Cookies

Today is my sister's birthday.  She loved baking cookies as a teenager.  She was the only person I ever knew that would bake cookies and then eat one or two.  I would eat until there were no cookies left.  I love cookies too.  Below is the recipe for my Mamaw's tea cakes.  When Mamaw made tea cakes she didn't cut them out with a cookie cutter, she used a knife and cut them in squares.  I had to adapt Mamaw's recipe because her measurements were a little different.  Butter the size of a walnut.  Fist full of flour.  I took her recipe and baked the tea cakes several times adjusting the measurements to fit.  This is a true Southern recipe.  I loved these cookies.


Mamaw's Tea Cakes


1 cup of butter
2 cups of sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. of vanilla
5 cups of flour
2 tsp. of baking powder
1 tsp. of baking soda
1/4 tsp. of salt.
1 cup of buttermilk


Preheat oven at 350 degrees.


In a mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  Beat in vanilla.  Combine dry ingredients; add to butter mixture alternatively with buttermilk.  Cover and refrigerate for one hour.  On a lightly flour surface roll out into 1/4 inch. Cut out in shapes with a cookie cutter or do like Mamaw and cut into squares.  Place one inch apart on a cookie sheet.  Bake 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly brown.  Remove to a rack and cool.


Some people like to put icing on these cookies.  This is the icing recipe that I use.


1/2 cup of butter, softened
4 cups of confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. of vanilla
2 Tblsp. of Milk
Food coloring(choose the color to fit the occassion)


Cream together Butter, vanilla, and sugar.  Add milk one Tablespoon at a time until spreading consistence.  Add color right before icing the cookies.  Make sure the cookies are cooled before icing.


Mamaw never iced these cookies.  We loved them so.  She didn't need to fancy them up.  Mom did iced them.  She loved making things fancy.  Please enjoy these and think of my mom and grandmom.


Another recipe for cookies that my sister made a lot was chocolate chip cookies.  She used the recipe on the chocolate chip package.  


Toll House Cookies


2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 large eggs
2 cups of chocolate chips(12 oz. pkg.)
1 cup chopped pecans(we did not always use pecans.  just depended on whether pecans were in the freezer or not)


Preheat oven at 375 degrees


Combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Beat butter, sugars, and vanilla in a larger mixer until creamy.  Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition.  Gradually add in flour mixture.  Stir in chips and pecans. Drop by the rounded tablespoon on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool for 2 minutes on a rake.  


Please enjoy these recipes.   I know your kids will love them.