Tea Cookies

These pecan tea cookies, also called Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies, are all about that short, crumbly, butter-rich texture that dissolves on your tongue. Finely chopped pecans folded into a simple butter and powdered sugar dough give each bite a toasty, nutty richness.

The dough chills for at least an hour before shaping, which firms up the butter and makes rolling into marble-sized balls much easier. Warm dough sticks to your hands and won’t hold its shape on the baking sheet.

The double roll in powdered sugar is what gives these their signature snowy look. The first coating while the cookies are still warm melts slightly and creates a sticky base layer. The second roll after cooling adds a thick, opaque white coat that doesn’t melt off.

Pro Tips

• Chop the pecans finely but not into dust. You want tiny pieces that add texture, not a paste that changes the dough consistency.
• Bake until firm but NOT brown. These cookies should be pale. Browning means overbaked, and the delicate butter flavor turns toasty and loses its refinement.
• Roll in sugar while still warm from the oven. If they cool completely, the sugar won’t stick to the first layer.
• Store in a single layer if possible. Stacking smudges the powdered sugar coating.

Variations

• Use walnuts or almonds instead of pecans for a different nut flavor.
• Add a teaspoon of almond extract alongside the vanilla for a more complex flavor.
• Roll in a mixture of powdered sugar and cocoa powder for a chocolate-dusted version.