We were looking for something to make to celebrate Juneteenth, and found a recipe for Southern Tea Cakes to be the perfect thing. A wonderful butter cookie that is a tradition for the day.
This recipe was inspired by Grandbaby Cakes, who posted a really nice story about the cookie on her blog. The recipe is similar to a very old recipe for French Tea Cakes “Fours A The”, a type of Sable cookie, but we updated it by using eco-friendly sugar that we grind to make superfine sugar, and butter from a company that has a goal of being carbon positive by 2025. Using the brands listed in the recipe is key, because brands sometimes vary immensely. For more information on why we use these brands, check out our explanation on our page about eating better.
Ingredients
- 180 grams Gold Medal unbleached all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 113 grams Horizon unsalted butter
- 150 grams Wholesome organic sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
- Measure the flour, salt and baking soda into a bowl.
- Using a food processor, grind the sugar to make it into superfine sugar. This will take about a minute.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle, soften the butter by beating it on medium for about a minute. Do not let the temperature of the butter exceed 68 degrees F.
- Add he sugar to the butter and mix on medium for about a minute.
- Add the egg and the vanilla and continue beating on medium for another minute.
- Add the flour mixture and beat on low, stopping occationally and scraping down the sides. Beat just until mixed. Do not overwork the dough.
- Gather the dough together and wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 3 hours.
- Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
- Roll out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to avoid adding flour. Roll it to 1/4 inch thick and then refrigerate the dough again until it is cool enough to handle. Use a round cookie cutter or drinking glass to cut perfect round cookies, cutting them close togeher so the dough does not need to be rerolled. Keep the dough cool and return it to the refiridgerator if it becomes too sticky to handle. Place each cookie on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between each cookie for them to spread.
- Bake at 325 degrees F. for about eiight to ten minutes, just until they start to turn golden – don't over bake.
- Remove the parchment paper to a cooling rack by carefully sliding the rack under the parchment.
