Tea Cake Recipe

Tea cakes are Southern cookies. Some could say that's an oversimplification of this treat.

"It's more than a cookie... it's an experience," former instructor Etha Robinson told NPR.

The red-hued dessert is a Juneteenth tradition, but it's also a simple, versatile dish. Want to make tea cakes?

Try Jessica Morone's quick tea cake recipe. "Mayonnaise makes these tea cakes thick & fluffy by adding moisture," says Morone.

The extra oil in the mayo prevents cake bottoms from scorching. Morone says it best: "You may offer these thicker sugar cookies for any occasion.

Delicious." The steps are below. Tea cakes require all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, unsalted butter, vanilla extract, salt, mayonnaise, & 1 room-temperature egg.

You'll need a parchment-lined pan & something to scoop dough. First, mix flour, baking powder, & salt.

Next, cream the butter & sugar for 3 to 4 minutes." You may mix these by hand if you don't have an electric mixer; just make sure the butter is soft enough "Morone recommends.

"To soften butter, microwave it for 10 seconds." Creamed butter, mayo, vanilla, & egg.

Slowly stir in the flour mixture until a dough forms. Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 F while dough chills. "Chilling the dough before baking prevents tea cakes from spreading. Chilling the dough makes it easier to handle after it's made "Explains Morone.

You can refrigerate unbaked dough for up to 3 days, freeze it for 4 month. When baking, place dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Flatten sprinkle with sugar if you want them sweeter.

Tea cakes should be brown on the edges after 10-12 minutes. Serve after 10 minutes on a cooling rack. "They're called tea cakes because they go nicely with tea," says Morone.

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