These easy Southern inspired tea cakes get a modern twist by cooking in the air fryer. It’s perfect for small batches, and these cookies are done in only about 10 minutes!
In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar
½ Cup butter, salted, ¾ Cups granulated sugar
Add in the egg, buttermilk, and extract and mix thoroughly
1 Large egg, 1 Tbsp buttermilk, 1 Tsp almond extract
Pour in the dry ingredients and stir to combine until a dough forms
1 ½ Cups all purpose flour, ¼ Tsp salt, ½ Tsp baking soda
Preheat your air fryer to 325°F (or the closest setting your air fryer has)
Line the basket or rack of your air fryer with parchment paper or nonstick foil (to prevent the batter falling through the grates)
Scoop the cookie dough by rounded tablespoons and form into balls. Feel free to roll in additional sugar if you’d like
Place the rounded dough balls into the air fryer basket about 2” apart
Cook on the air fry setting for 10 minutes at 325°F, until the edges are lightly browned and the center is set
Rest for 3 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely
Serve with coffee, tea, or your other favorites
Notes
Buttermilk can be swapped for sour cream or plain yogurt
You can make this recipe with wheat flour for a healthier option, but they will be much denser
The almond extract may be swapped for vanilla, or any other flavor you’d like!
Feel free to add some citrus zest or nuts to your batter for some variation options
If you’d like all of your tea cakes uniform and flat, you may chill the dough for a couple hours. Then, roll it flat to ¼” thickness, and use a round biscuit or cookie cutter to cut them into 2” circles
This recipe makes about 18 cookies (one and a half dozen) as written, but may be doubled if you’d like more
I made this in an 8-qt Ninja Dual Zone air fryer, which can cook about 8 tea cakes at a time. Other air fryers will vary in terms of cooking time and capacity. Cook in batches as needed!
Store Southern tea cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Alternatively, freeze for up to 3 months and defrost before consuming
Exact nutritional values will vary based on brand and flavor of ingredients, any frostings or sides added, size of cookies, and quantity consumed, so please consider this a guideline only