Tea and Cookies

I love tea! I can barely make it through a day without having a cup of tea. When people come to visit, I love to make a pot of tea, served in my pretty china cups, and sit and chat. To me, tea equals hospitality! Well, maybe that’s a stretch, but I certainly think it’s hospitable to offer someone tea when they come for a visit. And what goes great with tea? Cookies! I am the cookie queen. If I ever need to bring something to a party or pot luck, it’s going to be cookies. They are my signature dish!

Since having a baby, I just don’t have the time like I once did to bake cookies. My latest trick is to bake a big batch, and pop them in the freezer. Then, when someone comes by for tea, I don’t have to rush around trying to find a treat for us to nibble on. If you freeze cooled cookies in freezer bags on the day you make them, they will taste great even a month or two later.

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes for cookies that (to me) go well with tea. Both of these will thaw within minutes out of the freezer and taste as fresh as the day you made them.

Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

2 ¼ cups flour
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. salt
¾ cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
¼ cup sugar

Directions:

Combine flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside. Cream butter until soft. Beat in sugar until fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. Stir in half the flour mixture, then stir in the second half. Roll into 1 inch balls then coat the balls in sugar. Press down with a fork. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 350 for about 8 minutes. Do not over bake! They should be slightly underbaked in order to remain soft.

Brown Sugar Shortbread

1 cup butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2 ¼ cups flour
Dash of salt

Cream butter and sugar. Stir in flour and salt. Knead on a floured surface for three minutes. Form into two logs and refrigerate until firm. Cut into 1 inch slices. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 300 for 25 minutes.

That is our family’s original recipe. If you want to do it even easier follow along here…!
Throw all the ingredients in the food processor. Pulse until the mixture forms a soft dough…voila! Form into logs…and you know the rest. It is much easier this way and they turn out just as delicious without fussing with kneading.

And for all you health nuts out there (I suppose I’m an occasional health nut myself) here is a healthy recipe for some bars that taste great with tea. I found it years ago in a Light and Tasty magazine.

Berry Oat Squares

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
½ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 jar (10 ounces) 100% raspberry spreadable fruit (or whatever fruit you like…I don’t use the whole jar)

Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, soda, and salt; stir in butter. Reserve ¾ cup for the topping. Press remaining oat mixture into a greased, square baking pan. Spread with fruit spread. Sprinkle the remaining oat mixture over top. Bake 25-30 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

Delicious! Have a cup of tea and enjoy!