Tea Cakes

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling cakes
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sour cream

In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy and well blended. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, and mix in vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg and add to butter mixture, alternating with tablespoons of sour cream and mixing well. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or sheets of wax paper and chill 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Dust a cutting board with flour and roll out dough until it’s about 1 inch thick. Cut out cookies with a 3-inch round cookie cutter or use a drinking glass about the same size. Put tea cakes on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Remove cookies from baking sheet and cool on a rack. Store in an air-tight container.

This recipe for Tea Cakes is from The New African-American Kitchen by Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva!

Food photography by Tina Rupp, copyright 2008. Photo provided courtesy of Lake Isle Press, New York.

Approximate Values Per Cookie: 147 calories (32% from fat), 5 g fat (3 g saturated), 30 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g protein, 22.5 g carbohydrates, .5 g dietary fiber, 95 mg sodium

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