Afternoon Tea

 Friend Sally and I are hosting a Downton Abbey Tea next Sunday at her house.     For guests and we're filled to the rafters.    (Well, not really, but all of her tables are full.)    You remember Sally -- she has the lovely Victorian house that was on the Homes Tour that I helped with.      Her lovely house at Christmas has been undecorated and tables set for tea.

Put an event just doesn't happen.    You have to plot and plan!      Last week, she came to Linderhof and because it was cold, we had tea in the parlor.    In front of the fire.     But tea in Downton Abbey style -- with real china (instead of my beloved blue and white), the silver and an antique cloth!

The wing chairs pulled up to the tea table.     They were soft and comfy as we sipped and nibbled and discussed tea food.

In true Downton Abbey style.    The silver, china, and good linens.    The Duchess would approve!

There is nothing cozier in my opinion that tea in front of the fire.     Especially on a cold January day. We did decide on all of the tea treats we will serve.     And we polished off a fair amount of these delightful "biscuits" (as Lady Mary would say).

High Tea Lemon Cookies, they're called and they're easy to make and oh, so good.    But I am especially fond of lemon!    Of course, at Downton, it's never High Tea -- it's always Afternoon Tea. High Tea is the "supper" of the common man, not elegant ladies sipping tea and nibbling wee sandwiches in the parlor!

The dishes are Aynsley Pembroke.    The cups and saucers date from the turn of the 20th Century.    The tea plates date from sometime after the 21st Century and were part of my bargain find last January -- a whole set of Pembroke for $40!

The lemon cookies I found on line.    I am extremely fond of frosted or glazed cookies.    And the lemon flavor was really intense.      These, however, did not make the cut for our Downton Abbey tea on January 18.

HIGH TEA LEMON COOKIES

2 cups butter, room temperature*
2/3 cup powdered (confectioners') sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups cornstarch**
Lemon Frosting (see recipe below)

* Very important - please read! You must use room temperature butter (not softened or melted butter).  The recipe is correct.

** Yes, this is correct - use 1 1/2 cups cornstarch.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy looking. Add powdered sugar; mix until light and fluffy. Add lemon zest and vanilla extract; beat well. Add flour and cornstarch into butter mixture and mix well until well combined. NOTE: At first the dough will look dry - but don't worry, as the dough slowly comes together as you mix it and the butter melts into the dry ingredients.

Do not refrigerate this dough, as the butter will harden and make the dough unmanageable for rolling to a ball.

Using your hands, roll cookie dough into 1-inch balls. Place onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes or until bottoms are light brown. Remove from oven, carefully remove from baking sheet, and cool on wire cooling racks (when warm the cookies are delicate).

When cookies have cooled, spread Lemon Frosting onto top of cookies.

Yields 6 dozen cookies. 

Lemon Frosting:
This recipe makes enough for a double batch of cookies.

1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/3 to 1/2 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar

In a medium bowl, combine butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, and powdered sugar; stir until well mixed. NOTE: Additional lemon juice may be needed to get the frosting thin enough.

You can also thin the frosting with additional lemon juice or water and dip the top of the cookie into it. This technique is much faster and easier.

It is Tuesday and I'm sharing my Afternoon Tea with Sandi at Rose Chintz Cottage for Tea Time Tuesday and with Bernideen for Friends Sharing Tea and Marty at A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday