Make sure to try my Kentucky Butter Cake Cookies too!

This Is My Authentic Southern Tea Cakes Recipe!

So, I feel like I know my way around a cookie. I’ve been posting recipes here for almost 10 years…and certainly before that “cookie enthusiast” was a bullet on my resumé. Long story short, I feel like I’m fairly familiar with the cookie game. Anyhow, a few years back I was chatting with a new friend who introduced me to the Southern Tea Cake. If you are as unfamiliar as I was, they are melt in your mouth delicious, buttery, soft cookies that were completely one of a kind. They aren’t “cakey” at all (yay!). There are lots of versions out there for tea cakes…sometimes they’re glazed, sometimes they’re plain, sometimes they’re dusted with powdered sugar.

This Is My Authentic Southern Tea Cakes Recipe!How to Make Tea Cakes:How To Store:Get the Recipe

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How to Make Tea Cakes:

I used vanilla beans in mine, but feel free to use any extract in these that you would like…like almond, rum, coconut, amaretto…really it’s up to you! And let’s just address the elephant in the room here. I used vanilla beans…which unfortunately (according to my son) makes these my cookies look like biscuits and gravy. So tea cakes in my house are now lovingly referred to as “gravy cookies”. I mean, I guess I see it. Whatever.

The dough for these is super simple, with no chill time necessary. Just roll the dough into balls and place them on a lined baking sheet. It’s very similar to a sugar cookie dough… When they are baked they won’t spread too much, leaving them tall.

Go ahead and whip up your super simple vanilla bean glaze…

And then pour it onto each little tea cake…

See how pretty! You do this when they are warm for a thinner glaze, or cooled for a thicker glaze. I let the glaze set up and then I couldn’t wait to dig in.

Southern Tea Cakes are some of the best treats ever…classic, but unique!

How To Store:

These can be stored at room temperature for up too 5 days, or you can freeze these for up to 30 days. Just make sure they’re stored airtight!  

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