Russian Teacakes

No tray of Christmas cookies is complete without at least a few buttery, not-too-sweet, Russian Teacakes. These favorite cookies have so much to recommend them. Pretty and festive, they keep well stored in an air-tight tin. The dough is also easy to prepare and does not have to chill before shaping. I use a small cookie scoop to form the balls of dough and then place them directly on the cookie sheet for baking.

Christmas Memories

No cookie baking marathon at my house is complete without making at least one batch of Russian Teacakes. One of the easiest of all festive cookies to make, these pretty snowball cookies are also one of the most delicious.  Buttery, with a crumb that melts in your mouth, they are mildly sweet and wholly satisfying.

These cookies were introduced to me by my husband. We got a Betty Crocker cookbook as a wedding present and it included a recipe for Russian Teacakes. My husband urged me to try them. He had fond memories of his mother baking Russian Teacakes for their family over the years. I tried them and they were truly wonderful!

After putting away my Ginger Cookie Sticks and placing the batter for Chocolate Crinkles in the refrigerator to chill, I turned to this recipe for its quick results. I mixed the dough with just six ingredients and soon the lightly browned cookies were resting on a wire rack, smelling of browned butter and nuts and ready to be rolled in powdered sugar.

Family Favorite for the Holidays

These cookies have so much going for them. They are pretty, festive and keep well. The dough is easy to prepare and does not have to chill before shaping. I use a small cookie scoop to make the balls of dough and then place them directly on the cookie sheet. When the pan is full, they go right in the oven to bake. Pretty easy! And, they are 1-inch balls placed 1-inch apart so the whole batch can be baked fairly quickly.

Though my family has grown over the years, when I mention baking Christmas cookies, Russian Teacakes are still usually the first cookie my family requests. As soon as they are out of the oven and rolled in sugar my family gladly and quickly devours them. I have to be careful to tuck enough away to serve holiday guests.

Russian Teacakes

Course: Christmas Cookies, Cookies and CandyDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

dozen

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

25

minutes

Total time

45

minutes

No tray of Christmas cookies is complete without at least a few of these delicious buttery, not-too-sweet, holiday favorites.

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 1/4 cups white or whole wheat flour

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

• powdered sugar

Directions

• Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
• Combine flour, salt and nuts. Add this to the butter mixture and blend until dough holds together.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 400F until set but not brown, 10-12 minutes.
• Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar and set on a wire rack to cool. After cookies are cooled, or just before serving, roll the cookies in powdered sugar again.
• Yield: approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Notes

• This recipe can be made with any type of nut. I generally use walnuts but if I only have pecans available I use them instead. I think almonds or hazelnuts would work equally well if finely ground. For added flavor, lightly toast the nuts before adding to the cookie dough.
• Using at least some whole wheat flour in this recipe gives the flavor of the cookies an added dimension. This year I used 1 cup of all-purpose flour and 1 1/4 cups of Organic Skagit Flour from Cairnspring Mills. The difference was subtle and very nice.