Free Tea and Cookies by Rick Rodgers Page A

stir in the flour mixture. Stir in the raisins and milk chocolate chips. Cover the bowl and refrigerate to chill lightly, 1 to 2 hours.
3. Position racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Using a tablespoon for each cookie, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are light golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
5. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire cake racks and let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough, using cooled baking sheets. ( The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.)

Honey Nut Drops
    MAKES 2½ DOZEN COOKIES
If you like to sweeten your tea with honey, you will love these. With their homey appearance, they may not be the prettiest cookies on the tea tray, but their honeyed sweetness will make them a favorite. Honey is a humectant, which means that it absorbs moisture from the ambient atmosphere, so the drops will stay moist for days, making them an especially good choice for when you need to make cookies well ahead of serving.
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
½ cup mild-flavored honey, such as orange blossom (see Note)
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1. Position a rack in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Cream the butter and honey together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is light in color and texture, about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg, then the vanilla. Gradually stir in the flour mixture and mix just until the dough is combined. Stir in the walnuts.
3. Using a scant tablespoon for each cookie, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1½ inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are light golden brown on the bottom, 12 to 15 minutes.
4. Let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes. Transfer to wire cake racks and cool completely. (The cookies can be made up to 5 days ahead, stored in airtight containers at room temperature.)
NOTE: For baking, use a mildly flavored honey. A moderately priced supermarket brand, usually blended from a variety of honeys to give consistent product, is fine. Honeys with distinctive flavors, such as sage, lavender, or chestnut, tend to intensify when heated, and the strong taste isn’t always welcome.

Chai Snickerdoodles
    MAKES 3 DOZEN COOKIES
Snickerdoodles are one of the great American cookies, and there are many stories about how they got their whimsical name. They may be common, but they are one of my favorite teatime treats, as their spiciness is a great pairing with black tea or chai. While they are usually spiced with just cinnamon, my version adds other warm spices that you are likely to find in chai to give them a makeover. If you like these chewy (as I do), bake them at the low end of the baking time, or bake at the high end of the range for crisp cookies.
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (see Note)
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1¾ cups sugar, divided
2 large eggs, beaten, at room temperature
1. Position a rack in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Sift the flour, baking powder, ½ teaspoon of the cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and