Tea Cookies (★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆)

OMG!  Guess what?!...

Okay, cool.  

So now that I've got your attention, I have some business to discuss.

And since I know I'm going to lose most of you in like T minus 102 words, I'm gonna bore ya while I have ya.  

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The rating system is up!!!

I post-rated each and every baking entry and all posts from here on out will contain star ratings as well.

And why would I do this?  

Because I wanted to go through and re-live all of my baking experiences, duh!  

Actually, not really.  

And some of my earliest posts are just plain awful.  Picture-wise.  Content-wise.  You name it.

But even so, there were some good recipes in there and you deserve to know about them...without having to dig through my lifeless entries.  

Honestly, though! Makes you wonder what the heck I was going through back then. 

Plus, I pride myself on being self-critical...er, honest.  

I follow a lot of blogs and I rarely come across a post where a recipe came out as less than Martha Stewart worthy.  Really?  Really???  I don't think so.  

If something's a bummer, you know about it.  

Now you can spot one from a mile away.  You can even sort and search for them.  Frankly, they've been my heavy hitters...everybody loves a good rant.

But back to busz...

Each title will now feature a number of stars, from 1 to 5.

With "★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆" being  - "Run.  Joey.  Run, Joey...RUN!!!"

And "★ ★ ★ ★ ★" being  - "Are you ready for a miracle? The Spirit will set you free!"

Want more deets?  Scroll to the bottom of my last post: Nats Ratings System. 

And now back to your regularly scheduled Thursday trip through the Viola cloaked garden.

Cause you know, today is Tea Cookies.

But in order for you to understand how these came about you'll have to follow me back to the sixth grade...

...when I saw the Titanic for the first time.

I know, I know, but I always bring it back don't I?

It was like my eyes had been opened, and cupid had struck my heart.  I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Kate Winslet's long, red, curly hair...
Leonardo DiCapro...
Amazing costumes...
Leonardo DiCapro...
The chemistry...
Leo...

To me, it's the most romantic movie of all time and rare in that it only gets better every time I watch it.

On the 100th anniversary of the sinking, at that very second in fact, I was sitting at the IMAX with my 3D goggles on hyperventilating as the water poured in around me and Rose and Jack were frantically trying to reach the deck through eerily lit stairwells.

Talk about intense.

That hundredth anniversary was April 15th - all of five months ago.  Obviously, it was time for another viewing.

Best Friend bought this crazy edition with an extra forty-five minutes of previously deleted scenes.
Well, wunderbar!  The perfect excuse.

I was perfectly contented to just curl up in a blanket and have a good cry, but Bestie was the one who convinced me a "time-period" snack was in order.  We literally pulled up the first class menu to see what kinds of desserts would be appropriate.

It is a sickness. 


So long story short:

We didn't want to make any of the highfalutin "sweets" offered to the ships finest guests.  Chartreuse jelly?  The name alone tells me time, detail, pain.

What simple, yet elegant delicacy would please even the most conniving "needing to marry off my daughter to a complete turd so I can continue lavishing myself in luxury" of mothers?

Well, the Tea Cookie of course!  The embodiment of Edwardian living.

Not too sweet.
Slightly buttery with a refreshing orange zing.

Think of a moist scone or a less oily madeleine.
Sure they're a little hard on the eyes...But they're oh, so good.

All you need is a cup of steaming hot tea.
But the flavors are subdued enough to allow for your favorite jams, butters, and spreads.

In fact, Bestie's dad, who is an incredible gardener, provided the plum and strawberry preserves for this endeavor. Seriously, the best strawberry jam in. the. world.  I do not exaggerate.

Tea Cookies
Slightly adapted from "Fork, Spoon, Knive" Buttermilk Tea Cookies

3 Cups Flour
Zest of 1 Orange
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Sticks Butter, Room Temperature
2 Eggs
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
2/3 Cup Buttermilk
*For best flavor results refrigerate dough overnight.  Although, as far as look and texture they remained essentially the same.

1) Preheat oven to 350F Degrees.  Grease baking sheet.
2) In medium sized bowl, mix flour, zest, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
3) In large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.
4) Add eggs to butter/sugar mixture one at a time.  Beating thoroughly after each one.
5) Add vanilla
6) Alternate adding buttermilk and flour to the wet ingredients in the large bowl, beating on low in
     between each addition.  Dough will be slightly sticky.
7) Place heaping teaspoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
8) Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until puffed and dry to touch.
9) Let cookies cool 1-3 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

Lemon Curd, Plum Jam, Strawberry Preserves

The Titanic, Tea Cookies, and a Tale. 

Come on, that's destiny right there.






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