My sister and I have been talking about one thing and one thing only for the past week: the Jeopardy audition exam. Anyone registered can log on at 8pm on one of four designated days to take the timed test. Mary Kate took the exam on Monday, breezing by with knowledge about Montana’s adjacency to Idaho. (Though she did forget essential Alanis Morrisette lyrics… how embarrassing for her.)

While she dove right in and took the exam, I, meanwhile, have spent the week asking her tons of trivia. Can I study for this test? Can I look up the answers? Can I retake it? What if I don’t know anything? What if I get zero right? In fact, I asked so many questions today that I actually missed the registration period and couldn’t take the test. Oops.

Like the sisters in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Mary Kate and I differ in countless ways. She’s a doer and I’m a planner. She’ll be shaking hands with Alex Trebec when I’m still figuring out how to click the red answer buzzer. But like a crumbly shortbread with a smooth cup of tea, different textures, temperatures, and flavors can compliment each other perfectly.

Hurry on home, MK! There are shortbreads waiting for you! Oh, and I chose this cookie cutter because I, you know, heart you.

Earl Grey shortbreads:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

2 tbsp loose Earl Grey tea leaves

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 stick plus 2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Instruction:

1. In standing electric mixer, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, tea leaves, and salt.

2. Add egg and vanilla extract. When combined, add butter.

3. Pour the crumbly mixture onto cling film; form into a ball, wrap, and put in refrigerator for an hour. (Allowing the mixture to firm up in the fridge will make rolling out much easier.)

4. Roll dough to quarter-inch thickness. Use cookie cutter depending on shape desired. Bake cookies in 375 degree oven for about 8 minutes (until firm and turning golden).

Enjoy Earl Grey shortbreads with Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, and check in at http://warandpeach.com for future recipes and book reviews!