Old-Fashioned Tea Cakes

Everyone has childhood memories of something that was just so delicious they couldn’t forget it. For me it was tea cakes. My aunt Lillie B., who lived in Memphis, would always bring them to us when she came to visit. Needless to say, we always looked forward to her visits with great anticipation. One of my biggest regrets is that I did not get her recipe before she passed away.

Recently a friend gave me a cookbook, Sweets by Patty Pinner. Much to my surprise and delight, Ms. Pinner shares her families’ tea cake recipes. I made the Old Fashioned Tea Cakes. They were scrumptious! Not too sweet and the nutmeg added just the right amount of spice. If you are a tea drinker, these tea cakes are the perfect accompaniment for your afternoon cup of Earl Grey.

Old-Fashioned Tea Cakes

(Recipe by Patty Pinner)

Ingredients

I cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)

1 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs

3 ½ - 5 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup light molasses

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then set the bowl aside. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and nutmeg. Set the bowl aside/ Pour the buttermilk into another bowl. Pour the molasses into the buttermilk. Add the vanilla extract and mix well. Add the flour mixture, a cup at a time, to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk mixture. Add more flour if needed, half a cup at a time, until a smooth dough forms. Roll the dough out on a generously floured surface and then gather together to form a ball. Roll the dough out again, repeating this process 3 to 4 times. Roll out the dough ½ inch thick, then cut with a drinking glass or a round cookie cutter. *

Bake the tea cakes on the greased cookie sheets for 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly brown. Remove the tea cakes from the oven and allow to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

* I used various cookie cutter shapes.