Southern Tea Cakes
Southern Tea Cakes are an old fashioned cake like cookie made with simple ingredients passed down for many generations . They are buttery soft, slightly sweet , and the perfect cross between a cake and cookie . A tried and true recipe from my Southern Grandmother
Recipe Development – All recipes found on Baked Broiled and Basted have been developed and extensively tested to bring you the highest quality recipes . No recipes or photos on this site are AI generated .
When I was growing up these tea cake cookies showed up at every gathering from wedding showers to potlucks and bake sales . This vintage cookie taste like my childhood. They are not flashy or overly decorated , just pure comfort food. This is the kind of cookie you grab with a cup of coffee while sitting at the kitchen table visiting a little longer than you planned .
My Mom grew up in a Texas community with strong Eastern European influences , so Tea Cakes weren’t something she experienced until she married my Dad and moved to Louisiana . My fraternal Grandmother passed away before I was born , but thankfully my Mom hand written a handful of her recipes including her Southern Tea Cakes recipe . This recipe comes from my true Southern G-Mom , a Mississippi native who later settled in Louisiana . Over the years I have made a few modern tweaks but at its heart it’s still very much her recipe and the tradition she passed down . I photographed these on her china handed down to me , and I can just imagine her gathered around the table with her prayer group , coffee cups filled and a plate of Tea Cakes in the center .
Read more: Southern Tea Cakes
What are Tea Cakes ?
Southern Tea Cakes are a traditional old fashioned soft cookie popular in the deep South(Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia) . They are cake like and much softer than a sugar cookie . They bake up soft and buttery with slightly crisp edges with a rich vanilla flavor . Made with simple staples and historically served with coffee or tea to guest during visits .
Why you will love this recipe:
- Classic nostalgic southern flavor
- Made with Pantry staples ingredients plus butter and eggs , no fancy ingredients
- Easy to make, no chilling or rolling required, This is a drop cookie
- A perfect light dessert or afternoon snack with coffee or Tea
- The perfect cookie for Bake Sales or Potucks
What you will need to make this Tea Cakes recipe :
- Butter
- sugar
- eggs
- Vanilla
- flour
- baking powder
- corn starch
- salt
- Mixer
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- Medium cookie scoop-Tap HERE for my favorite scoops
This post on this website may contain affiliate links. This means the owner may receive compensation for recommending a product or service . I never recommend products that I do not use or like . Tap HERE for full disclaimer
How to make Southern Tea Cakes :
- 1 Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy with either a stand up mixer or hand hand mixer . Make sure it is light and fluffy
- 2 Add one egg at a time mixing well in between
- 3 Mix in Vanilla
- 4 In separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, cornstarch and salt .
- 5 Add the flour mixture to wet ingredients a little at a time .
- 6 Mix until just combined
- 7 Drop a heaping spoonful of dough onto the lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart . The scoop I use is 2.7 Tablespoons , a large amount for a nice sized cookie .
- 8 Baked at 375 for 12-14 minutes or until just brown around the edges . Then let them cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet .
Tips and Variations :
- For the best flavor use a good quality vanilla and not imitation vanilla
- Make sure the butter and eggs are room temp
- Mix the butter and sugar well but once the flour is added do not over mix
- Use a cookie scoop to ensure all of the cookies are the same size
- Let them cool on the cookie sheet
- Add a pinch of nutmeg for an old school flavor
- Add Lemon zest for a bright fresh lemon flavor
- Add a glaze or frosting for a sweeter touch
In conclusion
Southern Tea Cakes are not fancy , this is why they have have stood the test of time . These traditional southern cookies represent slowing down to visit with friends and family. I hope you enjoy this tried and true recipe that my family has enjoyed for several generations .
If you like this recipe check out these :
Southern Tea Cakes
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temp
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extracts
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and fluffy with either a stand up mixer or hand hand mixer .1 cup unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- Add one egg at a time , mixing as you go .3 large eggs
- Then add the vanilla extracts and blend completely .1 Tablespoon vanilla extracts
- In a separate bowl whisk together the flour , baking powder, cornstarch , and salt .3 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Slowly add a little of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients . Mix until just combined.
- Drop a heaping spoonful of dough onto the lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart . The scoop I use is 2.7 Tablespoons , a large amount for a nice sized cookie .
- Bake about 12-14 minutes , the edges should be slightly brown. See notes
- Let the cookies cool about 10 minutes on the baking sheet then transfer them to a cooling rack . Store these in a sealed contained up to 5 days .
Notes
Nutrition
Frequently Asked Questions
Not quite . Tea cakes are softer more cake like cookies that are not overly sweet . While a sugar cookie is more dense , chewy and sweeter .
It could be one of two things .1 Maybe they were baked too long. 2 The flour wasn’t measured correctly and too much was added . Do not pack the measuring cup , make sure the flour is fluffy and spooned in, then leveled .
Yes , it helps give the cookie a soft cake like texture .
