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English Tavern Cookies

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English Tavern sugar cookie recipe

Tavern Cookie This recipe is provided by Tony Lord from his website www.easy-sugar-cookie-recipes.com. Pop over there for more exciting and easy-to-bake cookies, excellent instructions and bags of advice and information.

This recipe is a traditional, delicate cookie from the USA. It is quite unlike the large, brash, 'cartwheels' you see at shopping centre or mall cookie outlets. An English' recipe come home.

To quote from the recipe's source:

"Virginia has many old English recipes which have been cherished along with her other traditions. Tavern Biscuits still have a special place on the Afternoon Tea menu in many a plantation house."

Ingredients

Butter, well softened

1/2 cup

4 oz

Sugar

3/4 cup

5 1/2 oz

Nutmeg

1/4 tsp

Mace

1/2 tsp

All purpose flour

2 cups

8 ozs

Milk

1/2 cup


Yield 24 cookies.

Tools

Electric mixer

Scales

Clean spoon

Baking sheets

Cooling rack

Method

Set the oven to 450F/ Mark 3.

Prepare three baking sheets.

Cream the butter and sugar for four minutes at top speed until light and fluffy.

Half way through the mixing add the spices. Stop the mixer, remove the bowl and add the flour.

Using a knife or spoon mix in the bulk of the flour to prevent it flying round the kitchen when the mixer gets going again. Mix at slow speed for two minutes as the mix gets a 'mealy' appearance.

Keep the mixer running and add the milk dribbling it slowly into the mixer bowl.

Mix for a further two minutes so that it is has an even consistency.

Using a desert spoon to lift and a teaspoon to drop onto the baking sheet, place teaspoon sized blobs onto the sheets, say nine to a sheet to allow some room for expansion.

Bake until light brown, say about 10 to 12 minutes. These cookies benefit from the sheets being turned after five minutes to keep the cooking even.

When done, they are pale in the center and going brown at the edge.

A delightful delicate flavor with the hint of spice to complement your afternoon tea or morning coffee.