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 are exactly what I have spent years searching for. Granny Kirk always made these for me as a child. No one in family had her recipe
These tea cakes are absolutely incredible! Great recipe, thank you for sharing 🙂
I’ve been looking for a plain yet delicious tea cookie recipe and now I’ve found it! Not too sweet, not too buttery. Perfect with a cup of coffee. I left half of the cookies plain – the rest I rolled in chopped pecans. Both were delicious. Already planning on trying a North African version by adding sesame seeds and anise. I’d also like to try the molasses version. Is it a 1:1 substitution? Light or dark molasses?
Thanks for this recipe.
I’m praying that I’m gonna make a double batch today.
Could you put icing on these and if so do you have a recipe? Thank you
I usually don’t put icing on these but you can use any simple icing that would be used for a sugar cookie if you would like to add some.
I’ve made these several times, and they come out great and are a household favorite! Such an easy recipe. I read some other tea cake recipes that use poppy seed, so I’ve experimented with rolling them in poppy seed/sugar, using lemon extract instead of vanilla, etc and they’ve all been fantastic, it’s such a versatile dough. Thank you for sharing!!
I doubled the recipe… Added a lil nutmeg and a few dashes of cinnamon!
Haven’t tried yet, but wanted to share my great grandmother’s version. Essentially more flour and half cup buttermilk (she added the soda and let it rise first). Spread the very thick dough on a cookie sheet and bake. Then break up the resulting cake in small pieces with your hands. My mother thought that was too country, so cut the cake up in squares
Thank you Waid. This sounds like my Aunt Minnies’s version. I have been looking for a similar recipe. I think she also put nutmeg in hers.
Omg this recipe was super easy and the tea cakes came out AMAZING. This was my first time EVER attempting to make them and I am so glad I chose this recipe. I chose to add cinnamon and nutmeg and they came out tasting just like when my great grandmother made them. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Excellent fool-proof recipe! Most delicious! Thank you much!