Hi Everyone, After all the talk about buttery shortbread cookies last week, I am keeping my promise to share with you the late Urmia Cummings’ butter cookies which she called Teatime Cookies.
Three years ago, I wrote about her amazing skills as a baker, and her perfect Swiss Rolls. I also mentioned 
at that time her signature butter cookies: “Oh she made the best butter cookies I have ever known. Light, delicate and buttery. They were small enough that you could just pop one into your mouth, but honestly, you had to have at least 6 – one after the other – they were addictive.”
Shortly after writing about the Swiss Roll, one of her daughters – Christine – shared with me her mom’s Teatime Cookies recipe; and now I can share it with you. Christine sent me a photograph of the recipe in her mom’s own handwriting. It is a treasure.
I won’t say much more but let you get right to the recipe so that you can bake up a batch this weekend, brew some tea and share with your family and friends.
Mrs Cummings’ Teatime Cookies
INGREDIENTS
Yield – 60 to 80
● 8 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature
● ½ cup white granulated sugar
● 1 egg, room temperature
● 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
● 2½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
● 1½ teaspoons baking powder
● 1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest (optional – this is my addition to the recipe)
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line 2 (18 x 13”) sheet pans with parchment paper.
3. Add and mix together flour and baking powder and set aside.
4. Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy about 3 – 4 minutes with a hand mixer on medium speed.
5. Add egg and vanilla essence (and zest if using) to the butter-sugar mixture and blend on high speed.
6. Lower the speed and gradually add the flour. Mix to incorporate fully but do not over mix.
7. Add the mixture to a cookie pump or pastry bag with a nozzle. You will need to work in batches.
8. Press the mixture onto the lined baking sheets, about 1 ½ inches apart for each cookie.
9. Bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until golden. Cookies will look pale but be fully cooked.
10 Remove the cookies from the pan immediately and cool on wire racks.
11. Serve warm or at room temperature.
12. Store cooled cookies in a tin lined with greaseproof paper. When stacking the cookies, place a piece of cut greaseproof paper between each layer.
NOTES
● The cookie yield will depend on the size of cookies you make.
● A stand mixer works for this recipe too but if you have neither a hand or stand mixer, you can certainly make the cookies manually by using a wooden spoon or balloon whisk to first cream the butter and sugar and then a rubber spatula to fold in the flour.
We will continue this baking spree next week. It might be Quiche Lorraine or British Mince Pies!
Cynthia
