Easy Cozy Russian Tea Cake Cookies – Best Buttery Recipe
These buttery, melt-in-your-mouth Russian tea cake cookies are the ultimate comfort food. Made with simple ingredients and a secret double-coating of powdered sugar, they are perfect for cozy evenings and holiday gatherings.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes (including chilling)
- Yield: 30 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (120g) finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup (120g) powdered sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line your baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened unsalted butter and ½ cup powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed.
- Beat in the vanilla extract until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. The dough will look crumbly.
- Gently fold in the finely chopped pecans with a spatula until evenly distributed.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Once chilled, roll the dough into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls and place them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the bottoms are just lightly golden and the tops look set but are still pale.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for exactly 5 minutes. While still warm, gently roll each cookie in ½ cup powdered sugar.
- Transfer the coated cookies to a wire cooling rack and let them cool completely, about 20-30 minutes.
- Once completely cool, roll each cookie in the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar again.
Notes
Chilling the dough is crucial to prevent spreading. Toast the pecans for 3-5 minutes at 350°F for deeper flavor. The double coating of powdered sugar is key: the first coat melts into the warm cookie, and the second coat creates the snowy finish. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. Freeze unbaked dough balls or baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 30
- Fat: 8
- Saturated Fat: 4
- Carbohydrates: 11
- Fiber: 0.5
- Protein: 1
Keywords: Russian tea cake, snowball cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, buttery cookies, powdered sugar cookies, easy cookie recipe, holiday cookies