The scent of wet cedar wood on a crisp fall afternoon in central Louisiana floats through the open window kitchen. However that scent filling you home is not alone, there are cookies cooling on the open window sill embracing your nose in a comforting scent of cookies, something that makes your eyes water with joy. The whiff of the air was a sensual experience that I have not forgotten since I was 11 years old. This recipe is an adaptation of my late grandmother’s tea cake recipe is something I need to share with the world. A tea cake is a cookie that is believed to have their beginnings in slavery, are not only easy to make, but they can brighten any darkness you can have. When I would cry she would tell me “this is my gift of love for you my child, a piece of my heart passed to you,” to this day I hold that to my heart. She helped me with these tiny bundles of joy; it is my turn to teach some one new.
Grandmom’s Southern Tea Cakes (adapted)
Preparation will take about 50 mins
Baking time is 8 mins
About 1 hour for completion of the cookies
- 1 cup of softened butter
- 1 ¾ cups of white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups of all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon of baking soda
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
Tools: Baking sheet, spoon, cutting board, measuring cup, tea/table spoons, a mixer (hand and/or standing), spatula, 2 bowls (large and medium) a butter knife, and a rolling pin
Tips
- Using butter on the pan instead of cooking oil will help the cookies stay moist
- Refrigerating the cookies 10 minutes after the oven help maintain their freshness
- You can add food coloring to the batter to liven up the cookies
- Parchment paper can be used for easier cleanup/removal of cookies from the pan.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a medium bowl, blend the butter and sugar until smooth. Stir in the almond extract, and then proceed to beat in the 2 eggs one every 5 minutes. In a separate larger bowl blend all of the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Then combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients, and proceed to mix them all together until thick and creamy. Grab a cutting board and pat some flour on it, then knead dough for a few turns until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for about 10-15 minutes, until batter is firm. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to ¼ inch in thickness. Cut the dough ½ inches apart and then roll them with your hand and place on the buttered cookie sheet. Use a spoon to pat the cookies into a circle, and then place them in to the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Let them cool on the oven for 5 minutes, and then share with others and enjoy.
Original Recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/25766/grandmas-old-fashioned-tea-cakes/
That intro is incredible. Awesome, personal context to the dish that makes it seem very special. Well done!
The intro has amazing description and the recipe looks delicious! I loved the memory that you tapped into with your Grandma.
I love that you used your grandma’s recipe. I would love to try these tea cakes sometimes. Feel free to bring them to class anytime.
-Emily Le
*sometime*
Intro is really entertaining and descriptive. I also like that you included tips to help, great job.
Grandmom’s tea cakes sound just as good as you said! Love the intro and the way you set up the recipe on the blog post. Might have to try out this one myself!
The scenery descriptions in your introduction really sets the tone for this recipe and makes me feel like I need to have this cooking in my kitchen at all times in the winter.
These tea cakes were really good! I was pretty worried about potentially over-kneading the dough, but everything turned out just fine. These cookies paired extremely well with the tea I chose, a green rooibos with hints of peach and strawberry. I really liked the addition of almond extract, I’m a huge fan of almond so that was a nice variant. At some point I’d like to try this recipe with lemon extract as a substitute. Overall, not too difficult and definitely a recipe I’ll be adding to my baking set!