“Teas” can be such an elegant, and yet simple, way to visit together and encourage others. In this issue, we have a beautiful selection of delicious recipes, sweet teacup stories shared by young ladies, and lots of tips to make your tea parties a special success. –Maggie, Cook's Cuisine Editor
dark · chocolate · hazelnut · biscotti
from Hannah S.
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup butter, softened
1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup finely chopped hazelnuts or almonds
Coating:
1 (12-ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons shortening
Heat oven to 350°. Combine sugar and butter in large mixer bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping sides of bowl often, until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Add 2 cups of melted chocolate chips, eggs and vanilla; continue beating until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Reduce speed to low; add flour, baking powder and salt. Beat until well mixed (1-2 minutes). Stir in hazelnuts by hand. Divide dough in half and shape each half into 14” long roll. Place 5” apart on un-greased cookie sheet. Flatten each roll to 2” width. Bake for 25 minutes or until set. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 hour. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Cut roll diagonally into ½” sliced with serrated knife. Place on un-greased cookie sheets, cut side down. Bake for 10 minutes. Turn slices; continue baking for 12-15 minutes or until dry and crisp. Cool completely. Melt 2 cups chocolate chips and the shortening over low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth (2-4 minutes). Dip cookies halfway into chocolate. Place on cooling rack over waxed paper until set.
Preparation time: 25 minutes. Baking time: 47 minutes. Cooling time: 1 hour, 15 minutes. Yield about 4 ½ dozen.
brown · sugar · shortbread
from Maggie B.
1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together. Gradually stir in flour. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 3 minutes. Pat into a ⅓-inch thick rectangle measuring 11x8”. Cut into 2x1” strips. Place 1 inch apart on un-greased baking sheets. Prick with a fork. Bake at 300 degrees for 25 minutes or until bottom begins to brown. Cool for 5 minutes; remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Yields about 3 ½ dozen.
cranberry ·buttermilk ·scones
from Sara B.
“We got this recipe from a Quick Cooking magazine. It is so yummy!”
3 cups all-purpose flour
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon grated orange peel
1 tablespoon milk
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
In a bowl combine the flour, ⅓ cup sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda; cut in the butter. Stir in buttermilk until combined. Fold in cranberries and orange peel. Turn onto a floured surface; divide dough in half. Shape each portion into ball and shape into six inch circle. Cut each circle into six wedges. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Brush with milk. Combine the cinnamon and 2 tablespoons sugar; sprinkle over scones. Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until golden.
lemon · cream-filled · cookies
from Martha B.
“These are wonderful cookies to make for a tea party and are a delicious treat!”
Cookies:
¾ cup butter, softened
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons lemon extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ cup cornstarch
Filling:
¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
Grated zest of 1 lemon (2-3 teaspoons)
Cookie Dough:
In a medium bowl cream butter with an electric mixer set at medium speed. Add sugar, and beat until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add lemon extract, and beat until light and fluffy. Then add flour and cornstarch; blend at low speed until thoroughly combined. Gather dough into 2 balls of equal size and flatten into disks. Wrap the disks tightly in plastic wrap or a plastic bag. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling:
In a small bowl beat butter with mixer until fluffy. Gradually add sugar while continuing to beat. Add cream, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix until thoroughly blended and set aside. To harden filling quickly, refrigerate for 15-20 minutes. At this point, preheat the oven to 325°. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the chilled cookie dough on a floured board to ¼-inch thickness. Cut circles with a 2-inch-diameter cookie cutter or drinking glass. Place circles of dough on un-greased cookie sheets, ½-inch apart. Continue rolling out and cutting dough scraps until all dough is used. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Immediately transfer cookies with a spatula to a cool, flat surface. When cookies are cool, spread a cookie with 1 teaspoon of lemon cream. Place another cookie on top of the filling to make a sandwich. Complete entire batch. Enjoy!
snack · names (balls)
from the S. Ladies
“This recipe was invented by Becky when she was five years old.”
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey
2 cups powdered milk
1 cup puffed wheat or rice cereal
Mix ingredients in a bowl. Add more powered milk if dough is too
sticky. Form into letters or balls. Great with tea, cocoa, or cappuccino. For a variation you can add any of the following or whatever else you may have on hand: oatmeal, chocolate chips, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, coconut, raisins, other dried fruit pieces, vanilla or maple flavoring, etc. Enjoy!
cocoa · mix
from the S. Ladies
“This is way better than any store bought kind, as we and our tea-party friends have found out. You can add some cinnamon or extra cocoa powder if desired.”
1 cup powdered milk
1 cup creamer
¾ cup sugar
½ cup cocoa
Use 1/4 cup dry mix to 1 cup hot water.
shrimp · crostini ·with · creole ·cream · sauce
from Hannah S.
1 French baguette
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound medium fresh shrimp, peeled and de-veined
2 tablespoons, plus 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, divided
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
¼ cup lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 ⅓ cups heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons hot sauce (optional)
¼ cup chopped green onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 350°. Cut baguette into 24 (½”) slices. Spread both sides of slices with butter. Place on a baking sheet and bake 5-10 minutes or until golden around the edges; set aside. Combine shrimp and 2 tablespoons of Creole seasoning in a small bowl; set aside. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add red pepper and garlic; cook 2-3 minutes until pepper becomes soft. Add shrimp and cook 2 minutes on each side; remove shrimp. Add lemon juice, 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, heavy cream and hot sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in green onions and parsley. To serve, spoon 3-4 shrimp onto each crostini; top shrimp with about 2 tablespoons of sauce. Garnish with parsley and green onions, if desired. Makes 12 servings
basic · cream · scones
from Elizabeth A.
“This is my favorite basic scone recipe for tea time, originally learned from a mother and daughter who own a lovely tea room. I made a lot of batches of these for my grandma’s 80th birthday tea that my mom & I hosted. You can even press in blueberries on top for a special touch and then serve with blueberry jam, lemon curd & cream…delicious!”
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sugar
5 ⅓ tablespoons butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a pastry blender. In a separate bowl, add the cream, egg and vanilla; mix well. Once the dry ingredients resemble little pebbles, add the cream/egg mixture to the dry. Gently incorporate the wet into the dry, being careful not to over-mix.
3. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and knead 8 to 10 times. Pat into two 6-inch circles; cut each circle into eight triangles (or cookie cutters). Place on greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle large cut sugar on top, if desired.
4. Bake for 11 minutes, or until golden brown. Enjoy with lemon curd and cream!
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