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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These look amazing and I’d take a tea cake over a frosted layer cake any day. I love the blue patterned saucer, too! 🙂
Thanks so much Sasha. I think I might be right there with you!
How did I miss these? They look perfect for tea time, or anytime! Love the name too!
They are fantastic. They are seriously one of my favorite things ever.
I don’t think I’ve ever had tea cakes, but I know I’d love them. Cakey cookies are always some of my favorites.
Indeed, same with me!
A tea cake? That sounds amazing! I have to try one ASAP! 😉
You have such a lovely blog!
Feel free to visit my blog as well! There are tons of tips on fashion, beauty, style, health, personal growth and more! <3
Diana
http://www.ManhattanImageandStyle.com
New Blog Post: How To Look Well-Rested
Thank you so much Diana. They are awesome. I will check out your blog now! Thanks for stopping by.
Hmmm! This Northerner has never had a tea cake but these look super tastyy! It’s so cool how traditions are handed down and also how they can vary between a couple hours!
Indeed! I’m from Chicago and we never talk about tea cakes. I only hear about them in the south.
I LOVE Tea cakes and this recipe is the way i’m used to them!
Yes! I think I might post the other recipe that uses molasses at some point as well just for the comparison.
Please do. I just bought a surplus of molasses. ☺
Wow awesome!!!
These look so soft and pretty, almost like sugar cookies. I could go for about 6 of them and a big mug of tea. 🙂
Same here Pamela, Same here!!
perfect cookies!
Thanks so much Dina!
I don’t think I’ve ever had tea cakes but they look really good! I was just talking to my husband yesterday about how different food is for different areas of the US. It is really interesting!
It is super interesting. Even an hour drive can give you a totally different result
I love your vintage recipes! And what an interesting story about even though they lived so close together, their recipes are so different. Fun!!
It is so interesting to me, even today! Thanks for stopping by Renee!