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Perfect buttery easy Russian Tea Cakes – this nostalgic recipe is always a huge hit and takes just a few simple ingredients- I love making these every Christmas!
Russian Tea Cake Cookies can be made with walnuts or pecans for a delicious flavor that isn’t too sweet, making them a favorite with the whole family!
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At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
How to Make Russian Tea Cakes
Snowballs, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Kourabiedes, Russian Tea Cakes – these delicious buttery cookies have lots of names, and are loaded with classic holiday flavor, butter, sugar, nuts, and not much else. They are a simple, delicious classic cookie that are easy enough for even beginner bakers to make and make for great gifts for Christmas cookie exchanges!
Russian Tea Cake Ingredients
To make this recipe, we will need the following ingredients:
- Unsalted butter (1 cup) – Soft, creamy butter creates the rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes Russian Tea Cakes so delicate and tender.
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon) – Vanilla adds warm, fragrant sweetness that enhances the buttery, nutty flavor of the cookies.
- Salt (½ teaspoon) – A pinch of salt balances the sweetness and deepens the toasty flavor of the nuts and butter.
- Confectioners’ sugar (6 tablespoons) – Confectioners’ sugar blends smoothly into the dough, giving the cookies their signature soft, sandy crumb.
- All-purpose flour (2 cups) – Flour provides the structure that holds the cookies together while keeping them light and delicate.
- Chopped walnuts (1 cup) – Finely chopped walnuts add nutty crunch and classic flavor in every bite.
- Powdered sugar (? cup) – A final roll in powdered sugar coats the warm cookies in a snowy, sweet finish that melts on your tongue.
Steps to Make Easy Russian Tea Cakes
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use the following recipe:
Cream
In a large bowl, combine butter, vanilla, 6 tbsp powdered sugar and cream together.
Combine
Stir in flour and mix, then add in walnuts. Mix, but do not overwork. Cover the bowl and chill the dough at least 30 minutes.
Roll
Roll chilled dough into 2″ balls and place on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Bake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on the sides.
Roll
Remove from oven, let cool. Roll in powdered sugar before serving.
Tips To Perfect Russian Tea Cakes
Don’t overwork your cookie dough – this is a simple cookie, meant to be made for friends and family and isn’t one that requires a lot of technical skill. The cookies don’t need to be precisely mixed, and will be tough if they are mixed too much.
Don’t overcook cookies – cookies will be very dry if you bake them too long. Cookies will be lightly browned around the edges.
Cool cookie completely before rolling in powdered sugar – Rolling cookies when still warm melts sugar slightly and makes cookies sticky.
Use room-temperature butter so it creams smoothly and helps the dough come together without crumbling.
Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to help the cookies hold their round shape instead of spreading.
Try toasting the nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds) for extra flavor and aroma before adding them to the dough.
FAQs for Perfect Russian Tea Cakes
If your dough is too try, you can loosen it with up to one tablespoon of milk.
I use walnuts but you can use whatever nuts you prefer, if you toast them first you will get the best flavor.
These cookies last for up to one week when kept in an airtight container and stored in a cool, dry place.
They’re usually crumbly if the dough is too dry—make sure the butter is soft enough, avoid over-measuring the flour, and mix just until the dough comes together.
This can happen if the butter is too warm, the dough wasn’t chilled, or too little flour was added.
Other Easy Christmas Cookies You’ll Love
If you’re looking for other fun and festive sweet treats this holiday season, we have you covered – we have lots of great Christmas ideas to make your holiday great!
Find some of our favorite recent posts like Easy Santa Strawberries Recipe, The Best Easy Sprinkle Cookies Recipe, Easy Iced Christmas Tree Shortbread Cookies, The Best Easy Candied Almonds Recipe, The Best Easy Chewy Sugar Cookies Ever Recipe, Chewy Molasses Cookies, and more, below:
Try these favorites:
You can find the rest of our Christmas cookies recipes here.
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The Best Easy Russian Tea Cakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar, for decoration
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, vanilla, 6 tbsp powdered sugar and cream together.
- Stir in flour and mix, then add in walnuts. Mix, but do not overwork.
- Cover the bowl and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll chilled dough into 2" balls and place on a nonstick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until lightly browned on the sides.
- Remove from oven, let cool.
- Roll in powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi, so a quick question about storing the cookies. In an air tight container how long will they last (say you want to make them ahead of time for an event of can’t eat them all in one sitting)? Is it better to store in the fridge or freezer?
I would freeze them, they freeze really well, and the powdered sugar helps from keeping them sticking to eachother. When you defrost them it helps to roll them in powdered sugar again.
I just reread and saw where I missed that you addressed my previous question! I’m looking forward to using your recipe! Thanks!
Hope you like them!
I have a stupid question….I’ve always rolled them in the powdered sugar while still warm because I thought the sugar wouldn’t stick well if you wait until they’re cooled, but is it better to wait? The sugar can get a little gummy, so I’m assuming if I wait not only will it not be gummy, but it would actually stick better? Sorry, I’m not good at baking so I know this is going to sound dumb to anyone reading this! 🙂
There are no stupid questions here. If you want them really thoroughly coated, you can roll them while they are still hot and then roll them again once they are completely cooled.