These tea cakes from my Mississippi big mama have been passed down from generation to generation. They are soft, buttery and the perfect mix of cake and sugar cookie textures. If you want authentic Southern tea cakes that have been thoroughly recipe tested, you’ve come to the right place.
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These shape up easy like cookie dough so you won’t find it hard to pull these off. Just make sure you:
- Refrigerate the Dough: It needs to firm up for at least an hour.
- Use your Hands: Your hand warmth helps shape the dough so it’s more workable.
- Keep it Tender: Make sure you don’t overmix the dough or overbake your cookies so they stay soft.
- Cool on the Pan: The cookies will be soft when you first remove the tray from the oven. I like to let them cool slightly on the pan which firms them up slightly making them easier to move.
How to Make Tea Cakes
Make the Tea Cake Dough
Step 1: Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda.
Step 2: In your mixer, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy.
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Step 3: Add in the egg and vanilla and keep mixing until it’s smooth.
Step 4: Slowly add the dry ingredients into the mix.
Step 5: Mix after each addition only until just combined. Don’t overdo it.
Step 6: Cover the bowl or place the dough in a freezer bag and refrigerate it for at least an hour.
Bake Them Up!
Step 7: Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough. Smooth the balls, place them on a baking tray, and flatten each one slightly.
Step 8: Bake the tea cakes for 9-11 minutes or until the edges are golden. Cool and serve them up.
Southern Tea Cakes Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/4-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg optional
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.
- In the bowl of your mixer, add butter and sugar and mix together on high speed until fluffy and smooth (about 4-5 minutes).
- Turn mixer to medium speed and add in one egg, vanilla extract and nutmeg, if using, and beat until well incorporated.
- Lastly, turn mixer to slow speed and add in flour mixture in intervals of three beating after each addition to incorporate.
- After dough is well mixed, turn off mixer and remove dough from mixer and add to a ziploc bag and place in your refrigerator for at least one hour to firm up dough.
- Once dough is firm, remove from fridge and preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
- Line your cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Taking a measuring tablespoon, scoop out cookie dough the size of the tablespoon and roll into a ball. Using your thumb, gently press the center to flatten a bit and place on the tray.
- Do the same for the rest of the dough leaving at least an 1 1/2 inches between each dough ball.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden brown on the edges and remove from the oven.
- Cool for 5-10 minutes and serve.
Notes
How to Store Tea Cakes
To keep your Southern Tea Cakes tasting just as amazing as the day they were baked, store them in an airtight container at room temp boos.How long will old fashioned tea cakes last?
They’ll stay fresh for up to 5-6 days. Keep them away from direct sunlight and some place cool such as the pantry or cabinet.Can I freeze them?
Yep, for sure boos! Just make sure they’re tightly wrapped, pop in a freezer bag, label with the date and they’ll be good for up to three months.Ingredient Swaps and Information
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- Unsalted Butter: You can also use salted butter here. Just leave out the salt in the recipe if you make this swap.
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- Granulated Sugar: You can swap in brown sugar or even molasses like my daddy’s grandmother used to do.
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- Egg: Just one binds the batter together.
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- Pure Vanilla Extract: You can swap this for any extract you like from almond to lemon.
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- All-Purpose Flour: You can try a cup-for-cup gluten-free option here though the texture might change a little.
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- Salt: Just a pinch! It helps balance the sweetness.
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- Baking Soda: Check your expiration date to make sure it’s good to go.
Nutrition
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Hi I’ve been using your recipe for a few years now!!! THE BEST lol! Currently trying to make this gluten free….should I adjust the baking temp and time?
That’s so sweet, thank you! I haven’t made these with GF flour, but I don’t think you will need to adjust the time or temp. You’ll have to let me know how it turned out!
OMG!!!! Listen I’m a fan of gluten on a regular lol….I used a GF Oat Flour Blend and let me tell you it was fabulous!!!! My daughter and I will try your Yellow Cake recipe next.
That’s so awesome. I will check it out as well.
I’m actually having a Christmas Tea party in a few weeks and I think these will be the perfect addition to the menu. Thanks so much for sharing!
OOH these look yummy! Adding the ingredients to my list right now!
These cookies are absolutely delicious. I have a friend who’s from the south, so I’ve been eating southern tea cakes for almost as long as I’ve known here. Your cookies are the real deal FOR SURE!
These cookies are so delicious. Just the right amount of sweet. I made them for a baby shower last weekend and I got compliments galore! I am going to make another batch tomorrow and keep them in the freezer so I can just pull them out when I am expecting guests.
Love these Southern tea cakes! Your recipe tips and process photos are really helpful. They’re perfect! Thanks for being so thorough!
Many compliments on this cookie.
Have you ever rolled them and cut out like sugar cookie dough? I was wondering if I could use this recipe for Christmas cookies?
I have not but you should be able to use them for cut out cookies!
I made this recipe last night & OMG it took me back to when I was a young girl & my best friends Madea use to make these for us all the time. These turned out sooooo good. I t was quick & simple. I had everything already in my pantry. The only thing I had to wait for was the dough to set. I took some to work for a few coworkers & my supervisor & they loved them. They had never heard of Tea Cakes. My supervisor ate 2. lol. Thank you so much for sharing this nastolgic & wonderdful recipe.
Thank you so much for making it and sharing it with others!
I don’t ever want to see a store bought cookie again.This is the best cookie I’ve ever tasted literally. My 14 year old stumbled upon your site and she was able to make these no problem (she said I’m gonna try hers she looks like she can cook lol).We will be trying some of your other recipes because everything on here looks really yummy!
Aw! Tell her I said thank you!! So glad you both enjoyed!
I have 2 questions. What does it mean, to add flour mixture in intervals of 3? And can the dough be left in the mixing bowl, covered, and put in the fridge, or is there a reason that it should be put into a ziplock bag?
Hi Charlotte, great question. You’ll basically add 1/3 of the flour at a time and mix in-between, for a total of three times. You can leave it in the mixing bowl if you prefer. I hope you enjoy!