Submitted by Barbara Mashburn Mayo
From her grandmother-in-law Rosa Stokes Cloud’s recipe, Canton, Mississippi
This recipe for tea cakes was passed down from Rosa Stokes Cloud, reared on the Stokes Plantation in Canton, Mississippi. Rosa taught her daughter, Lee Cloud Mayo, who in turn instructed her daughter-in-law, Barbara Mayo, how to make this dainty cookie. As Barbara recalls, Lee (aka “Gran”) was loved by all who knew her, but she was not well known for her culinary skills. Despite her lack of gastronomic excellence, Gran made the best darn tea cakes you’ve ever tasted.
Gran had three sons, so dough was always in the refrigerator ready to bake when the boys came home from school. The house retained a wonderful nutmeg aroma of freshly baked cookies when visitors came by. Now Barbara carries on the tradition of Southern hospitality by offering these cookies to her drop-in company.
When we first heard about tea cakes, we could not help but be intrigued. The name sounds so elegant and graceful. We loved the idea that this custom dates back at least three generations. We asked Mrs. Mayo, “When do you eat these?” She replied in a lovely drawl, “Well, honey, we eat tea cakes every day!”
These petite cookies smell so glorious that we wanted to leap into the oven. The second the timer buzzed, we made frothy cappuccinos, sat at the kitchen table, exhaled, and actually relaxed for 5 minutes. The Mayos are on to something!
We asked Mrs. Mayo, “When do you
eat these?” She replied in a lovely
drawl, “Well, honey, we eat tea cakes
every day!”
MAKES ABOUT 6 DOZEN TEA CAKES
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup whole milk
Door chime
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg. Set aside. Place the shortening and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until creamy. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time. Add the vanilla. Add half the flour mixture and blend. Slowly incorporate the milk. Add the remaining flour mixture and blend until smooth. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or use nonstick cooking spray). Use a tablespoon to scoop the cookie dough, roll it into a ball, and place it on a baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between the cookies. Repeat with the remaining dough. Dip a fork into flour (to prevent sticking) and make a crisscross pattern on the top of each cookie by piercing it with the prongs. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown. Remove from the oven. Cool for 1 minute, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
sugar mommas notes: We love that you make a huge bowl of dough to keep in the fridge. When the mood strikes you, scoop some out and bake it. As we made them, friends and neighbors kept coming over to take chunks of dough to bake at home. Every house in the neighborhood smelled of nutmeg.
We use a small ice-cream scoop (#50) to make uniform cookies. Don’t forget to dip the scoop in flour and shake off the excess to prevent sticking, or use nonstick spray.
sass it up: Instead of a fork, use a cake-decorating comb or other patterned utensil to make designs on top of your tea cakes.
old school: The original recipe was made with lard instead of vegetable shortening.