OLD FASHIONED SOUTHERN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time; add vanilla. Whisk together the flour, nutmeg, baking soda and salt and add to the butter and sugar mixture 1/2 cup at a time, until each addition is fully incorporated. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently press into a ball. Sprinkle top lightly with additional flour. Roll dough to somewhere between 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, rotating and turning dough and using additional flour as needed until dough is no longer sticky. Cut out rounds using a floured, 2-inch cutter. Use a bench scraper or spatula to carefully transfer the cookie rounds to lined cookie sheets, spaced 1-1/2 inches apart; cookies will spread some as they bake. Gently gather scraps together and re-roll for additional cookies. Bake one tray at a time at 350 degrees F on the middle rack of the oven, for about 10 to 12 minutes, or just until cookie begins to look dry on the surface, and very lightly tinged with color on the edges. Remove from oven, sprinkle immediately and generously with granulated sugar and let rest on sheet for about 3 minutes; then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Cook's Notes: I use silpats on baking sheets for my cookies now and alternate two cookie trays so that the dough for the next batch goes on a cool tray. If you prefer a softer, more cake-like cookie, roll these 1/2 inch thick; for more crisper texture, roll them 1/4 inch or less.