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Pink Owl Kitchen » Recipes » southern recipes » Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

Published: Feb 1, 2023 · Modified: Dec 20, 2023 by Ashley Boyd · This post may contain affiliate links

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Old-fashioned southern tea cakes are a classic, simple cookie recipe with buttery, rich flavor, and the perfect soft and slightly crispy texture. Tea cakes taste terrific served with coffee, milk, or - you guessed it - tea!

Southern Tecate stacked on a white plate with a glass of iced tea in the background.

Tea cakes are an incredibly delicious Southern snack that is similar to a butter or shortbread cookie but with a bit of a cake-like consistency. Southern tea cakes are made with a few simple ingredients that you most likely already have in your kitchen and come together in no time.

For more irresistible Southern comfort food desserts, check out our Best Ever Bread Pudding and Old Fashioned Buttermilk Pie recipes next!

What Are Southern Tea Cakes?

Southern tea cakes are an old-school recipe that many folks my age know nothing about. Growing up in Mississippi, my grandma made tea cakes all the time but I don't know many people who still make them today.

One person I do know who still makes legendary tea cakes is my Aunt Lorretta. She is the family tea cake queen and this recipe was influenced by the queen herself!

Tea cakes are a cross between a cookie and a cake and can be more like one or the other depending on the ratio of ingredients used and how thick you make your tea cakes.

Like many Southern recipes, tea cakes have humble origins dating back to the days of slavery when enslaved people took what few ingredients they could get their hands on and created something delicious.

Southern tea cakes spread out on a white surface.

Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe

  • All-purpose flour. To make perfectly soft but chewy cookies. Use good-quality flour for the best texture.
  • Baking powder. To help the cookies rise.
  • Salt. To enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
  • Unsalted butter. For buttery flavor and the perfect texture. Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature.
  • Granulated sugar. To sweeten the tea cakes.
  • Egg. To bind the ingredients together.
  • Buttermilk. For subtle tanginess and a tender cookie.
  • Vanilla extract. For flavor and depth.
Southern tea cakes stacked on a silver platter.

How To Make This Recipe

  1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high (7-8 on a stand mixer) for 2 to 3 minutes until light and creamy. Add the sugar and cream the ingredients on medium-high for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until light and fluffy.
  3. Add the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk to the bowl with the butter and sugar and mix on medium speed (5-6) until thoroughly combined.
  4. Add the flour and mix until no more dry steaks of flour are visible. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
  6. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
  7. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Cut out 18 to 20 cookies using a biscuit cutter or glass dipped in flour. Rework the scraps as needed to get more cookies.
  8. Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies on a middle rack in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn a light golden brown.
  9. Do not overbake the cookies! They should be very light in color when removed from the oven. Serve the tea cakes warm or at room temperature.
Step by step images for making old-fashioned southern tea cakes.
Step by step images for making old-fashioned southern tea cakes.

Variations and Substitutions

What I love most about old-fashioned tea cakes is the simplicity of the scrumptious cookies. You don't want to do much messing around with the ingredients in old-fashioned southern tea cakes.

As a matter of fact, my Grandma's recipe didn't even include vanilla extract! But feel free to adapt this recipe to your liking and try adding some of these ingredients to your next batch of tea cakes:

  • Lemon zest
  • Lemon juice
  • Nutmeg
  • Cinnamon
  • Almond extract
  • Molasses
  • Powdered sugar on top

TIP: Southern tea cakes can also be made with a handheld electric mixer instead of in a stand mixer.

Old-fashioned southern tea cake propped on a tea cup and saucer.

What Is The Difference Between Southern Tea Cakes and Russian Tea Cakes?

Russian tea cakes are shortbread cookies typically made with chopped nuts that are shaped into balls and rolled in powdered sugar. These cookies are also sometimes referred to as Mexican or Italian wedding cookies.

Southern tea cakes share some similarities with Russian tea cakes in that they both include flour, butter, and sugar in their ingredient lists. However, southern tea cakes also incorporate egg and milk into the dough, giving them a more cake-like texture.

Old fashioned Southern tea cakes arranged on a white surface.

More FAQs

Do I have to chill tea cake cookie dough?

Yes. To ensure tea cakes hold their shape while baking, the dough needs to be chilled for at least an hour.

Can tea cake dough be frozen?

Absolutely! You can shape tea cake dough into a log or into individual cookies and freeze the dough for up to 6 months. Allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator before baking.

How do I store tea cakes?

Old-fashioned tea cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and up to a week in the refrigerator. Tea cakes also freeze well and will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Old-fashioned southern tea cakes stacked on a white plate with a cup of hot tea in the background.

Tips For The Best Tea Cakes

  • Measure your flour properly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.
  • Make sure your butter, egg, and buttermilk are at room temperature. This helps them more easily combine with the other ingredients and gives you a cohesive dough.
  • If the dough is no longer cold after rolling it out and cutting out the tea cakes, place the pan of cut-out cookies in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes before baking. Make my peppermint bark brownie cookies for a no-chill cookie option!
  • Do not overbake the tea cakes! They should barely be golden brown on the bottom when you take them out of the oven.
Southern tea cakes stacked on a silver platter.

Recommended Tools For This Recipe

  • Rolling pin
  • Baking sheet
  • Silicone baking mat
  • Biscuit cutter
Southern tea cakes spread out on a white surface.

More Southern Desserts You Will Love!

  • Southern Pecan Pie
  • Southern Sweet Potato Pie
  • Skillet Peach Cobbler
  • New Orleans King Cake
  • Southern Pecan Pralines
  • New Orleans Beignets
  • Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
  • Moist Lemon Bundt Cake
  • Fresh Strawberry Cobbler
  • Sock It To Me Cake
  • Hummingbird Cupcakes
  • Old Fashioned Banana Pudding
  • Bananas Foster French Toast

📖 Recipe

Old-fashioned southern tea cakes on a white plate.

Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes

Ashley Boyd
Old-fashioned southern tea cakes are a classic, simple cookie recipe with buttery, rich flavor, and the perfect soft and slightly crispy texture. Tea cakes taste terrific served with coffee, milk, or - you guessed it - tea!
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Chill Time 1 hour hr
Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prevent your screen from going dark
Servings 18 cookies
Calories 144 kcal

Equipment

  • Baking sheet
  • Rolling Pin
  • Biscuit cutter
  • Silicone baking mat

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour - spooned and leveled
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter - unsalted, softened
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg - room temperature
  • 2 tablespoons buttermilk - room temperature, whole or low-fat
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-high (7-8 on a stand mixer) for 2 to 3 minutes until light and creamy. Add the sugar and cream the ingredients on medium-high for an additional 5 to 7 minutes until light and fluffy.
  • Add the egg, vanilla, and buttermilk to the bowl with the butter and sugar and mix on medium speed (5-6) until thoroughly combined.
  • Add the flour and mix until no more dry steaks of flour are visible. Be careful not to overmix the dough.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
  • Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper and set aside.
  • Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll it out into a rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Cut out 18 to 20 cookies using a biscuit cutter or glass dipped in flour, reworking the scraps to get more cookies as needed.
  • Place the cookies on the lined baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies on a middle rack in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges just start to turn a light golden brown.
  • Do not overbake the cookies! They should be very light in color when removed from the oven. Serve the tea cakes warm or at room temperature.

Notes

  • Measure your flour properly by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife.
  • Make sure your butter, egg, and buttermilk are at room temperature so that they are easily incorporated into the dough.
  • Old-fashioned tea cakes can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and up to a week in the refrigerator.
  • Tea cakes also freeze well and will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 144kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.2g | Protein: 1.9g | Fat: 5.5g | Saturated Fat: 3.4g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 80mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 11.3g | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @thepinkowlkitchen on Instagram! And don't forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and review!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. LoLo

    February 06, 2023 at 1:17 pm

    5 stars
    Great southern tea cake recipe and beautiful perfectly round baked results. I can’t wait to baked these southern tea cakes.

    LoLo

    Reply
    • Ashley Boyd

      February 07, 2023 at 4:10 am

      Thank you very much, LoLo! I hope you love them!

      Reply
5 from 4 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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