Ever since I could remember, I have always enjoyed eating my grandmother's and mother's tea cakes. Every single time I eat one, I'm instantly reminded of the comforts of home and my early childhood. For those of you who are wondering, a tea cake is typically a large dense cookie. Tea cakes have been a staple dessert for my mother's family for many generations. This afternoon, I finally took the time to watch my mother make them and I thought it would be nice to give you guys a standardized recipe.

What You Will Need

1 cup butter, softened

2 1/4 cups sugar

4 eggs

4 1/2 cups bread flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl add your softened butter and beat well with an electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually add eggs and sugar, beating well at the same pace. Combine flour, baking powder,baking soda, and nutmeg; add mixture alternately with buttermilk mixing well.Stir in the vanilla extract,lemon extract, and cinnamon with a large spoon. Add golf ball-sized amounts of the dough onto your cookie sheet with parchment paper or aluminium foil. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

The yield is usually 3 dozen tea cakes