Name: Bria Booker

Teacher: Ms. Zawacki

CHRISTMAS TEA CAKE COOKIES

        Every year when my mom makes tea cake cookies for Christmas, I am her assistant. I love to help make all of the special Christmas shapes. When the tea cakes are baking, the entire house is filled with a fresh, warm aroma. Our entire family looks forward to them coming out of the oven because just taking one bite makes you feel Christmassy all over! Here's my mom's special recipe:

                2 cups of sugar

                1-1/2 cups of shortening

                4 eggs

                ¼ cup of milk

                1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

                5-1/2 cups of flour

                2 teaspoon of baking powder

        Cream sugar and shortening. Add ingredients and mix well. Roll dough on floured board. Use Christmas shaped cookie cutters to shape your cookies. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes at 350.

        My mom does all of the baking on Christmas Eve so we make the tea cakes while the pies and cakes are being done. My brother Bill and I put the cookies in the special bags and tie ribbons on each one. My mom then places each bag in a decorative Christmas tin can so our guest can grab one.

        My mom started making tea cakes five years ago when we had a huge Christmas Day dinner. She wanted to make something special to give all our guests at the end of that dinner. She wanted to make sure that it was something that each person would saver and remember. Everyone raved about the cookies and we have been baking them ever since.

        The tea cake cooking originated in Russia. In Mexico it is called the Mexican Wedding cookie. The Southern Colonial housewife took great pride in baking cookies and they were called tea cakes.

        One thing for sure, no matter what they are called, if you ever get the chance to take a bite of my Mom's Christmas Tea Cake Cookies your taste buds will never, never ever be the same.