When people think of holiday baking, we all lean towards the fantastic candies and cookies that come with the season.
Whether its pecan fudge, divinity, breads or cookies. Everyone has a favorite holiday treat, but not everyone can actually make it. Some have the notion that if “Grandma” doesn’t make it, it won’t be the same. That rings a lot of truth.
For some of us, it doesn’t matter what we do, the recipe just doesn’t taste (or look) the same after we do it. I have had that very problem with my mother’s chocolate chip cookies. Her cookies always turn out exactly like a picture in a book, always! Mine?
Well, they have only turned out twice to resemble hers, but they weren’t quite there. The taste was the same but they sure didn’t look like hers did! I am an avid baker; I learned from my mother and have acquired some of her tricks along the way.
I am going to share a recipe that I think everyone would enjoy, as these are amazing cookies, but they are also like little cakes, just with no frosting.
These amazingly light cookies are called “Teacakes” and one of my father’s favorite cookies to this day. Usually when people hear the word teacake, they automatically picture the little white round cookies that come out a lot in the holiday season. These are called “Wedding Cake Cookies” or “Russian Teacakes”.
These teacakes are very light and simple. They do not have a lot of sweetness but it’s there. It’s just enough. This recipe has been handed down from my father’s side of my family for a long time.
I can tell you, from personal experience, if you make these too small, they will be hockey pucks. These are supposed to be big and fluffy cookies, so my suggestion is to use a large-mouth plastic cup for these. About a 32oz size is perfect.
I also suggest getting all the ingredients out and measured before you begin. This is a lot easier, especially if you are making these for the first time. You will also need a baking cloth or pastry cloth. It can’t be just a regular towel, like terry cloth, it has to be linen of some sort.
Nothing fancy or expensive, just a linen cloth. I can find a pack of 5 at Walmart for about $5.00.
Let’s get started!
Teacake
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sugar
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 cup Butter milk store brand if fine
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract almond if you don’t like vanilla
- 1 cup shortening heaping-mound on the top
- 4 Eggs
- 3 tsp Baking powder
- 4 cups Flour sifted
Instructions
- You will need extra flour in a bowl to dip your cup top and baking cloth with so the dough doesn’t stick
Notes
Directions:
Get your baking cloth out, along with your rolling pin. Generously put flour on the cloth itself, as if you were making a pie crust. You will also need to add some to your rolling pin as you go.
Now, once the flour is on the cloth, take about 3 or 4 large spoonful of the cookie dough and plop it right in the middle of the cloth. The EASIEST way to make sure the dough gets covered with flour is to flip each corner of the cloth up and cover the dough. Do this on all sides of the dough.
You can also add more if you need it, to make sure the dough is completely covered. Once this is done, you will roll it out to about a 3/4 of an inch thick.
You don’t want it too thin or the cookies will burn. When you finish this, add some flour to a bowl that is big enough to fit the cup top in. Smooth out the dough, add more flour if needed and begin cutting out the cookies.
I start at the edge and work my way around. You will need to coat the cup top with flour as you go, because the dough will stick on every other one.
Once you get all the cookies cut, you will need to get rid of the excess flour before baking. Take a rubber spatula or a baking spatula, little trick I learned a while ago, and pick up one cookie. Flip it back and forth in your hand once or twice.
This can be tricky, so don’t worry, once you get the hang of it, it’s not too bad. Place the cookie dough on the baking sheet and keep going until it’s filled up.
I usually put 3 to 4 across the top and 5 to 6 going down, depending on the size baking sheet you are using. After you have a full sheet, pop them in the oven and put a timer on for 5 minutes.
Check the cookies and look for a smooth rounded top, a little brown but not too much. If they look spongy, they are done. Take them out and removed them to the cooling rack immediately. These cookies bake much like a cake, and you can test them the same way to make sure they are done.
You can also make cookies from the excess dough left over from cutting, but these may be a little stiffer than the ones you made. You can always “sample” the dough too! No sense it going to waste, right?
Allow these cookies to cool down for about 10 minutes before sampling one. They will burn the roof of your mouth if you aren’t careful! I do not put sugar on them when they go in the oven nor do I add it when they come out.
I like the cookies just the way they are but you may want to add powder sugar to them. That is up to you, this is your recipe and you know what you like!
I always put these cookies in a freezer bag to keep them fresh. Fortunately, they don’t last long in my house, so the softness lasts the whole time there are any in there.
I certainly hope you try and enjoy this recipe. Happy baking!