Awesome Russian Tea Cakes
Submitted by sweetstuff
Russian tea cakes with a buttery shortbread base, a thumbprint of jam or chopped walnuts, and a snowfall of powdered sugar. Holiday cookie tin classic.
YIELD
46 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
20 minREADY
40 minRussian tea cakes (sometimes called Mexican wedding cookies or snowballs) are buttery shortbread cookies finished with a snowstorm of powdered sugar. This version takes a thumbprint twist, with each cookie pressed in the center and filled with a teaspoon of fruit preserves or chopped walnuts before baking.
Don’t skip the powdered sugar in the dough itself. Half a cup of confectioners’ sugar (rather than granulated) gives the cookies their distinctive sandy, almost melt-in-the-mouth texture. Granulated sugar would make them gritty and overly crisp.
Press the indentation right after shaping the balls and before baking. The cookies will rise slightly and need that pre-pressed well to hold the filling; pressing into hot cookies splits them open.
Use thick-set preserves, not jelly. Jelly turns watery in the oven and runs off the cookie. Apricot, raspberry, and cherry preserves all set up nicely; the chunky fruit pieces add visual interest.
Dust with powdered sugar twice: once while still warm so it sticks (the cookies absorb a thin coat) and once when fully cool for that picture-perfect snowy finish.
Pro Tips
- Cream the butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes for the proper light, sandy texture.
- Roll the dough balls between your palms with a light touch. Overworking the dough makes the cookies tough.
- The cookies are done when the bottoms are golden but the tops still look pale. Tops never brown much; that’s correct.
- Cool completely before final dusting; warm cookies absorb the sugar instead of holding it on the surface.
Variations
- Skip the filling and roll the baked cookies in powdered sugar twice for traditional snowball-style Russian tea cakes.
- Use pecans or almonds in place of walnuts for a different nut character.
- Add 1 teaspoon of grated orange zest to the dough for a bright citrus version.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 325℉ (160℃). In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer. Add vanilla, scraping down bowl as needed.
Blend in flour and salt, mixing until thoroughly combined. Roll tablespoonfuls of dough into small balls about 1 inch in diameter.
Place dough balls on lightly greased cookie sheets about 1 inch apart. Press down the center of each ball with a spoon, forming a depression. Fill each with a teaspoonful of preserves or nuts.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool, flat surface. When cookies are completely cool, dust them lightly with confectioners’ sugar.
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