Russian Tea Cakes Recipe
Classic Russian Tea Cakes are crumbly, buttery, crunchy, and practically melt in your mouth. They're loaded with chopped nuts in an eggless cookie dough, then finished with a generous dusting of powdered sugar for an extra sweet touch!
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 127kcal
Equipment
- 1 standing mixer
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups powdered sugar divided
- 1 ½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 11 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Set out two baking sheets and line them with parchment paper. If using pecan halves, chop them into small pieces.
- Set out a stand mixer. To the bowl, add the flour, chopped nuts, 1 cup of powdered sugar (reserve the rest for later), vanilla and almond extract, and salt. Beat on low to combine. Add the softened butter and beat until the mixture is smooth and even.
- Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop to portion the dough into balls. Gently roll the dough balls in your hands and place them on the baking sheets, 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 18-20 minutes until gold around the edges. Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes, until still warm, but cool enough to handle. Roll the cookies in the remaining powdered sugar and place back on the cookie sheets. (Alternatively, you can use a sifter to dust powdered sugar over the top of the cookies.)
- Cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
Store snowball cookies in an airtight container and keep them at room temperature for up to a week.
To freeze the dough before baking, I suggest flash-freezing the balls on a baking sheet for one hour before placing them all in a ziploc plastic bag. Freeze them for up to 6 months and bake from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time.
To freeze baked cookies, I suggest freezing them without powdered sugar as it'll just dissolve into the cookie when thawed and reheated. Cool them completely before transferring to an airtight plastic bag. They'll keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the Russian tea cakes at room temperature for up to 30 minutes and enjoy!
To freeze baked cookies, I suggest freezing them without powdered sugar as it'll just dissolve into the cookie when thawed and reheated. Cool them completely before transferring to an airtight plastic bag. They'll keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the Russian tea cakes at room temperature for up to 30 minutes and enjoy!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 65mg | Potassium: 31mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg