Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - 31
GEORGIA Cooks
By Joe Engelbird * Photos by Louis Tonsmeire
Cookies:
where it all started
Chef Joe Engelbird
AUNT JANICE'S TEA CAKES
2-1/2
C
ookies have been baked for centuries throughout the
world. Most other countries refer to them as small cakes
or biscuits. Made of sugar, butter, flour and any number of
other ingredients-such as chocolate chips, nuts or dried fruit-
cookies are the best friend a glass of ice-cold milk ever had.
Cookies come in all kinds of varieties, textures and shapes.
Some are crispy because they contain higher amounts of fat;
others are soft because they contain more moisture. The shape of
a cookie depends on the amount of fat, sugar or flour in the recipe.
Despite their long history, cookies have been perfected only
since about 1974, when my Aunt Janice Akin baked the first
tea cakes I ever tasted.
That day in her tiny kitchen in Carrollton, my quest for the
perfect cookie-in taste, texture and shape-was complete. Aunt
Janice lovingly made her tea cakes by the untold dozens for me and
my cousins Jay and Scott, her sons.
She recently reminded me, too, that every time I walked
through her front door, I would say: " Aunt Janice, you're beautiful,
you're gorgeous and you're smart as a whip. Now let's make some
tea cakes! "
I can trace my culinary journey back to Aunt Janice's kitchen
and the most perfect cookie ever. That's where it all started.
Here are a few recipes for delicious cookies, including my
aunt's masterful tea cakes.
Joe Engelbird is a chef and registered dietitian based in
Carrollton. His youngest daughter, Hattie, helped him develop this
month's cookie recipes.
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup butter, at room
temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk
Sift the flour, salt and baking powder together
in a large bowl; set aside.
With an electric hand mixer, cream together
the butter and sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, mixing
well after each. Mix in the vanilla and milk. With
a spatula, fold the dry ingredients into the butter,
sugar and egg mixture.
Cover the cookie dough and chill in the
refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll the dough into
1/2-inch balls and place on a lightly greased
cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 9-10 minutes. Remove
from the oven when the tea cakes are slightly
browned on the bottom. Place on a wire rack until
completely cooled. Store in a covered container for
up to a week (if they last that long!). Makes about
3 dozen.
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Georgia Magazine - February 2025
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - February 2025
Contents
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - Intro
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - Cover1
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - Cover2
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - Contents
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - 4
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - 5
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - 6
Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - 7
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Georgia Magazine - February 2025 - Cover3
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