Old-Fashioned Southern Tea Cakes - Sweet Easy Recipes Everyone Loves
Some things just taste like childhood, and these old-fashioned Southern tea cakes? Oh, they bring it all back—sticky fingers, flour on the floor, and that warm buttery smell hugging the whole kitchen. This recipe is a soft, sweet throwback made for quiet afternoons and full cookie jars. We’re not reinventing the wheel here, just rolling out some dough like Grandma used to, no shortcuts, no fuss. Just a few pantry staples and a bit of love. They’re simple enough for weeknight baking therapy and good enough to impress your nosy neighbor who always 'just pops by.'
Whether you dunk them in milk or serve them with a little fruit on the side, these sweet bites are the kind of comfort that never goes out of style. And yes, we tested this recipe multiple times—purely for research, of course.
Ready to make your kitchen smell like pure nostalgia? Let's roll up our sleeves and bake like it's 1952.
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (optional, but recommended)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Cream the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. This is your arm workout for the day—don't skip it.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg.
- Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft dough forms.
- Lightly flour your counter and roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thickness. Use cookie cutters—or an upside-down glass, old-school style—to cut out shapes.
- Place the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges are just golden. Don’t overbake unless you like crunchy regret.
- Cool on the sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
- Eat warm, or store in an airtight container if you can actually resist them that long.