An Eighteenth Century Tea Party with Buttery Creme Wafers

Lynzie and I have been busy all week preparing for her Revolutionary War era tea party!  Last night was the big event and it went so well!

 

Lynzie has been planning this party for the past 6 or 7 months.  Her little sister Selah was super excited to be invited to her first tea party!

One of the fun parts of our preparation was making all the treats!

Here's my Aunt Donna's "family famous" recipe for Creme Wafers.

Creme Wafers

1 c. real butter

1/3 c. heavy whipping cream

2 c. flour

**Mix with a spoon and chill slightly.  Roll dough out, 1/3 at a time, and cut into 1/8 in. thick circles.  The lid from salt shaker or small spice jar works good as a cookie cutter.  You want these 1-1/2 in. around or so.  Dredge both sides in sugar and lay on a cookie sheet.  Prick with a fork to make a design on top if desired and bake 7-9 minutes at 375.  You want to take them out when they're set but not browned.  Cool completely and then fill with frosting to make sandwiches.  I like to use a quartered version of this recipe.  Aunt Donna uses a cream cheese frosting recipe.

Lynzie received several nice gifts from her friends including a porcelain doll, vintage and new books, a tea cup and saucer set, knick-knacks, and crafting supplies.  Here she is opening a Barbie doll from Selah.

 The girls enjoyed lots of period-authentic treats, as well as Raspberry Tea and punch.

 Back in "those days", they would hide a bean in the cake and whomever got the piece with the bean in it was named King or Queen of the party.  We hid a pink jelly bean in this white cake and Gabriella (below, closest to the camera) was named Queen for the day!

 

After treats, the girls played many, many (MANY) rounds of Hide the Thimble.

Then the little brothers and sisters did some "entertaining"...

 

It's all fun and games until Daddy sits on the machine gun...

 

 

The tea treats menu consisted of Queen Cakes, Almond Tarts, Creme Wafers, Spiced Nuts, Raspberry Tea, and Raspberry Punch. (Click on links for similar recipes.  We used the American Girl Felicity Cookbook)