Description
Russian Tea Cakes bring pure comfort straight from grandma’s kitchen to your holiday table. Buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie balls rolled in powdered sugar create sweet nostalgia that connects generations of baking memories.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 2.25 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (90 g) finely chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
Supporting Ingredients:
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Flavor Enhancers:
- ½ zest of orange or lemon
Instructions
- Prepare your oven by heating it to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cookie removal.
- Cream 1 cup (226 g) softened butter with ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar until the mixture becomes airy and pale. Mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract thoroughly.
- Gently incorporate 2 ¼ cups (280 g) flour and ¼ teaspoon salt into the butter mixture. Stir until the dough feels soft and cohesive.
- Fold ¾ cup (90 g) finely chopped nuts into the dough. If the mixture seems too warm, refrigerate for 15 minutes to firm it up.
- Roll each tablespoon of dough into small, uniform spheres. Position the balls 1 inch apart on your prepared baking sheet.
- Slide the sheet into the 350°F (175°C) oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes until the cookie bottoms turn a delicate golden shade while the tops remain pale.
- After removing from the oven, let the cookies rest for 5 minutes. While still warm, roll each cookie in powdered sugar, coating them completely.
- Allow the cookies to cool entirely on a wire rack. Once cooled, roll them again in powdered sugar for a beautiful, snowy finish.
Notes
- Always use room temperature butter for the smoothest, creamiest dough that blends easily.
- Chop nuts super fine so they distribute evenly and don’t break the delicate cookie texture.
- Roll cookies in powdered sugar while they’re still warm for the first coating, which helps the sugar stick better.
- Store these cookies in an airtight container with wax paper between layers to keep their delicate powdery coating intact.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Russian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 35 mg
- Fat: 11 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg