The first Juneteenth celebrations date back 1866, one year after news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached African American communities in Texas. From there, festivities to commemorate the emancipation spread across the South among newly freed enslaved people and their descendants, evolving into a food festival as time passed. In June of 2021, the bill establishing Juneteenth (June 19th) as a federal holiday was signed into law.
The foods prepared for Freedom Day celebrations have their roots in classic Southern dishes and soul food. These simple and delicious tea cookies symbolize freedom. The basic ingredients that go into them were common in Southern kitchens where slaves worked. Once freed, making these treats for their own families stood as a symbol of the freedom to choose for oneself what was prepared and eaten. This recipe is the perfect one to highlight for my first Juneteenth post.
Mississippi Tea Cookies
Mississippi Tea Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 50 minutes, Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Additional Time: 25 minutes, Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the baking sheets with Silpat mats or grease the cookie sheets.
In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth.
Cream together the butter and sugar.
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Beat in the egg and vanilla extract.
Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk.
Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating it with the buttermilk.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the dough balls slightly. Bake the cookie sheets of dough for 8 to 10 minutes each in the preheated oven, turning each sheet halfway through the baking time.
Roll the dough into balls and flatten them slightly.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Store the cookies in an airtight container.
Simple yet delicious!
These cookies are a symbol of the freedom of choice! ~Linda
Mississippi Tea Cookies (adapted from allrecipes.com) Total Time Required: 50 minutes, Prep Time: 15 minutes, Cook Time: 10 minutes, Additional Time: 25 minutes, Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup buttermilk
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line the baking sheets with Silpat mats or grease the cookie sheets.
In the large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Beat the flour mixture into the creamed mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the dough balls slightly.
Bake the cookie sheets of dough for 8 to 10 minutes each in the preheated oven, turning each sheet halfway through the baking time. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container.