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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I can’t see the measurement for the amount of cream. Cream is mentioned with blending the butter and sugar.
Yes no actual cream is in the recipe. To cream means to mix in baking terms.
I love your recipe for southern tea cakes, I misplaced the recipe and I asked my co-worker to help me find it on Pinterest. After a couple of hours, she found the recipe and decided to follow you. Thank you for posting this recipe, I just love this tea cake recipe with a lemon glazed drizzles on top.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you found me! Thanks for following me!
Just tried these, and I love ’em! Been looking for a good recipe for a while. And these are so easy!
Hooray I’m so so glad!
I’ve been trying to find a tea cake like my grand mother’s… I so hope this is it. She too was from Mississippi, and I can’t seem to find one close to her’s. The one noticeable difference is she used nutmeg, and rolled them out and cut them with a drinking glass. And you’re spot on with the differences between the cooking styles in Mississippi. Both of my parents were from Mississippi and didn’t meet till the moved to Cleveland Ohio. My maternal grandmother was by
I hope you enjoy them Karen!
I made these tonight because I wanted to bake something sweet, without having to buy additional ingredients. They are delicious and taste just as you described. Mine were a bit thicker than yours, but it may be because I used too much dough or because I used a medium egg, instead of a large one.
These were easy to make and my husband was pleasantly surprised by the homemade treat. Thanks again for this wonderful blog.
Great memories! My Grandma was a wonderful cook & baker. She made tea cakes every year for Christmas. They are so simple, yet so delicious.
omg, love these! elegant and perfect. . can’t wait to try!
Thanks so much hon! I love that they are elegant!
Love these cakes! I so want a few of these right now along with a cup of tea! 🙂
Thank you so much Sarah! These are actually perfect with a cup of tea! Or served alone.
Lets have a tea party and you bring these, mmmkay?? They sound absolutely lovely! And I love hearing about your southern family! 🙂