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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!

A tall stack of tea cakes on a marble surface.

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.
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Overhead view of ingredients for tea cakes.

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.
Tea cakes piled on an oval serving tray.

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.
Overhead view of tea cakes cooling on a wire rack.

Video Tutorial for Southern Tea Cakes

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

Tips for Success

I think you’ll find that these tea cakes are wonderfully easy to make. Here are a few tips to help ensure cookie success!

  • Don’t over-mix. Too much mixing overworks the dough, leading to tough cookies.
  • Use a cookie scoop. You’ll get evenly sized cookies and expedite the portioning process at the same time. I like to use a #30 scoop for these cookies.
  • Leave plenty of room between the cookies. Tea cakes will spread quite a bit as they bake, so be sure to leave those three inches between the cookies.
  • Don’t have buttermilk? You’ll have the best results using buttermilk, but try one of these buttermilk substitutes if you’re out.
Overhead view of tea cakes scattered on a marble surface.

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.
A stack of tea cakes with the cookie on top missing a bite.

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.

Overhead view of tea cakes on an oval tray and a marble surface.

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

Overhead view of tea cakes on an oval plate and on a wire rack.

Southern Tea Cakes

Yield 30
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes

These cake-like cookies are soft and not too sweet. Plus, they're easy to make with basic baking ingredients!

overhead view of tea cakes on an oval tray and a marble surface

Ingredients

  • 2 & 3/4 cups (330g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 & 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup (118ml) buttermilk

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
  2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  3. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and mix well.
  4. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture in three portions, alternating with two portions of the buttermilk. Mix just until combined. (The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.)
  5. Drop the dough by 2-tablespoon portions onto the prepared pans, leaving about 3 inches between the cookies.
  6. Bake, one pan at a time, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the centers are set.
  7. Cool the cookies on the pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Then transfer the cookies from the pans directly to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Yield: Makes about 30 cookies.
  • 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.
  • To freeze. Place the cookies 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.

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    4 Comments on “Southern Tea Cakes”

  1. I’ve never had Southern Tea cakes before. Just made them for the first time. They are delicious! I My only comment I thought they were a little bit too sweet. Could I cut back on the sugar by 1/2 cup? 

    • I’m glad you liked them! I’ve not tried these with less sugar, so I can’t say for sure how well it will work. Reducing the sugar will also affect the texture of the dough and the cookies, so I would be hesitant to reduce it by that much initially. If I were trying to reduce the sugar, I’d probably try cutting 1/4 cup and seeing how that goes. But if you’re fine with spending some time tinkering with the recipe, then it’s certainly worth a try!

  2. These are tasty cookies! I might try making them again using some of the variations just for fun. I like the texture and flavor. 

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