doctor's favorite.

No-Bake Cookies

The Lady's suggested tea pairings: Companion's Delight or Scarlet Women

Yield: Varies greatly depending on how generous you "teaspoonfuls" are, but we generally get about 3 dozen

Ingredients:
2 cups quick cooking oats (uncooked)
2/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter

Combine oats, peanut butter, cocoa, and vanilla, mixing well and setting aside.
Combine sugar, milk, and butter in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute.
Pour hot milk mixture over reserved oat mixture and quickly stir it all together. Immediately drop by heaping teaspoonful onto lined baking sheets, or whichever lined heat-tolerant surface is handy. 
​Let cool until set and enjoy. 

     There is a peculiar phenomenon that seems to affect the RMS Dragon Fire at any time of year, but most especially between Thanksgiving and the New Year. Baked goods seem to go missing at an alarming rate and, if those questioned are to be believed, this happens seemingly without culprit. Peanut blossoms seem to be especially susceptible to being spirited away by parties unknown, and it often happens before they are fully cooled. It is as though they fall between the wires of the cooling rack and become lost in time and space. It was not until the Engineer offhandedly mentioned that he had noticed what appeared to be chocolate residue on some of his tinker-bots that we had any inkling of what had transpired, and what had been transpiring for quite some time. The siren song of the still slightly melty chocolate kiss had proven time and time again to be too much temptation for the normally well mannered little fellows. Should you give in to the same temptation, we would certainly not judge.

Peanut Blossoms

The Lady's suggested tea pairings: Muffin Tea or Madam Askew's Elixir d'Amour

Yield: Approximately 3 dozen

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 & 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Chocolate candy kisses (Hershey's)
Additional sugar for rolling balls of dough

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 
Cream butter in a large mixing bowl, gradually adding sugar, and beat well. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Stir in peanut butter.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Add this to the peanut butter mixture, stirring well.
Shape into 1-inch balls and roll in additional sugar. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. 
​Remove from the oven and firmly press a kiss into the center of each cookie. Remove to wire racks to cool.