We’ve been making these Russian tea cakes since we first published the recipe in 1950, and we love them just as much today as we did back then. Simple and so delicious, these buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookies have only a handful of ingredients, but don’t let that fool you. They are packed with flavor.
This Russian tea cakes recipe is essentially a shortbread cookie, studded with chopped nuts. It’s wonderfully tender, without being dry or dusty. The dough is formed into balls and baked before being rolled into powdered sugar to create the classic snowball finish.
While these sweets are an iconic holiday cookie, they would be welcome any time of year. So, put on a pot of tea and settle in for a delightful treat.
So good and so easy, our Russian tea cookies only take a few ingredients to make.
Butter: Butter (we used salted for this recipe) brings richness, tenderness, and a distinctly buttery flavor to these tea cake cookies.
Flour: Use all-purpose for the right balance of chewiness to tenderness. It’s the most common type, so you probably already have it in your pantry.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar, sometimes called confectioner’s sugar, is much more powdery than granulated sugar and works well when you’re looking for a denser, crumblier cookie, as we are with this Russian tea cakes recipe.
Chopped Nuts: We like either pecans or walnuts to bring added crunch to our cookies. For added texture and loads more flavor, toast the nuts before adding to the dough.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need: Vanilla and salt are also added for extra flavor.
You only need a few pieces of basic cookie gear to make our Russian tea cakes.
Cookie Sheet: Over our many decades of cookie-making experience, we've found that the best cookie sheet has a classic shiny finish, which reflects heat more evenly, resulting in cookies that bake uniformly.
Mixing Bowl: You don’t need a stand mixer to make our Russian tea cakes recipe, but you do need a large mixing bowl.
Other Cookware You’ll Need: Dry measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing spoon, and a cooling rack.
Who knew that such a delicious, buttery cookie could be so easy to make? We did, and here’s how.
In a large bowl, stir together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until the powdered sugar is completely incorporated. Add the flour, nuts, and salt and stir just until combined.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls. We like to measure the first one with a ruler, then eyeball the rest. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake until set but not browned.
Immediately roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar. Cool the cookies on a rack and reroll in more powdered sugar for a thorough coating.
A cookie with so few ingredients usually lends itself to variations and our Russian cookies are no exception.
Add Chocolate: One reviewer found an easy workaround to her son’s nut allergy by replacing them with mini chocolate chips. We also love our uber popular chocolate snowballs.
Use Different Nuts: While walnuts or pecans are the iconic choices, you could also try pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts.
Add Additional Flavoring: Try other flavor options beyond vanilla, like almond extract. We also like to infuse a little holiday spirit in our peppermint snowballs.
Once you’ve mastered the art of the snowball, we suggest you try our Russian tea cake bars or, if preferred, our gluten free version of the classic.
Extra Russian tea cakes are always a good thing and here’s how to keep them at their freshest.
Store cooled cookies in a tightly covered food storage container or resealable food storage bag at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Store in a covered food storage container or a resealable freezer food storage bag up to 2 months.
Thaw at room temperature and reroll in powdered sugar to refresh the coating.
With over a thousand reviews, our Russian tea cakes are definitely a hit with our community! Here’s what we’re hearing.
Users love the buttery flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture of these “timeless” and “nostalgic” cookies. They also appreciate how easy they are to make, and the reliability of the results. Our Russian tea cakes recipe delivers every time!
Their versatility was also an important feature for many reviewers who like to customize these cookies by changing the nuts or flavorings to suit their own tastes or use the ingredients they have on hand.
Of course, our community views our Russian tea cookies as an iconic part of their holiday cookie trays and thinks they are great to give away. Who doesn’t love to see a big batch of these buttery beauties at a cookie swap?
Heat oven to 400°F.
Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl, until completely smooth.
Stir in flour, nuts, and salt until dough holds together.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again to ensure a thorough coating.
Want to take a shortcut to scratch? Betty’s got your back! Try this Easy Russian Tea Cakes recipe, made with Betty Crocker™ Sugar Cookie Mix. It’s every bit as merry with half the fuss.
With no eggs, and a high proportion of butter the hallmark of a Russian tea cake is its rich, crumbly and tender texture. Our recipe also creates a nice firm dough that won’t spread during baking, so you can arrange them about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. And like shortbread, they shouldn’t be browned; when they’re done, they’ll be firm to the touch.
| Food Component / Nutrient | Amount | % , Daily Value* |
|---|---|---|
| Total Fat | 5 g | % Value Not Available |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g | % Value Not Available |
| Cholesterol | 0mg | % Value Not Available |
| Sodium | 55 mg | % Value Not Available |
| Total Carbohydrate | 6 g | % Value Not Available |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g | % Value Not Available |
| Protein | 1 g | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin D | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Calcium | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Iron | Value Not Available | 2% |
| Potassium | 15 mg | % Value Not Available |
| Vitamin A | Value Not Available | 4% |
| Vitamin C | Value Not Available | 0% |
| Folic Acid | Value Not Available | 2% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | ||
