Alabama Tea Cakes
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in ½ cup buttermilk
- 5½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
Instructions:
You can enjoy these delicious cookies over a picnic or breakfast.
- Cream the butter, sugar, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt in a large electric mixer bowl for 2 to 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, then stir in the soda-buttermilk mixture. With the mixer at low speed, add the flour 1 cup at a time.
- Divide the dough into four equal parts, flatten each into a large round disk on a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil, then wrap and refrigerate for several hours or until stiff enough to roll. Or, if you prefer, label, date, and freeze the dough to use later. In a 0° F. freezer, it will keep well for about 3 months.
- When ready to proceed, preheat the oven to 375° F. Spritz several baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Working with one fourth of the dough at a time, roll as thin as pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Using a floured 2¾-to 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter, cut into rounds. Gather the scraps, reroll, and cut.
- Space the tea cakes about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets and bake on the middle oven shelf for 8 to 10 minutes or until pale tan.
- Transfer at once to wire racks to cool. Store the tea cakes in airtight canisters, layering them between sheets of wax paper.