Here’s a classic, melt-in-your-mouth Russian Tea Cakes recipe — buttery, nutty, and rolled in powdered sugar ❄️🍪
🍪 Russian Tea Cakes (Snowball Cookies)
🛒 Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾–1 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1–1 ½ cups powdered sugar (for rolling)
👩🍳 Instructions
1️⃣ Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2️⃣ Cream butter & sugar:
Beat butter and ½ cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla.
3️⃣ Add dry ingredients:
Gradually mix in flour and salt. Stir in chopped nuts. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
4️⃣ Shape cookies:
Roll into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart.
5️⃣ Bake for 12–15 minutes, until bottoms are lightly golden (tops stay pale).
6️⃣ First sugar roll:
Let cookies cool for 5 minutes (still warm), then roll gently in powdered sugar.
7️⃣ Second roll:
Once completely cool, roll again in powdered sugar for that classic snowy look.
🌟 Tips
- Don’t overbake — they should stay light in color.
- Toast the nuts first for deeper flavor.
- Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
These are also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies or Snowball Cookies, depending on the region — but the buttery crumble is always the same ❤️
If you’d like, I can share a chocolate version or a no-nut version too.
