amy truong &
Lani gobaleza
Earl Grey Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
“I love cooking and don’t really know much about baking. This was the first baked good that we made together, so that’s special to me.”
When you live in a city surrounded by coffee, there is something very refreshing about finding unique quality tea options. If you are huge tea fanatics like ourselves or maybe someone wanting to learn more, San Diego based, Paru Teabar is a great place to start. With blends just as beautiful looking as they are delicious, we have a hard time deciding whether we’d be more content just looking at Paru’s gorgeous teas all day or actually drinking them.
Amy Truong and partner Lani Gobaleza specialize in specialty loose leaf teas, matcha, and tisanes (herbal teas) from around the world, with most of their collection being sourced from family-owned tea gardens in East Asia and Southeast Asia.
The idea first came when co-founders Amy and Lani met in 2010 during a study abroad trip in Japan. Amy had long been interested in starting a tea company—even as a child, it had always been her preferred drink of choice—while Lani was fascinated by the drink's storied history. The two’s combined interests have definitely paid off in a major way and we can’t wait to visit them in sunny San Diego soon...or maybe they will come see us all for Roux Portland one day? *wink wink*
We love a tea infused baked good, so we were pretty excited to see they chose a chewy Earl Grey Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies (need it right now) for their favorite comfort dish.
How long have you been making this dish and why is it so important to you?
Amy: I love cooking and don’t really know much about baking. This was the first baked good that we made together, so that’s special to me
Lani: I’ve been baking since I was four or five but it wasn’t until last year in the middle of the pandemic that I started baking for 1) other people and 2) the purpose of pairing it with our teas at PARU. The latter helps me understand teas in an even more interesting way. One of my favorite things to bake is crispy, chewy tea-infused chocolate chip cookies, which is the recipe we’re sharing with you today. This recipe is important to me mostly because of timing. At the time, I had just transitioned to PARU full time (before that, I was at a 9–5 for four years) and I also finished the first draft of my book. So, when I eat these cookies now, that’s what I think about—sort of betting on myself and having a sweet outcome, if that makes sense. On the technical side, I feel like I have a lot of room to change it, too, by experimenting with other teas.
Do you remember where you were when you ate this dish for the first time? Who made it?
Amy: Lani had it ready for me after I came home from a long day at the shop. Tea and cookies are wonderful to come home to.
Lani: In the kitchen by myself. After several “okay” trials, I finally figured out exactly how I wanted to make it. It was satisfying to stop judging my own work, to just taste and enjoy something that I made.
What three words/feelings do you have when you eat this dish?
Amy: Comforted, loved, and inspired.
Lani: Accomplished, creative, and the holidays (I baked this often last winter).
How did you first get involved in the food & beverage industry?
Amy: When I was in high school, I worked in fast food and appreciated learning how a franchise works. It taught me the importance of doing what some people might consider grunt work. After studying international business, I worked in sales and transportation before moving into operations management positions in the food and wellness industry, starting with Methodology in the Bay Area. I like working with my hands, so I knew it was always something I would come back to. In 2017, we started PARU. I’ve been drinking tea my whole life, so this has been a dream.
Lani: When I was sixteen, I managed a small confectionery. We offered more than 20 types of fudge, chocolates, caramel apples, coffee, and tea. I enjoyed the sensory aspects of the job. After university, I moved to Japan to teach English for a few years. I traveled throughout the country and wrote food and culture reviews for a Tokyo-based website. Upon my return, I also worked at Methodology and for a tech company before helping Amy start PARU.
What is one thing you have learned over the past year?
Amy: I’ve learned to take time to rest.
Lani: I’ve learned to use our resources for better tools and mental health. My older brother also taught us how to surf.
If you were a spice, which spice would you be?
Amy: Sporty Spice.
Lani: Ginger. It’s a little funny looking but it brings so much flavor. Can you imagine sinigang without ginger?
Earl Grey Lavender Chocolate Chip Cookies
A tea-wist on a classic recipe
Yields 12–14 large cookies
Ingredients:
2–3 teaspoons loose leaf tea
3/4 cup Butter (melted in saucepan)
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 large Egg
1½ teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
1½ cups GF Flour (Recommended: Bob's Red Mill, All Purpose Baking Flour, Gluten Free)
○ Gluten Alternative
1 cup Flour
½ cup Cake Flour
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¾ teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Sea Salt (to top cookies)
¾ cup Chocolate Chips
¼ cup Chocolate Facets or Bars (Recommended: Tumaco from Dandelion Chocolate)
Instructions
Select tea. We chose PARU Earl Grey Lavender because it’s fragrant and layered, and it pairs well with the brown sugar. We used three teaspoons for a bold tea flavor but you can stick with two if you want it to be a bit more subtle. If you’re interested in using other teas, try classic Earl Grey, lavender, and oolong teas, like Milk Oolong or Ya Shi. Grind your tea if you’d like to avoid large pieces in the bake (we left ours as is).
Infuse butter. Next, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low. Once the liquor begins to turn amber and exudes a nutty aroma. Be careful not to let it burn or evaporate too much. Remove from heat and add tea leaves. Allow to infuse at room temperature for five minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.
Cream the sugar. After the butter has cooled, add it to a mixing bowl along with brown sugar and sugar. Cream for 4–5 minutes.
Add in the rest. Use a spatula to scrape ingredients from the side, then add the liquids: one egg and vanilla, mixing in between until combined. Next, add in the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt (save sea salt for later). Mix until combined.
Add the chocolate but not all of it. Add the chocolate chips and half of the facets, then mix until the distribution looks about even.
Cover your dough. Use plastic wrap or baking paper to cover your dough, then chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes. One or two days is best.
Set out your cookie dough. Before baking, you want the cookie dough to come to room temperature. While waiting, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Set and bake. Using a medium or large cookie scoop (we like this one), scoop cookie dough onto lined baking pans. For large cookies, bake for about 11–13 minutes. For medium-sized cookies, reduce bake time by a few minutes.
Add the finishing touches. Break or cut your chocolate facets to your preferred size, then gently press them onto your freshly baked cookies. Sprinkle with a touch of sea salt before transferring them over to a cooling rack.
Pair with your favorite teas and enjoy. We recommend a pure black tea like Saigon Breakfast or mellow tisane like Blue Chamomile; both help balance the sweetness.
Recipe adapted from Modern Honey
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