Russian Tea Cakes – Deliciously soft, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies filled with finely chopped nuts and generously coated in sweet icing sugar. Perfect for Christmas baking!
If you love delicate, buttery cookies, these Russian Tea Cakes are an absolute must-try! Also known as snowball cookies or Mexican wedding cookies, they’re wonderfully soft and crumbly, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and a lovely crunch from finely chopped nuts. Each little cookie is generously coated in icing sugar for a beautiful, snowy finish.
These homemade cookies are incredibly easy to make with just six simple ingredients, including butter, vanilla, and your favourite chopped nuts. Rolling them in icing sugar while they’re still warm, then again once completely cooled, creates that deliciously sweet coating. They’re perfect for Christmas cookie platters, homemade gifts, or enjoying with a warm cuppa during the festive season!
Looking for more delicious Christmas cookies? Try my Melting Moments (Butter Cookies), Lemon Shortbread Cookies, or Easy Vanilla Biscotti.
Happy baking,
Marsha x
Russian Tea Cakes
Ingredients
- 226 g unsalted butter, partly melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 62 g icing/powdered sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 312 g plain/all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 95 g finely chopped nuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/350°F/Gas 4. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the partly melted butter, vanilla extract, and icing sugar until smooth and combined.
- Add the flour and salt, and mix until a soft dough forms. The dough should hold together when pressed without feeling sticky.
- Gently fold in the finely chopped nuts until evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls, approximately 20g each, and arrange them on the prepared baking tray, leaving about 5cm (2 inches) between each one.
- Bake for 12–14 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch but still pale. They should not become golden brown.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes, then carefully transfer them to a wire rack.
- While the cookies are still warm, gently roll each one in icing sugar until completely coated.
- Return the cookies to the wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- Once cooled, roll the cookies in icing sugar a second time for a generous, snowy coating before serving.
I’d love to hear from you.
Comments
Thank you so much for this recipe!
I added pumpkin to my dough and it was beautiful! So soft!
Thank you! Thank you!
My dough didn’t stay in a ball it flattened in the oven.
The dough is very dry and doesn’t hold into a shape? I followed the exact specifications – weighing my ingredients. Any suggestions?
If cookie dough becomes too dry and hard to manage, add milk (1 tablespoon at a time) until it starts to come together.
I am absolutely IN LOVE with this recipe!
I made these tea cakes today to have them at tea time, and they are absolutely delicious. It’s like they melt in your mouth! Deliciously buttery, with just the right amount of saltiness to contrast with the powedered sugar, and the softest texture, made even better by the crunchiness of the nuts. An absolute success! Will be making them again soon for sure!! <3
Hi Manu! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed them! 🙂
It is on my bucket list to eat one of these without blowing sugar all over or inhaling a lungful of it! These look great. What would happen if you added chopped dried fruit?
I think chopped dried fruit would be amazing in these cookies! 🙂