Old-Fashion Tea Cakes

Unfortunately this is not my mother’s recipe — that is if she had one.  She refused to have self-rising flour in her kitchen.  She thought the cook should be smart enough to know how cook with plain flour.  Duh!  I use it lots — convenience is worth something.

I want to call your attention to my “tools” shown in one picture.  The rolling pin is marble and came out of the North Georgia Marble Mines near Tate, Georgia.  I treasure it.  The cutter I’ve used is a homemade one.  John made it 50 years ago — maybe more – it’s made out of a Vienna Sausage can and the handle is soldered on.  It too is priceless.

Some of my tea cakes are thin, but as I tired more I didn’t roll the dough thin as in the beginning.  (guess I was ready to get through and set a spell) So I have more than one thickness — if you don’t want a thick one, then look for a thin one.  As I’ve told you before, my oven doesn’t get as hot as it’s supposed to and I baked these at 400 degrees, whereas the recipe calls for 350.  You know your oven better than anybody.

Old Fashion Tea Cakes

1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
4 cups self-rising flour
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Combine sugar and butter.  Add egg and beat well.  Alternate flour and milk — begin and end with flour.  Add vanilla.  Chill batter at least an hour.  Roll dough thin, cut cookies out and put on a slightly greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees about 12 minutes — or until slightly brown.