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Russian Tea Cakes

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By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Sep 16, 2023
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There’s no feeling quite as blissful as biting into a Russian Tea Cake. This classic cookie is irresistibly nutty and buttery, but it's the dusting of powdered sugar that makes it so magical—it seems to burst with flavor when you bite into it. If you don’t have powdered sugar all over your face, you’re not doing it right!

Russian Tea Cakes are made the world over and called by a variety of names, including Mexican wedding cookies, Austrian kipferin, butterballs and snowballs. Whatever you call them, there’s no denying they’re a must-bake during the holiday season.

This recipe for Russian Tea Cakes is essentially a buttery shortbread-like dough studded with chopped nuts. It bakes up with a texture that’s wonderfully tender—never dry or crumbling to bits. The classic finish is a roll through powdered sugar while they’re still warm, so it clings to the cookies. Once they’ve cooled, you can dredge them through the powdered sugar a second time, giving them a nice wintry snow covering.

Tea cakes make a wonderful treat for holiday visitors: invite your neighbors and friends in, make a pot of your favorite tea and settle in for a cozy conversation in front of the fire. You’ll definitely want to include them on this year’s cookie trays!

More About This Recipe

  • There’s no denying the tactile joy of maneuvering your lips around a dusting of powdered sugar to reach the melt-in-your-mouth center of these tea cookies. The powdery, sweet residue is just one of the signatures of this snowball-shaped treat. Because they’re made with real butter and chopped nuts, these cookies have a melting texture and a distinctively rich taste. In addition to being known as Russian tea cookies, they’re also called Mexican, Italian or Swedish wedding cookies, Austrian kipferin, butterballs and snowballs. No matter what they’re named, these tea cookies are all prepared in basically the same way, being rolled in powdered sugar while still warm, then coated again once they’ve cooled off a bit. Heat up a samovar (or just a regular teapot), brew some of your favorite tea, and have an old-fashioned tea party with these classic treats. If you’d like to try some variations on the snowball theme, check out Betty’s best snowball cookies collection.

Russian Tea Cakes

  • Prep Time 60 min
  • Total 1 hr 15 min
  • Servings 48
  • Ingredients 7
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Powdered sugar
Make With
Gold Medal Flour

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Heat oven to 400°F.
  • Step 
    2
    Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.
  • Step 
    3
    Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Step 
    4
    Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
  • Step 
    5
    Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Nutrition

75 Calories
5 g Total Fat
1 g Protein
6 g Total Carbohydrate

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
75
Calories from Fat
45
Total Fat
5 g
Saturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
0mg
Sodium
55 mg
Potassium
15 mg
Total Carbohydrate
6 g
Dietary Fiber
0g
Protein
1 g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
4%
4%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
0%
0%
Iron
2%
2%
Exchanges:
1/2 Starch; 1 Fat;
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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