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Tea cakes might sound like a posh treat, but they're actually simple butter cookies. These cookies are popular in the South, where recipes for them are handed down through the generations. Once you make a batch, you'll see why. Tea cakes have a comforting flavor that comes from the classic combination of butter, sugar, and a little vanilla. Whip up a quick batch and enjoy a tea cake with a cup of tea or a glass of milk.

[Edit]Ingredients

1 cup (115 g) of butter, softened
1 1/2 cups (300 g) of white granulated sugar
3 eggs
of vanilla extract
3 cups (360 g) of all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (12 g) of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon (1.3 g) of salt

Makes 9 dozen cookies

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Classic Tea Cakes

Preheat the oven to and grease 2 cookie sheets. Spray the sheets with nonstick cooking spray or spread a thin layer of butter or shortening across them. Then, set your prepared pans aside while you make the tea cake dough.^[1]
- If you don't want to grease your sheets, line them with parchment paper instead. The parchment paper has silicone in it so the cookies won't stick.
Cream 1 C (115 g) of butter with 1 1/2 C (300 g) of sugar until it's light and fluffy. Get out a large mixing bowl and put 1 cup (115 g) of softened butter into it. Add 1 1/2 cups (300 g) of white granulated sugar and use a stand or hand mixer to beat them on medium speed for up to 5 minutes. Keep beating the mixture until becomes pale and fluffy in texture.^[2]
- It's really important to use softened butter or your tea cake dough will be lumpy.
- Stop the mixer a few times and scrape down the sides of the bowl so all of the mixture becomes fluffy.
- If you don't have a stand or hand mixture, it's fine to use a sturdy spoon. You might just have to use a little more elbow grease to mix up the dough.
Beat in 3 eggs, 1 at a time, and add vanilla extract. Turn off the mixer and crack 1 egg into the bowl. Beat the mixture on low speed until the egg is incorporated. Then, add the remaining 2 eggs, 1 at a time and stir in of vanilla extract.^[3]
Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl. Get out another mixing bowl and put 3 cups (360 g) of all-purpose flour into it. Add 1 tablespoon (12 g) of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon (1.3 g) of salt. Then, whisk the dry ingredients for about 30 seconds so the baking powder is completely mixed with the flour.^[4]
- If you haven't baked tea cakes or cookies in a while, check the expiration date on your baking powder. Usually, if cookies don't rise, it's because the leavener has expired.
Stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture to make a soft dough. Gradually pour the dry ingredients into the butter mixture while you mix on low speed. Keep mixing until you've added all the dry ingredients and you don't see any pockets of flour in the mixture.^[5]
- Stop mixing as soon as the soft dough comes together. If you keep mixing, your tea cakes might be tough.
Drop spoonfuls of the dough apart on a baking sheet. Scoop up a teaspoon full of dough and spoon it onto a greased cookie sheet. Put about a dozen tea cakes on your sheet and leave of space between each one so they have room to expand as they bake.^[6]
- If you have a small cookie scoop, use it to drop the dough onto the sheet.
Bake the tea cakes for 7 to 8 minutes. Put the baking sheet into the preheated oven and bake the tea cakes until they spread and the edges become golden brown. The tea cakes will puff up as they bake, but they'll flatten a little when they cool.^[7]
Cool your tea cakes on a wire rack. Use a flat spatula to transfer the tea cakes from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool completely. Then, enjoy your tea cakes with a cup of tea or a glass of milk!^[8]
- Once the tea cakes are completely cool, put them in an airtight container. Store your tea cakes at room temperature for up to 1 week.

[Edit]Variations

Add spices or fresh lemon zest to customize the flavor of the tea cakes. Although tea cakes are known for being simple, delicate flavored cookies, it's easy to add spices. Mix 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) of ground nutmeg to add warm flavor, for instance.^[9] For brightly flavored cookies, add 2 teaspoons (4 g) of fresh lemon zest just before you mix the dough.^[10]
- You could also substitute the same amount of almond or lemon extract for the vanilla extract.
Use shortening instead of butter if you'd like puffier tea cakes. Butter causes the tea cakes to spread more when they bake so they're crispy. If you prefer tea cakes that are puffier and tender, replace the same amount of butter with butter-flavored shortening.^[11]
- For another option, use half butter and half shortening. This gives your tea cakes crisp edges and softer centers.
Substitute self-rising flour if you have it. If you stock your pantry with self-rising flour, use 3 cups (360 g) of self-rising flour instead of all-purpose flour and leave out the baking powder and salt.^[12]
- Since self-rising flour contains baking powder, it's really important to use flour that hasn't expired. Check the bag before you mix up your dough so you know that the cookies will turn out.
Roll out the dough instead of dropping it if you'd like perfectly circular tea cakes. Dropping the tea cake dough onto the cookie sheet creates cookies that are quick and rustic. If you'd rather have uniform cookies that have crisp edges, cover the dough and chill it for 2 hours. Then, roll the dough thick and use a cutter to make circles.^[13]
- The cookies spread a little as they bake, so leave at least of space between the cookies on the sheet.