Name: Sugar Cookies ("Tea Cakes")
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Makes about 3 1/2 dozen (3-inch)
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups self-rising White Lily or cake flour; 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened; 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 1 teaspoon vanilla

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Sugar Cookies ("Tea Cakes")Romulo Yanes

"My fondest memories of growing up in the South are of times spent with my Alabama grandmother, Gorda Dyson," says Sandra Crook of Jacksonville, Florida. "In the afternoon we would retire to the front porch, sip iced tea, and eat traditional English biscuits, which we called tea cakes. She would tell me stories of her youth, and I felt so grown-up and special. I hope you enjoy the recipe."

Sandra Crook serves her tea cakes warm, when they're nice and chewy, with jam or with strawberries and cream. When cooled and left unadorned, they become crisp and buttery sugar cookies. She uses the southerner's favorite flour, White Lily, which gives the tea cakes a wonderful crispness, but we also had good results when we tested the recipe with cake flour (self-rising).

Cooks' notes:

· If your kitchen is very warm, you may need to chill dough to keep it from sticking to work surface.
· Cookies keep in an airtight container 1 week.

Recipe notes

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