These Russian tea cakes are rolled in powdered sugar for a sweet finish and a snowball-like appearance.
Russian tea cakes (a.k.a. snowball cookies) are incredibly easy to make with pantry staples. The melt-in-your-mouth dessert is a simple way to satisfy your sweet tooth during the holiday season.
Prep Time: 20 mins, Cook Time: 15 mins, Additional Time: 15 mins, Total Time: 50 mins, Servings: 36
Yield: 3 dozen cookies
Source: All recipes
Russian Tea Cake Ingredients
Believe it or not, you’ll need just five ingredients to make this bakery-worthy Russian tea cake recipe:
- Butter: These easy Russian tea cakes start with a stick of unsalted butter.
- Vanilla: A teaspoon of vanilla extract enhances the flavor and adds complexity.
- Flour: All-purpose flour adds structure and holds the dough together.
- Sugar: You’ll need powdered sugar for the dough and to roll the tea cakes.
- Walnuts: Finely chopped walnuts add nutty flavor and welcome crunch.
How to Make Russian Tea Cakes
You’ll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here’s a brief overview of what you can expect when you make Russian tea cakes:
- Make the dough: Cream the butter and vanilla. Mix the flour and sugar together, then stir the dry mixture into the butter mixture. Stir in the walnuts.
- Bake the dough: Roll the dough into balls and bake until the edges are golden.
- Roll in sugar: Cool the baked cookies, then roll in powdered sugar.
How to Store Russian Tea Cakes
Store the Russian tea cakes in a shallow, airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Can You Freeze Russian Tea Cakes?
Yes! But it’s best to freeze Russian tea cakes before you roll them in powdered sugar. Arrange them on a baking sheet, cover, and flash freeze for a few hours or up to overnight. Transfer the now-frozen cookies to a zip-top bag or another freezer-safe container. Thaw in the fridge, then roll in powdered sugar before serving.
Allrecipes Community Tips and Praise
“I made these as a wedding gift for a friend, and my whole family is blown away at how good these cookies are,” says Lilith Brown. “I’m an ultra-novice baker and these were super easy and delicious!”
“So simple, so easy, so good,” raves Carrie Taylor. “It ain’t Christmas till my kitchen smells like Russian tea cookies! This is the easiest and best recipe. Whipped up a quick batch after the kids went to bed for our cookie walk at school tomorrow.”
“I followed the recipe exactly and the cookies turned out buttery and melt-in-your-mouth soft,” according to Grace Kim. “For the walnuts, I used a food processor to chop them because I wanted my cookies to be velvety smooth with a fine crumb.”
Ingredients
Original recipe (1X) yields 36 servings
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar, or more as needed
Directions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Cream butter and vanilla together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Whisk flour and 6 tablespoons powdered sugar together in separate bowl. Add to the butter mixture and stir until just blended. Add walnuts and mix until incorporated; mixture may be crumbly.
- Take small scoops of dough and roll between your hands into 1-inch balls. Place balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven until edges are just turning golden, about 12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.
- Place remaining 1/3 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Roll cooled cookies in the powdered sugar once or twice.