Unassuming though they might look, Southern tea cakes are special cookies. It’s said that these sweet little cakes were served at tea parties hosted by Juliette Gordon Low in her efforts to form the Girl Scouts of America. Leave it to Southerners to create an empire out of butter and sugar.
Make a pot of tea for two and nibble on these soft, cakey cookies lightly scented with nutmeg.
Yield: 1 dozen
Tea Cakes
Perfect cookies to enjoy with a cup of tea.
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
9 minutes
Total Time
29 minutes
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon milk
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Sugar & freshly grated nutmeg for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the vanilla, egg yolks and milk. Beat well.
- Whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda in a small bowl. Pour ⅓ of the flour mixture into the butter and beat until just combined. Add another ⅓ of the flour and continue beating lightly. Finally, add the last flour and beat until just combined—do not overmix.
- Shape the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°.
- Lightly flour a work surface and dump the dough out onto it. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a ¼” rectangle and cut out 8 circles with a 2 ½” round cookie or biscuit cutter.
- Reroll the scraps to get 4 more cookies. Place cookies a greased baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with sugar and freshly grated nutmeg, and bake for 9 minutes. The cookies should not have any brownness around the edges; they will be puffed in the middle. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy with tea.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 131Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 62mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 3g
Maris (In Good taste) says
As a former Girl Scout myself, i will definitely bake these delicious cookies. Wonderful cause.
Jenna says
These cookies looks lovely, and what a great cause.
Congratulations on being the TastyKitchen featured member this week! It's well deserved. I was happy to log in this morning and see your smiling face on the home page. =)
Tracy says
What lovely little cookies, and for a wonderful cause!!
sweetlife says
I adore tea cakes, perfect for having the ladies over, great casue!1
sweetlife
Christy Spurlock says
I make at least two batches a week. My husband and I enjoy them in the evenings with a cup of green tea! Excellent recipe!