Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (2024)

Russian Tea Cakes are tender and buttery on the inside, studded with crunchy walnuts and rolled in powdered sugar. They dissolve in your mouth and you won’t be able to stop at just one.

This is also one of the easiest cookie recipes. We have perfected it over the years. Read on to learn the KEY to making the best Russian Tea Cakes.

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (1)

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Russian tea cakes are one of our favorite Christmas cookies and a staple of holiday cookie platters, right up there with classic Sugar Cookies. Just like our Almond Snowball Cookies, these look like adorable little snowballs.

What are Russian Tea Cakes?

RussianTea Cakesare also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes or Snowball Cookies. The cookie dough contains nuts, usually walnuts or pecans which gives the cookies a nutty flavor and slight crunch.

The butter in the cookie dough makes the cookies tender and powdery and they almost dissolve in your mouth. The cookies are rolled in powdered sugar twice to give them a white coating making them look like snowballs.

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (2)

Ingredients for Russian Tea Cakes

  • All-purpose flour – be sure the flour is measured correctly.
  • Unsalted butter – softened at room temperature. Gives the cookies a tender crumb. Forgot to soften your butter? See our tip to soften butter in 5 minutes.
  • Walnuts – toasting the walnuts until they are golden will give you the best tasting cookies. You can substitute with pecans or even pistachios. Powdered Sugar – also known as confectioners sugar. We add 1/2 cup to the batter and use more to roll the cookies.
  • Vanilla Extract – adds flavor. We love homemade vanilla extract for all of our baking.
  • Salt – balances the sweetness. Fine sea salt is our salt of choice.
Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (3)

The KEY to the Best Snowball Cookies

Toast the walnuts on a dry skillet over medium heat, tossing frequently for about 5 minutes or until nuts are lightly golden and fragrant then remove to a cutting board to cool and chop the nuts. Whether you are using walnuts or pecans, toasting the nuts will really bring out their best flavor and will make your cookies even better.

Pro Tip: Nuts can burn very quickly on a skillet. Never walk away from your skillet and be sure to toss them frequently. As soon as you can smell the aroma of the nuts, they are done toasting.

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (4)

How to make Russian Tea Cakes

  1. Cream together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
  2. Add flour and salt and mix until combined and no streaks of flour remain. The mixture will be lumpy and not smooth.
  3. Add walnuts once they are cooled and chopped. Use a firm spatula to mix them in until well distributed in the dough.
  4. Shape into 1-inch balls (using a small cookie scoop makes portioning easy) and place them on a parchment or Silpat-lined baking sheet, keeping them at least an inch apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned at the base.
  5. Roll hot cookies in powdered sugar and place on a cookie platter to cool completely to room temperature.
  6. Roll cooled cookies again in powdered sugar to get an even and generous coating of powdered sugar.
Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (5)

How to tell when Tea Cakes are Done?

These cookies bake up quickly. They are done when the edges of the cookies are lightly golden in color with a golden base.

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Make-Ahead

Storing at room temperature – Cookies may be stored up to 1 week in an airtight container.

To freeze Russian tea cakes – store in a freezer-safe lidded container or zip bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and enjoy.

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (7)

Common Questions

Can I omit the nuts?

You don’t have to use nuts. You can leave them out completely or fill them with a surprise such as a few butterscotch chips (my son’s favorite). If omitting nuts, I suggest adding another 1/4 cup of flour or the cookies will spread in the oven since the nuts help them keep their form.

What is the difference between Mexican wedding cookies and Russian Tea Cakes?

They are essentially the same thing and the terms are used interchangeably. At Christmas time, they are referred to as snowball cookies.

Can I use whole wheat flour?

You can sub with half whole wheat flour if you prefer. It will add flavor and color to the center of the cookies.

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (8)

More Christmas Cookies and Bars

Christmas baking is a nostalgic activity and a great time to make beautiful food memories. Explore all of our best Christmas Recipes Here and I’m sure you’ll find many new favorite cookies in this list.

  • Christmas Sugar Cookies
  • Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Lemon Bars
  • Snickerdoodle Cookies
  • Christmas Coconut Balls
  • Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

This Tea Cakes recipe was first published in January 2010. It has been updated with new photos and we shared all of our best tips for richer flavor and texture.

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe

4.99 from 278 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (10)

Russian tea cakes are buttery, tender, and studded with walnuts. These snowball cookies are easy to make, keep well, and are perfect for your Christmas Cookie Platter.

SavePinReviewPrint

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 15 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 36 cookies

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 lb unsalted butter, or 16 tbsp, at room temperature
  • 1 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
  • ½ cup confectioners sugar, powdered sugar, plus 2 cups more for rolling cookies
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ¼ tsp salt

Instructions

Quick Prep:

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or silicone liner.

  • Toast nuts on a dry skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, tossing frequently until fragrant and lightly golden.

How to Make Russian Tea Cakes:

  • In a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, cream together butter, 1/2 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla, until smooth.

  • Add flour and salt and continue mixing until no streaks of flour remain. The mixture will be lumpy. Use a firm spatula to fold in the nuts until evenly incorporated.

  • Use a firm spatula to fold in the chopped nuts until evenly incorporated.

  • Shape the dough into 1-inch balls (using a small cookie scoop to portion the dough makes the process easy) and place them on a clean baking sheet at least 1-inch apart. Bake at 400˚F for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the edges are golden at the base.

  • Fill a bowl with 1 cup powdered sugar and roll the cookie balls in it while they are still very warm then transfer to a platter to cool completely.

  • Once cookies are at room temperature, roll them in more powdered sugar to get perfect little snowballs. Cookies may be stored up to 1 week in an airtight container.

Notes

Please Note: Nutrition label is an estimate per cookie. This recipe makes about 36 cookies.

Nutrition Per Serving

99kcal Calories7g Carbs1g Protein7g Fat3g Saturated Fat2g Polyunsaturated Fat2g Monounsaturated Fat1g Trans Fat14mg Cholesterol17mg Sodium23mg Potassium1g Fiber2g Sugar158IU Vitamin A1mg Vitamin C6mg Calcium1mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe

Amount per Serving

Calories

99

% Daily Value*

Fat

7

g

11

%

Saturated Fat

3

g

19

%

Trans Fat

1

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

2

g

Monounsaturated Fat

2

g

Cholesterol

5

%

Sodium

17

mg

1

%

Potassium

23

mg

1

%

Carbohydrates

7

g

2

%

Fiber

1

g

4

%

Sugar

2

g

2

%

Protein

1

g

2

%

Vitamin A

158

IU

3

%

Vitamin C

1

mg

1

%

Calcium

6

mg

1

%

Iron

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Snowball Cookies

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $

Calories: 99

Natasha Kravchuk

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (11)

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Russian Tea Cakes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How many calories in a Russian tea cake? ›

101 Calories

Can you freeze Russian tea cookie dough? ›

Cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They also freeze well for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before serving. Cookie dough balls can be frozen for up to 2 months.

What is special about tea cake? ›

Outside the South, the words “tea cake” mean any cake served with tea. But to Southerners, tea cakes are more than that. They are the nostalgic cookies—crispy and golden around the edges, soft and cake-like inside—that are perfect for tea, or just about anything else you choose to drink.

Where did Russian tea cakes originate from? ›

Some have speculated the recipes either derived from other Eastern European shortbread cookies, may have migrated to Mexico with European nuns, or may have been associated with cookies served beside Russian samovars (tea urns).

How many carbs are in a Russian tea cake? ›

contains 150 calories per 28.4 g serving. This serving contains 10 g of fat, 2 g of protein and 13 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 5 g sugar and 1 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate.

How many calories is in 1 Teacake? ›

FOR ALLERGENS:
Milk Chocolate Teacake 24g
Nutritional Information Typical ValuesPer 100gPer Biscuit 24g
Each biscuit contains (24g)
EnergyFatSaturates
442 KJ / 106 kcal4.6g2.5g
10 more rows

What cookie dough Cannot be frozen? ›

Delicate cookie doughs/batters don't hold up well in the freezer. For example, I avoid freezing French macarons batter, madeleine batter, lace cookies batter, and chocolate-swirled meringue batter. Even if you let the doughs/batter thaw first, the results will not be the same.

Is it better to freeze dough or cooked cookies? ›

In most cases, I prefer to freeze cookie dough over freezing baked cookies. That way, you still get the nice homemade smell and softness of the cookies when they come out of the oven. But if you want to get the whole job done, you can certainly bake the cookies, then freeze them later.

Does freezing cookie dough make them chewy? ›

Cool down your dough for a tastier, chewier cookie.

As little as 30 minutes in your fridge or freezer can help your cookie brown better, spread less, and develop a richer chewy texture. There's a few reasons why, but one important part is it gives the butter in your dough a chance to firm up before baking.

Do tea cakes expire? ›

Though tea cakes don't spoil as rapidly as some other products, they show telling signs of going bad. If you notice any mold or unusual discoloration on your tea cake, it's better to toss it to be safe. Also, if it smells sour or off, don't consume it. A stale tea cake can be hard or extremely dry in texture.

What is a Chinese tea cake? ›

Compressed tea, called tea bricks, tea cakes or tea lumps, and tea nuggets according to the shape and size, are blocks of whole or finely ground black tea, green tea, or post-fermented tea leaves that have been packed in molds and pressed into block form.

What is another name for tea cake? ›

In Kent, the teacake is known as a "huffkin", which is often flavoured with hops, especially at the time of harvesting hops in September. In Sussex, a luxurious version of the teacake with added aromatics such as nutmeg, cinnamon and rose water is still sometimes made and called a manchet or Lady Arundel's Manchet.

What is Louisiana Russian cake? ›

Russian Cake is prepared by mixing our almond cake, gold cake and devil's food cake with raspberry jelly, rum flavor and a hint of anise oil (licorice flavor). It is then topped with buttercream and nonpareils (aka sprinkles).

Why is Russian cake called Russian cake? ›

There is an interesting legend of how the Russian cake got its name. The story goes that a New Orleans baker made it because he ran out of ingredients to bake a proper cake for the visit of the Russian Grand Duke Alexis when he visited the city in 1872 for Mardi Gras.

Why do they call Mexican wedding cookies? ›

It could be a coincidence, but no one knows for sure," Parra explains. Most assume the cookie's name is due to its occasional appearance at some Mexican weddings. It's probably not shocking to you, but because of their complex history and origin, there are numerous other names for Mexican wedding cookies.

Are tea cakes high in calories? ›

Tea cakes contains 120 calories per 28 g serving. This serving contains 7 g of fat, 1 g of protein and 15 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 11 g sugar and 0 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate. Tea cakes contains 3 g of saturated fat and 10 mg of cholesterol per serving.

How many calories in a bakery tea cake? ›

Energy: 306 calories
Protein8.2g
Carbs55.9g
Fat4.7g

How many calories in a large tea cake? ›

Nutritional Information
Typical ValuesPer 100gOne teacake (89g)
Energy1242kJ / 294kcal1106kJ / 262kcal
Fat5.2g4.6g
Saturates2.2g2.0g
Carbohydrate52.8g47.0g
6 more rows

How many calories in a slice of Russian honey cake? ›

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
795Calories
49gFat
85gCarbs
10gProtein
Nov 26, 2023

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