Southern Tea Cakes

Southern tea cakes exist somewhere between a cookie and a cake. Soft and not too sweet, these classic treats are easy to make and an absolute delight to eat!

Looking for more easy cookie recipes? Try these soft snickerdoodles, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, homemade vanilla wafers, or 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies!

Growing up in the South, I learned to love tea cakes at an early age. It was only after I was older that I realized that not everyone has the same idea of what a tea cake is. For me, tea cakes are simple cookies with a soft, cake-like texture, so that’s what I’m sharing with you today!

Why You’ll Love These Tea Cakes

This recipe is a hybrid of two recipes – one from my grandmother and the other from a sort of honorary grandmother. After some tweaking here and there, I landed on this version several years ago. Here’s why I think you’ll love it just as much as I do:

• Soft and chewy. These golden tea cakes are so soft and tender, with just a hint of crispiness on the bottom. Every bite is a dream!
• Simple ingredients. If you ask ten different people for their tea cake recipe, you’re likely to get ten different versions. They’ve been around a while and have evolved from one baker to the next. What all of those recipes have in common is the use of simple ingredients to make a simply delightful treat! There are only 9 of them to round up, and the only one that isn’t a baking basic is buttermilk.
• Easy to make. Unlike some tea cake recipes, this dough is not rolled and cut. Instead, these tea cakes are made like drop cookies by portioning the dough and placing it on baking sheets. You won’t need to chill the dough, although I do recommend chilling it between baking batches if your kitchen is warm.

What You’ll Need

See the recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions. Here are some notes about the ingredients you’ll need to make these tea cake cookies.

• All-purpose flour – Either measure your flour by weight or use the spoon and sweep method. Learn more by checking out this guide on how to measure flour.
• Baking powder & baking soda – These will help give your cookies some lift and achieve that perfectly soft texture.
• Salt – Feel free to use kosher salt, sea salt, etc.
• Unsalted butter – Let this soften before mixing. It should hold a thumbprint when pressed but still be cool. Learn more by reading up on how to soften butter.
• Sugar – White granulated sugar works just fine for this recipe.
• Egg – Set out the egg along with the butter so it can come to room temperature for better mixing. I recommend baking with large eggs.
• Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract offers the best, strongest flavor.
• Buttermilk – Grab the buttermilk when you get the butter and egg out of the refrigerator, too.

How to Make Southern Tea Cakes

These simple cookies are really easy to make. With easy mixing and no chill time, you’ll have these baking in short order. Let’s get started!

• Prepare for baking. Heat the oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.

• Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

• Combine the wet ingredients. Place the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream those two ingredients until they’re fluffy and lightened in color. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.

• Finish mixing. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with two portions of the buttermilk. Mix just until combined. The dough with be thick and slightly sticky.

• Portion and bake. Drop the dough by 2-tablespoon portions on the prepared pans, leaving about 3 inches between the cookies. Bake one pan at a time for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are browned and the centers are set.
• Let the cookies cool. Place the pans on wire racks and allow the cookies to cool for 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video Tutorial for Southern Tea Cakes

Check out the video below to see how these tea cakes come together!

Substitutions & Recipe Variations

These unassuming cookies are fantastic just as they are, but there are some easy tweaks you can make for something a little different.

• Add lemon. Give them a lemon twist by substituting fresh lemon juice for the vanilla extract. Add a pinch or two of lemon zest as well.
• Toss in some chopped nuts. Add a pecan half or sliced almonds on top of the cookie dough balls before baking.
• Switch up the extract. Try a different extract like almond, orange, or coconut.
• Add some cozy spices. Add some spice with a pinch or two of cinnamon, nutmeg, or a spice blend.
• Make cookie sandwiches. Make the cookies smaller and sandwich them around your favorite jam.

How to Store

After the tea cakes have cooled completely, place them in an airtight container and store them at room temperature for up to 3 days. (If they last that long!)

Can I Freeze These Tea Cake Cookies?

Yes, you can freeze these cookies. Place them in a single layer or layered between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe bag or container. Properly stored, they should keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw them at room temperature before serving.

More Drop Cookie Recipes

If you loved these southern tea cakes, give these other drop cookie recipes a try:

• Drop Sugar Cookies
• Coconut Macaroons
• Peanut Butter Blossoms
• 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
• Maple Pecan Cookies

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