Old Fashioned Tea Cakes

If you grew up in the South, you know these. Old fashioned tea cakes are the cookie your grandmother pulled out of the oven on a Saturday afternoon, and they’re nothing like what you’d find at a bakery. They’re plain on purpose. Butter, sugar, buttermilk, vanilla, and self-rising flour. That’s the whole deal.

The buttermilk is what gives these their tender, slightly tangy crumb that no other cookie has. It reacts with the leavening in the self-rising flour and creates a soft, pillowy texture that’s somewhere between a sugar cookie and a biscuit.

Roll the dough ¼ inch thick, cut with a round cutter, sprinkle sugar on top, and bake hot and fast. They puff slightly in the oven and come out with a sugary crunch on top and a soft center underneath.

Pro Tips

• Beat the butter and sugar until truly light and fluffy. This is where all the airiness comes from since there’s no separate leavener beyond what’s in the flour.
• Mix the flour in just until combined. Overbeating develops gluten and makes the tea cakes tough instead of tender.
• Dust your board with self-rising flour, not all-purpose. Using regular flour on the board changes the ratio and can make the last batch denser.
• Bake at the high temperature called for. It sets the outside quickly while keeping the center soft.

Variations

• Add ½ teaspoon of lemon zest to the dough for a citrus note that’s traditional in some Southern families.
• Brush the tops with melted butter right out of the oven for an extra-rich finish.
• Roll them thinner for a crisper cookie, or thicker for something more cake-like.