Southern Tea Cakes (Cookies)
I love taking a look back at Southern recipes that I ate as a child. Today's is for Old Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes. Tea cakes have been a staple of southern baking for generations, and they show no signs of going out of style anytime soon. The key to a great tea cake is simplicity, and the best ones are made with just a few basic ingredients. flour, sugar, butter, eggs, and baking powder. These humble ingredients come together to create a light and fluffy cake that is perfect for enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee. Whether you prefer your tea cakes plain or adorned with a dusting of powdered sugar, one thing is for sure: they are sure to bring a smile to your face.
They were my Grandaddy's favorite cookie. The recipe in the our church cookbook was submitted by their neighbor Inez Brown. I spent many childhood afternoons in her sunny kitchen with my grandparents. We stopped their on the way home from school to enjoy coffee and a chat. More often than not, we enjoyed Little Debbie snack cakes or Beebo cinnamon rolls but occasionally she would have tea cakes fresh from the oven. Tea cakes are right up there with Old Fashioned Hummingbird Cake and Peach Cobbler as my favorite Southern desserts.
Tea cakes are very similar to a sugar cookie. They are quick and easy to make and use ingredients you have in your pantry at any given time. Vary your baking time to give either a crisp cookie or a chewy cookie. As the name says, they go wonderfully with a cup of hot tea.
Wondering about more recipes for your next tea party? Whip up our Glazed Lemon Loaf or Cherry Almond Scones!
How to Make Southern Tea Cakes
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream butter and sugar together.
Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
Mix flour, soda and salt in a small bowl. Add to butter mixture and mix well.
Turn out on a lightly floured surface and roll to a ¼ thick. Cut with a cookie cutter.
Bake 5-7 minutes until puffed and just starting to brown around the edges. (Bake less for chewy and more for crispy.)
Retro Southern Recipes - Tea Cakes
Southern Tea Cakes are a simple and delicious cookie popular in the South.
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and vanilla and mix well.
- Mix flour, soda and salt in a small bowl. Add to butter mixture and mix well.
- Turn out on a lightly floured surface and roll to a ¼ thick. Cut with a cookie cutter.
- Bake 5-7 minutes until puffed and just starting to brown around the edges. (Bake less for chewy and more for crispy.)
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Amount Per Serving: Calories: 102Saturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 111mgCarbohydrates: 15gSugar: 8gProtein: 1g
I have never tried tea cakes but if it's anything like sugar cookies - I'm IN!!! I'm going to give this a try since I'm on a tea kick these days. They look absolutely delish.
I saw this on your Facebook page and had to click on through, I love that you are doing this and the idea behind it. Seriously, it gives me the warm and fuzzies 🙂
I find most of my fave recipes are old hand written ones from my Mom or Granny, this is a great idea, look forward to following along with all the recipes.
YES! I can't wait to hear and learn more from you with your southern recipes. I love these classic treats!
Me too! i'm excited about it.
These tea cakes sound like a great recipe to make with kids! I like that I have all the ingredients in my home! I'll have to try making these soon!
This recipe reminds me of shortbread cookies! Do they taste anything like them? I have memories of my grandma always dunking a sweat treat into her tea.
They aren't crumbly like shortbread. Chewy like sugar cookies but a bit more so. They are hard to explain.
My great-grandmother kept a drawer in her kitchen lined with a tea towel.It was always full of teacakes. All the neighborhood 'children',who were my grandmother's age , said they remembered enjoying them as much as I did . as much as I did.
I made these for my first time making tea cakes and they were delicious! My family and friends thought I purchased them! The recipe was easy to follow and quick to prepare!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I love this recipe! The tea cakes were delicious and easy to make. My family and friends thought that I purchased them because it was my first time making them and they were so good! My husband want me to make them every other day!
Just made these and they turned out great!! I was craving something sweet and this really hit the spot. A great recipe for when you have limited ingredients too
So glad you enjoyed them!