it's valentine's day this long weekend! & it's also apparently going to be -30 in toronto, SO maybe it's best to just cozy up inside with piles of blankets & this pomegranate + thyme spritzer! get the recipe over on west elm's front + main blog. happy valentine's, galentine's or whatever you want to call it!

ingredients

for the thyme syrup

2-3 Sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup white sugar
1 cup water

for the pomegranate thyme spritzer

½ oz thyme syrup
1 oz vodka
2 oz pomegranate juice
2 oz sparkling water
fresh thyme, as garnish
fresh pomegranate seeds, as garnish (optional)

directions

for the thyme syrup: in a sauce pan over medium heat combine thyme sugar & water. bring to a boil & remove from heat once the sugar has dissolved. let cool to room temperature & strain the thyme.

for the pomegranate thyme spritzer: fill glass with ice. add the syrup, vodka, juice & sparkling water. stir until combined & finish with a sprig of thyme & tablespoon of pomegranate seeds if desired.

because it really isn't february until you bake heart shaped cookies, i am teaming up with giftagram to bring you tea infused shortbread cookies! using david's tea valentine's inspired flavours, i infused the butter with the loose leaf tea. the sweetheart collection features twelve different romantic teas to sample, such as the earl's valentine, chocolate macaroon, honey i dew & cherry blossom. it's kind of like a box of chocolate, but for us tea lovers! for this shortbread cookie i decided to use the cherry blossom white tea, but you can infuse which ever flavour is your favourite. the shortbread produces a crumbly dough, so add a touch of ice water to help bring it all together. the sweetheart collection tea gift set is available for a limited time on giftagram, which is quite possibly the fastest way to get your hands on it! if you aren't familiar with giftagram, it is an iphone/ipad app where you can send someone (or yourself) a gift directly from your phone. no shipping address required, just a phone number or e-mail. perfect for valentine's day or whenever you want to surprise your favourite person with a gift! last night i sent out a few valentine candy grams to my friends & can't wait till see they what i sent them.

ingredients

for the tea shortbread cookie

1 cup tea infused butter , room temperature (see recipe below)
¾ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt

for the tea infused butter

1 cup unsalted butter
2 teaspoons cherry blossom by david’s tea

directions

for the tea shortbread cookie

in a large mixing bowl beat tea infused butter, sugar & vanilla until combined
sift in flour & salt. beat until a dough comes together.
shape into a disk, wrap in plastic & refrigerate for at least one hour.
once the dough has chilled, roll out on a floured surface to a ½ inch thick. using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut out cookies until no dough remains.
bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges slightly begin to brown.
serve with tea & enjoy!

for the tea infused butter

in a sauce pan on low heat add butter & tea. let infuse for approximately 5 minutes. if you want a lighter tea flavor, remove from heat sooner.
strain tea & let butter solidify to room temperature before using.

thank you so much to giftagram for sponsoring this post! all opinions are my own. many of the products featured in this post are also available on giftagram, including the david's tea, mugs, kinfolk table, chemex, marble/wood serving board & linens.

PS. get $20 off your first order with promo code: "HEART20", i suggest the david's tea so you can get baking!