Russian Tea Cakes Recipe
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.
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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?
Russian Tea Cakes are 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.
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.
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.
How to make Russian Tea Cakes
- Cream together butter, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.
- Add flour and salt and mix until combined and no streaks of flour remain. The mixture will be lumpy and not smooth.
- Add walnuts once they are cooled and chopped. Use a firm spatula to mix them in until well distributed in the dough.
- 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.
- Roll hot cookies in powdered sugar and place on a cookie platter to cool completely to room temperature.
- Roll cooled cookies again in powdered sugar to get an even and generous coating of powdered sugar.
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.
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.
Common Questions
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.
They are essentially the same thing and the terms are used interchangeably. At Christmas time, they are referred to as snowball cookies.
You can sub with half whole wheat flour if you prefer. It will add flavor and color to the center of the cookies.
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
Ingredients
- 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
Nutrition Per Serving
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Hi , can you substitute gluten free flour in these , do they turn out ok.
Thanks Liz
Hi Liz, I haven’t tested that so I can’t say for sure but I think it should work. I don’t have much experience with gluten-free flour but I would suggest using a gluten-free flour that is intended for baking.
Can I make this recipe using cultured butter? It’s so delicious, but SO expensive! So I thought I’d better ask before I ruin a batch (and waste cultured butter!)
Hi Amy! I think so. I haven’t tried in personally but I don’t see why not. Let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
I couldn’t find my Russian tea cake recipe and I knew I could go to you. I made two batches around 90 cookies. I didn’t roast my pecans. I haven’t made cookies in a few years due to surgeries, so thank you so much for your help.
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Debbi!
The Tea Cakes were loved by all the guests. One asked for the recipe and all agreed this is the best ever!
Wow! I’m so glad this was a hit! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Terri!
Showstopper!! My eastern European brother in law was impressed!
QUESTION: Can I fill this cookie with dulce de leche?
Great to hear that it was a hit! I haven’t tested that to advise. If you do an expeirment, we’d like to know how it goes!
Can this recipe be doubled? I have to make several batches for a family reunion. Everyone is crazy over them. Thank you
Hi Tammy! It should be fine to double the recipe.
So glad they were a hit!
I want to make these for my daughter’s bridal shower but she is dairy free and has a sensitivity to cocnut. What can I substitute the butter with?
Hi Adriana! I have not tested a substitute to advise.
Hi Natasha, I am looking for the tip on warming the butter in 5 min.
Thanks,
Bill
Hi Bill, you can check my short video on it.
Hello! Can I use almonds for this recipe? A friend gave me two bags of almonds and I would like to use them, but. I’m not sure if they will work, because your recipe only call for walnuts or pecans…
Hi Vegonia, I haven’t tested this with almonds, but I imagine that may work! If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
I only make with almonds and they are great!!! I have tried them with pecans and walnuts, but we prefer them with almonds.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
These are great cookies. I substituted pecans for the walnuts and added almond extract. What a hit. I have everyone asking for the recipe.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Diane!
I misplaced my mom’s recipe so I used yours. they taste really really close to the original 🙂 Thank you
That’s great, Christine! Thank you for trying my recipe.
Mom’s almost always adapt a recipe. In the case of my mom (whose recipe I lost), she added a teaspoon of pure almond extract as well as the vanilla, but she also added 2 teaspoons of brandy to them. That’s why mine never tasted as good as hers until I actually got her recipe.
Why is my dough crumbly like pie dough. I see when you cream your butter it is very creamy. What am I doing wrong. Followed recipe to a T
Hi Maggie! This happens when there is too much flour. Watch my tutorial on how to measure your ingredients correctly, HERE .
Hello Natasha!
These were absolutely delicious! So tender and buttery. I did use chopped pecans instead of the walnuts. Thank you for such a treat!
You’re very welcome, Mary! I’m so glad you loved them.
Help my dough is too dry and crumbly. What can I do aside from tossing it and starting all over.
Regards,
Kerry
Hi Kerry! It sounds like you possibly used too much flour. Watch this tutorial on how measure my flour HERE. I am not sure how to fix the batter but a little moisture from liquid should help soften it.
Hi again. My recipe says to put them in the fridge over night before you bake them.
Hi Sherry. Refrigerating before baking is not needed.
Hi. Help. I don’t know what I did wrong this year with Russian tea cookies. They flattened out some & fell apart easily.
Hi Sherry! Could you have possibly used too much butter? I would look over the ingredients again to see if you mismeasured anything and watch my process to see if your dough looked differently.
Hello,
My local shop makes Russian Tea cakes but they make them flat. They are maybe 2 to 2 1/2 in. in diameter. Just wondering if you think your recipe will work ok if I choose to flatten cookies before baking? Thanks!
Hi Jeanne! I think that would work fine. Watch them in the oven if they are flatter, in case they bake faster.
Hi Natasha. Do you use a regular cookie sheet or an insulated (double-walled)? I have both. I typically use the insulated one for stuff that might burn on the bottom (at higher temp) like Stromboli, biscuits, etc.
Hi! No, I did not, I just used a regular baking sheet. I think the insulated pans would work fine as well. You may need to experiment with the temperature and baking time of the recipe. Insulated pans bake slower.
Hi Natasha!
Happy holidays from Canada.
Can I use gluten free flour in your snowball recipe instead of all purpose? Love your recipes. 🎄
Thanks
Jeannie
I haven’t tested that so I can’t say for sure but I think it should work. I don’t have much experience with gluten-free flour but I would suggest using a gluten-free flour that is intended for baking.
I am all out of unsalted butter. Can I use salted butter and eliminate salt in recipe?
Yes that will work!
Hi, Natasha. Have you ever used browned butter in this recipe?
Hi Natalia, I have not tried that. If you test it out, let me know how it goes. You might do a google search for tips on that first.
The walnuts I have are already chopped. Your recipe calls for 1 cup of walnuts, but I think that is the measurement before chopping. Approximately what would be the measurement if already chopped?
Thank you
Hi Judy, I did a quick google search, 1 cup of walnuts prior to being chopped weighed approx. 115 grams so you could measure this out and use it for the recipe.
I usually love your recipes, but I followed this one closely and the cookies turned out way too hard and dry. I used an oven thermometer. I think 400 is too high or 12 minutes is too long.
Hi Eva! The thermometer is a great idea. Every oven bakes differently so if it needs some adjustments you can experiment with it. I have had success at this time and temperature. Dry and hard cookies could also be a result of using too much flour. Watch my tutorial on how to measure your ingredients HERE to ensure you are measuring correctly.
These scorched on the bottom at 12 minutes at 400 degrees. Other recipes I’ve seen set the baking temperature at 350.
Hi Douglas! I highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer if you don’t already use one. Every oven heats and bakes differently so you may need to make an adjustment. It could also be the pan that was used and how that material conducts heat. Also, be sure that your oven rack is positioned appropriately and not too close to the bottom.
I divided the dough and used 2 different cookie sheets, one was standard cheap cookie sheet the other was a no-stick Wilton. Same dough, same oven, same temperature (400 for 12 min.). Cookies on the cheap cookie sheet were perfect, although they did flatten a little. The cookies on the Wilton burned on the bottom before 12 minutes.
I believe the oven thermometer is a good idea but the cookie sheet is an important factor. Maybe test a few cookies before cooking a whole batch.
As someone else mentioned, they had a recipe that said to chill the dough first. I had that recipe & lost it. It worked very well and was the reason I used two cookie sheets. You don’t want to put all that buttery dough on a hot cookie sheet if you are cooking g more than 1 batch.
I’m just recently into baking and don’t have a hand mixer or food processor. I have a Kitchen-aid mixer. Can I use that? Which mixer attachment – paddle, whisk, or pastry beater? Thanks!!
Hi Janet! I think you could use a whisk attachment.
I always use my Kitchen-Aid. Use the flat beater attachment to cream the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
I made these cookies and they were totally amazing! Recipe was very easy to follow and the cookies turned out perfect. Wonderful recipe!
Hi Debbie, lovely to hear that! Thank you for your good comments and feedback.
Thank you Natasha for your prompt response. I will definitely follow your advice. Just to let you know, my sister Seeta and I love your recipes. We have tried many of them already. Thank you for putting all of those wonderful recipes out there.
Hello, do you think I can brown the butte? And then follow the recipe with brown butter? 😅 I love that taste but idk if it will be too much
I haven’t tested that to advise, but let us know how it turns out if you experiment.
Hi Natasha,
I tried this recipe last Christmas, and the taste was amazing. However, I don’t know if the baking temperature was set too high. As soon as I put the snowballs in the oven (set at 400), they started to get brown. I had to lower the temperature and watch them. Kindly let me know what I need to do to fix that problem. I want to make the snowballs for Christmas again.
Thank you.
Hi Marie! Every oven bakes differently. I highly encourage the use of an internal oven thermometer and making adjustments as needed. It could have also been the pan, metals/materials distribute heat differently. Also, be sure the oven rack is not too close to the burner. I hope that helps
I only follow your recipes! Your recipes never disappoint. I have several memorized and my family loves them. Thanks
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Tammy!
Made them multiple times. Very simple and delicious. My daughter loves them too
Great to hear that!
I love these! I used toasted hazelnuts in mine…. so good.😀
Good to know that you love this recipe!
These Russian cookies look amazing definitely going to make them for Christmas thank you
You’re welcome and that’s great!
Hey Natasha,I love this cookies recipe ,I’m making them all the time, but I’m not sure what I’m I doing wrong ,as soon as I put powder on cookies after cooking the butter starts to come out, please help
Hey Natalie, great to hear that you have been enjoying this recipe. I’m not sure why that happens as I have not experienced that before. Maybe others here have experienced that same issue and could share some tips?
Yes this happened to me. I haven’t double dipped in sugar after cooling as well tho. The outside powder sugar is just gooey with the first dip when warm though. Seems like a second dip couldn’t help too much.:/
Hi,
I made these for the first time and it happened to me as well. It’s the sugar melting(kind of) like when you make powdered sugar frosting. Once the second coating is on you can’t see it.
I hope this helps 🙂
Hi! In one recipe, I saw that they used a tablespoon to make each ball. Is one inch the same thing?
Thank you!
It should be close, you’ll have to measure it.
My Nan called these Pecan (pee-can) Balls! Melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Has anyone tried the half whole wheat and half AP flour?
Hi Kate, I have tried half all-purpose and half whole wheat successfully!
When you say you can Freeze them; Are you talking about the raw dough or the baked cookies ?
Hi Mark, we freeze them once they are baked, but both the dough & the baked cookies can be frozen. Also, you can make these up to 3 days in advanyou’reyou like them fresh.
They freeze well; just coat the cookies with more fresh powdered sugar after thawing them. One of my readers mentioned freezing the dough as”ing: “I freeze the raw dough once I form them into balls. Then when I want a few, I bake them. Great for unexpected co”pany.” I hope this helps!
Just made these today and they were quick to make and tender with lovely flavor. Had to shoo the guys out of the room to get the powdered sugar layer on, as they were not wanting to wait. Our thoughts are with you and the people of Ukraine.
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment, Sherri!
Simple, tasty cookie. Used a vegan butter which may be why my dough was not crumbly like pictured. I added more flour, but it was probably not necessary. I’ll try the recipe again with the stated amount of flour. Made these about half the stated size to test as a Holiday cookie and baked 10 mins.
Thanks for sharing that with us, Sarah. Yes – I recommend trying the recipe as stated, please share with us how it goes on your next try!
Can you provide the weights for the flour, walnuts and sugar please? It is a lot easier to measure ingredients accurately when the weights are provided instead of the measurements.
Hi Allison, If you scroll down to our printable recipe card, most of our recipes have a metric conversion option on the printable recipe card. We are currently working on adding metric measurements to all of our recipes, but it is taking some time to add them one at a time. Thank you so much for being patient! In the meantime, check out our post on measuring which should help.
I made these cookies around Christmas time and they were soooo good! I tried freezing a batch just to see how they would taste after being frozen and I couldn’t tell a difference at all! They tasted just as fresh as the day I made them!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Not a good recipe. There’s too much flour and my family personally didn’t like the taste added from browning the walnuts
I love watching you and have successfully tried many of your recipes but this one was a disaster for me. After I had added just a bit more than half the flour, my mixture was way too crumbly. I had to add more butter so I eventually got the mix to a consistency where I could form them into balls. Not sure what I did wrong…it just seemed like way too much flour.
Hi Linda, Be sure to measure by fluffing the flour first with a spoon then spoon it into a dry ingredient measuring cup and scrape off the top. If you push your measuring cup into a flour bin, you will get up to 25% too much flour. Also, do not tap the flour down in the measuring cup.
Hi Natasha. I love this recipe. They are very good and easy to make. Could you please add
Metric measurement for my sister, she does not have cups
Thank you very much.
Hello Irina, good to hear that you are enjoying my recipes. You can convert the ingredients to grams, just click Metric in the written recipe to do that. I hope that helps.
Trying to find the metric button to click but no luck, any advice on where to find it?
I used black walnut extract instead of the vanilla extract , although I did add a touch of vanilla too. I also prefer to use Hammond’s American Black walnuts instead of the common English type walnuts that you see in all the grocery stores. Our Native American Black walnuts have a stronger walnut flavor, less bland than the English walnuts we see on the store shelves.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Drl! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Grew up with these cookies (I’m
81 years old!) My mom always used black walnuts–I can’t imagine them with any other kind of nuts!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I’m 60. I remember helping my mom make these and she always use black walnuts. I wouldn’t make them any other way because they would not taste right.
Also, she would store then in multiple layer containers for us or others and because of the butter soaking through, she would put down a layer of cookies (she called them Russian Tea Cookies not Cakes) and then sprinkle a thick layer of powdered sugar and then added the next layer.
Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Mark!
Hi Natasha! I didn’t have any nuts so I used toasted unsweetened coconut and they came out beautifully and tasted wonderful! Thank you!
Hi Tina, great to hear that they turned out great! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Mine came out flat. Taste great but not sure what happened. I substituted almonds for walnuts. Not sure if that would make a difference?
Hi Jessica, They shouldn’t be flat unless you used way too much butter. It’s likely due to too much butter. How much butter did you use? Also, it’s hard to say what went wrong when substitutions are made. I hope you find the culprit!
AH I see. The recipe states 1/2 lb unsalted butter, or 16 tbsp, at room temperature. Those are two different measurements. I used 16 TBSP room temp. butter. Should I have only used 1 stick (1/2 lb)?
Thanks!
Hi Jessica, 1/2 lb is equal to 16 Tablespoons or 1 cup of butter. With my butter packages, it is 2 sticks of butter.
if you have a food scale, this is ALWAYS the best way to prevent over and under measuring ingredients. Most precise and accurate is of course in grams, NOT ounces.
I love these!! Question…Can I substitute gluten free floor?
Hi Janet, I haven’t tested that substitution to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Yes, I have made with GF flour. Nobody will notice the difference. Sift the flour, then measure. Put dough in refrigerator for 30 minute so the flour is absorbed.
Hi Elaine, that is great to know it works well with gluten-free flour.
So delicious !! Best I’ve ever had !
The entire family loved them.
Easy to follow recipe. I used pecans and they came out so soft and crumbly .. will definitely save this recipe. Thank you, Natasha!!
All of your recipes are so easy and delicious !! All the blessings in 2022 !!
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that wonderful compliment with me. I’m all smiles
Going to make some of your cookies!! Esp, the Russian
Tea Cakes.. Thanks.
I hope you love them! Your home is going to smell so good once they start baking!
I have been making these for years however I use dates instead of the nuts. There great ..I’ll try some choc chips next but the dates I have been doing for years.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Elaine!
Hi Natasha, I love watching you bake. Thank you for your awesome recipes. I did have a question though. Can I freeze the dough after I form them into balls? If so how would I go about baking them?Thank you.
Hi Vivian, You can make these up to 3 days in advance. They freeze well, just coast cookies with some more fresh powdered sugar after thawing them.On of my readers mentioned freezing the dough saying: “I freeze the raw dough once I form them into balls. Then when I want a few I bake them. Great for unexpected company.” I hope this helps!
Just mixed a batch of these and will be baking them tomorrow. Can’t wait to taste – the dough is delicious on it’s own! Writing because I saw a typo and wanted to let you know – Under “How to make. . .” section, step 3 says “add pecans” not “add walnuts.” Thanks!
Good catch and thank you for pointing that out.
What is used most often, pecans or walnuts or either? I am trying to remember what my mother used. 🙂
Hi Diane, either will work great!
Perfect! These are a Xmas tradition for me. My mom always made them and froze some, too. The Xmas after she passed away, I found the bag she had sent home with me the previous Xmas still in my freezer. Such a sweet memory. Now I make them and think of my mom.
Aww, I’m so glad you found that bag, Diane! Merry Christmas!
Delicious! The flavor of the orange zest is even better the second day. 😊
Isn’t it the best! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Carol!
An east and quick recipe that is Delicious! I also made a g/f option with almond flour instead of A/P flour. It too is tasty.
I’m so glad you loved it and found it tasty! The tea cakes are pretty special 🙂
Sooooooo yummy and easy! I’ve loved these as a kid but never knew what they were called. I had pecans so used those and just used my hands to mix in the nuts. The whole process was very quick and easy. Definitely making these again.
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
These were called ‘Sands’ in my mom’s recipe collection and they were a Christmas tradition in our family. I used your more exact recipe and they taste exactly like hers. Thanks so much. Great memories !
Nice on, Barry. It’s great that you found this recipe and loved it!
Yum – I enjoyed mine with hot chocolate. Delicious, thanks for great recipe.
Yum! Thank you for the wonderful review!
I’m so excited to try this recipe! My family always made these with walnuts and a half of a drained maraschino cherry inside!
I hope you love it, Susan!
Hi Natasha! Love all your recipes but I’ve been baking these for years and they are called sand tarts or Mexican Wedding Cookies. It’s the exact recipe.
Great to hear that and thanks for the info. I hope you’ll love it.
Awesome recipe and so yummy.
I’m allergic to ALL NUTS and so I use pretzels(crushed) which works out great. Still have the crunch.
Thank you
Geri
Great to hear that you use a good substitute for nuts and you loved it!
thanks for the tip. I was wondering what nut free families could do for this recipe. Appreciate your comment.
The best way I have found to toast nuts is to use the airfryer. I’ve toasted walnuts, pecans and almonds sucessfully in the airfryer at 350 degrees F. for 3-5 minutes, watching them carefully. Much easier than oven or skillet, in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing that tip with us, Janet.
I loved this recipe, super easy to follow and the cookies were amazing! This will be a staple for our family this Christmas season!
Great to hear that, Lily. Thanks so much for the good review!
It’s not a Christmas cookie platter without Russian Tea Cakes…and these are the best I’ve tried! Thank you so much for a recipe that I’ll make year after year. 🙂
You’re most welcome, Samantha. I’m glad you loved these Russian Tea Cakes recipe.
Hi Natasha I love all your recipe. This dough cookies is the same of the snow ball cookies? The difference is the nuts? I have made 80% of your recipes . Never fail
Happy Holidays
Hi Marimar, great to hear that you’re enjoying my recipes. It is almost the same except for the almond flour and orange zest.
We have made these for many years in our family. My hubby’s favorite!
That’s so great! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Cheryl!
Oh Just gotta say I love your recipes. I was given the best compliments on your recipe for baked lasagna.Thank You and I shared your website. Also I do makes these cookies, Sand Tarts, recipe from my parents Army paks they were from Texas.Lol
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Jean! I’m so glad these recipes are a hit with your family and friends!
Hello Natasha! Your Russian tea cake cookies look very similar to a holiday cookie we make. we call them butter balls, and they are yummy. A batch made 3 dozen, and I think I ate all but maybe 3😊😊 I am going to give your cookies a go, they look yummy as well!!
Yum! Love the name – Butter balls! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Frank! I hope you try this recipe soon!
Soft chocolate chip cookies-I tried it today. My first.your instructions are clear and educational. Excellent, so delicious. Thanks so much for sharing. I would rate it 4-star
I’m so glad my recipe is helpful! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
My entire family loved these! My husband is very picky and he said these cookies are his new favorite! Thank you!
Perfect! Thank you so much for that, Ashley.
Hi Natasha! I’m looking forward to trying these! Just want to make sure whole wheat pastry flour is acceptable as the whole wheat flour. Thank you and merry Christmas! 🙂
Hi Rachel, I have tried half all-purpose and half whole wheat but haven’t tried this with 100% whole wheat. I think that should work, but haven’t tested it.
Natasha, what’s the difference between the Russian Tea Cake Cookies and the Almond Snowball Cookies? Can I add nuts to the almond snowball cookies?
Hi Felecia, The Snowball cookies are made with almond flour.
If you have a food processor, for goodness sake, use it! You don’t need to cream or sift anything. Put the dry ingredients in first. Pulse a few times to combine, then add the softened, cubed butter and vanilla. Process until everything comes together in a soft pliable dough. The nuts will automatically become finely ground during processing. Chill for a half hour or so before forming and baking the cookies.
Hello, natasha. Thank u so so much for this recipe. Made for Christmas family gathering, boy people loved it. Thanks so much for sharing all your recipes with us!!! God bless u & your beautiful family. Merry Christmas and happy new year !!!😃💖
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles! Merry Christmas!
Hi Natasha,
These turned out perfect and yummy 😋 I used white whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat.
That’s so great, Natalie! I’m happy that worked with wheat flour!!
Hi.
To start off…I’m a guy, so not very used to baking. But have made these several times. They are DELICIOUS. I even made them for a confectionery competition at work and tied for 1st place…Im sure if that pie didn’t have the word “Grandmas” in it I would have won, LOL. People at work loved these, and people at home loved these. The only problem is that I am so slow to bake. Everything on the website looks amazing…but again, I’m so slow it would easily take me 2x as long to make things, but I will try some stuff. Have you ever thought about selling your food? Cause that would be awesome for when I have guests and can’t make the nice desserts myself.
God Bless 🙂
Thank you for your wonderful feedback! I’m happy to hear this did well in your competitions.
Haven’t made yet, I have made with all whole wheat flour, raw sugar and kiss in middle. Turn out good. I will try this and see if better. Most people don’t like the all whole wheat! Thanks
You’re welcome Pamela! Please let me know what you think of the recipe when you decide to make it!
Turned out really GOOD!
I put a few chocolate chips in middle!
Thank You for this recipe
Hey Natasha!
I was wondering how many days in advance can I make these ?
Thank you!!
You can make these up to 3 days in advance. They freeze well, just coast cookies with some more fresh powdered sugar after thawing them.
Looks so yummy..how long can i keep them after baking them.
My dough came out very flour-y. It wasn’t the consistency of dough. It was difficult shape. Did I do something wrong? I reread everything and I don’t believe I missed anything! 🤔😕
Hi Rebecca, it sounds like maybe some proportions were off if it was too floury. Did you use the same amount of ingredients called for in the ingredients list without modifications? When you measure your flour, be sure to spoon it into the measuring cup (using a dry ingredients measuring cup), and scrape off the top for a level, even measure. I have found (and I’ve tested this) that when you dip your measuring cup into the flour bin, it becomes compacted and you can get up to 25% extra flour. I hope that helps!
The only thing that wasn’t the same was, i didn’t use wow flour. I’m dedicated though, I’m trying again! Fingers crossed! 😀
Sounds good Rebecca! Thanks for asking! 🙂
WW**
Hey Natasha! Are they supposed to turn out crunchy &a crumbly when you bite into them? Or should they be soft inside? I just made some, and either way, they taste amazing! ❤️
Hi Alina, tea cakes are supposed to be crumbly inside but not really crunch except for the nuts – those are crunchy 🙂
So I made those Russian tea cakes and my parents told me they were really good! My dad said “don’t be surprised if they are gone, haha!! So easy to make and turned out perfect!
Thanks Natasha!!! Can’t wait to try out more recipes. I will keep you posted if you’re interested. 🙂
Also forgot to mention…. since I don’t like nuts, I substituted it with mini chocolate chips instead.
Hope that doesn’t ruin the recipe 🙁
I’d love to know how you liked them with mini chocolate chips! It sounds like a great nut-free alternative (my son doesn’t eat walnuts or pecans either).
That is just awesome!!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review! Was this with the nuts or chocolate chips?
Such a simple and delicious recipe! Five stars!
Thank you Nelli, I’m glad you liked it 😀
Hi natasha. What if I don’t have wheat flour can I just use the flour I have at home, instead of wheat? And couple days ago I made pavlovas I did everything it said,everything was good,but then when I put cream inside they were sticking to my finger’s,and sticking to each other, what was wrong? I’v made these before,but never used vanilla,lemon juice and corn starch,and never had issues. Tried making it this way and I ruined everything.
Hi Olga, pavlovas typically have those ingredients. I wonder if you are thinking about a different recipe where the centers are crunchy. Pavlovas are meant to be marshmallow soft inside and crisp on the outside where something like boccone dolce is dry and crisp all the way through. I hope that helps! Also, regarding the flour. You can just use only all-purpose flour instead of mixing in the whole wheat. The whole wheat just makes it a little healthier but you can absolutely use only all-purpose flour 🙂
OK. Thanks. It was soft outside and inside too. I’ll try it again. God bless you! And thanks for all of the great recipe’s.
Those are super delicious!!!!!!!
Thank you Olya, I’m glad you like them 😄
Hey Natasha, I’ve made these a few different times now and they’re always great but I was just doing my like fourth batch here and I was wondering something. It always takes mine like 20 minutes for them to start to brown even a little. Is something wrong? Is this okay? They come out tasting great regardless.
Hi Jareth, that’s interesting – and you’re baking at the same temp? Mine are just barely starting to brown when I pull them out and 10-12 min is sufficient to cook them through if rolling them as 1″ balls. Are you making them larger?
Yeah I come back and check the temperature every single time I make them because I forgot to write down the temp on the sheet I wrote out for it, lol.
The very first time I made them they were a bit bigger than 1″ and I figured that was why it was taking them so long to get brown. But the next few times, it’s taking roughly the same amount of time even with them being small too. I have no idea what’s going on. Do you reckon it’d be okay to take them out at 12 minutes even if they aren’t near browning on top?
They should be just barely starting to brown. I would recommend testing one at 12 minutes.
Some ovens are different. My oven temp is lower than most, so i usually add 10 F more and it turns out amazing.
I’ve been meaning to make these for ages and I finally got some walnuts. These are amazing. I’ve never had any before and they came out great. I used more regular flour instead of the wheat flour because I couldn’t find a small bag of it anywhere but the little cakes held their ball shape pretty good. I was worried because I saw someone say that not using wheat flour made them spread out but it wasn’t really noticeable for me.
These are just so good. I’m probably gonna end up having to make more, they’re already about gone, lol. Thanks for the recipes!
Hi Jareth! I’m so happy you enjoyed the recipe! I’ve made them both ways with all purpose and with a mix of whole wheat and I’ve never had them spread out. I suspect they either measured their flour incorrectly or used too much butter. Thanks for the awesome review!
All I can say is, “WOW!!” These are so amazing, I can’t stop eating them. Better go hide them or else there will be no more left when hubby come home lol Thanks, love the recipe- so easy and quick to make and they turn out BOMB!
Yay!! I’m so happy you love the cookies 🙂
I’m so excited to try these cookies! I was wondering if I can make these by putting the walnuts in a food processor? I was hoping for just bits of nuts instead of chunks but I just didn’t know it I will have to use less so it doesn’t mess up the proportions? Thank you!
Hi Amelia, I haven’t tried that but I think it could work. if you are trying to process them to more of a flour consistency, you might try our Almond snowball cookies instead where we did that.
Hi Natasha,
Last time I made these, they lost their ball shape and became more flat. Wondering what I did wrong and how to avoid it 🙂
Thank you!
Victoria
Did the consistency of the cookies before baking look like what is shown in the photos? It sounds like possibly too little flour?
I think using whole wheat flower as you recomment really helped.
These cookies will naturally flatten on the bottom. If they flatten completely, your dough is too soft. Chilling it for a couple of hours before baking it will firm up the butter. You could also try adding an extra tablespoon or so of flour, but be careful with that. Too much flour will ruin the taste and texture of the cookies
I love this recipe. Can I make this cookies without walnuts or any nuts? Some people allergic to nuts.
Luda, nuts provide very important flavor for these cookies. They won’t taste as good without them.. I also made almond snowball cookies, using almond flour if you prefer that. These cookies just don’t taste great without a nut base ingredient. PS. I tried making these with coconut flakes but they still turned out blend and without flavor.
Thank you. I’m going to make almond snowball cookies. Is it ok time use 1cup granulated sugar 1 tsp cornstarch (instead of powdered sugar) and grind them in a blender?
Hi Luba, I haven’t tried making powdered sugar myself but there are many tutorials out there. Just make sure to measure it after grinding it to make sure there is the same amount of powdered sugar. Keep in mind you’ll need more for rolling them in sugar. I imagine you would need a very good/strong blender or food processor to make powdered sugar.
Thank you. I didn’t want to mess up so I bought powder sugar. Cookies came out very delicious. Thank you for all recipes. They are the best. God bless you and your family.
I’m making these tea cookies and i realized that there is a little mistake in a process steps. In ingredients list you say that 1 1/4c white flour and 1c whole wheat flour is needed, and later in your steps you say only-gradually add 1 1/4 c of flour,and later nothing says about adding the rest of flour.
I understood anyway, but thought you should know .
Thanks for all your great recipes, Natasha!!!!
Dasha thank you so much for pointing that out! I’m so embarrassed I did that but I really really appreciate that you told me! It’s fixed now 🙂
you are very welcome!!!
i thought maybe somebody already told you about it, but i couldn’t read all the comments.
i do enjoy every single recipe that you post!!!!!
you have such a beautiful family, may God bless you richly!!! 🙂 🙂
You’re the first and seriously thank you!! I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes and God bless you too! 🙂
THEY ARE SOOO GOOD!!!!!!
Thank you Lillya :).
Vy molodcy ochen’ vkusnye u vas recepty!!! Ya vsegda ispol’zuvayu vash sajt!!
Hi Liliya! I’m so happy you are enjoying the recipes 🙂
I tried these for my cousins birthday party. When my first batch came out of the oven, I only waited 2 minutes before rolling them in the powdered sugar. The sugar kind of melted and stuck to them. Is this how it should be or should I have waited longer before rolling them in the sugar?
Thanks anyway, all your recipes are really great and this one too!
That’s normal. You want the first coating to stick nicely. This will cause the second layer to stick better as well. I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipes :). Thanks Ira!
Hi,
Tried this recipe today, I baked them at 350F cuase the recipe doesnt say the temperature, anyway they seemed undone after just 12 min, so I ended up baking them for like 20 min, I also turned them but still have a floury taste …like they are not done..is this how they are supposed to be?
thanks!
Hi Ramona, the temperature is written at the top of the recipe, just before step 1: “preheat to 400..” It is also in the print friendly recipe. They aren’t supposed to have any floury taste, but more cookie-like. It was probably the baking temperature that caused them to turn out differently.
I love this recipe. Not only are they good and easy to make but they freeze well.
I freeze the raw dough once I form them into balls. Then when I want a few I bake them. Great for unexpected company.
Thank you for the tip Raya and for the great review :).
Hello, Natasha!
Even though I consider my self as Russian I have never heard of this wonderful cakes! I am so happy I met with you through this website! Thanks! May God bless you and your family!
Welcome to my blog! I’m so happy you’re here too! 🙂 God bless you in all of your cooking adventures 🙂
I made those the other day for a party and I have to make a confession. So, I ate half of them, please note, half of the batch by my self!!! lol I had to make one more batch. they are so so easy to make and so so delicious! Natasha, your recipes are always the best. Sometimes I would read same recipe on another blog and once I make the food its different and not as good, I think it has to do with you explaining it so good for us step by step. I never have questions when i make your recipes while i have tons of questions reading other bloggers recipes. Your blog has won me over lots of other blogs. Thank you for doing this! Keep up the good work!
Thank you so much for your sweet comment. 🙂 I am grinning ear to ear. I’m so happy you like the blog and thank you for your encouraging feedback!
I make similar to these, but we call them snow balls. And to make it faster I put them in the ziplock with powdered sugar ( about 5 at a time) and shake it gently. Everyone loves them, best when fresh!
That’s a great idea! Thanks for the tip 🙂
Can I use cookie scoop to form these tea cakes??
You can use a small cookie scoop. A regular one will probably be a little too much dough.
Love love love these! So many a tea time I plan on having thanks to this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
A nice biscuit recipe Natasha! I used pecans instead of walnuts. Next time I won’t add salt (I used salted butter and it made them salty). I have made quite a few of your recipes now and they have been some real winners in that bunch! Great blog…my favourite blog in fact!
Thank you so much for sharing that! I realized I didn’t specify that it should be unsalted butter. Thank you! Thank you! You’re so sweet. I’m so glad you are enjoying the blog 🙂
I just gotta say I LOVE EVERYTHING ON YOUR BLOG!!! (I have been peaking in here for half a year now. You are my little secret to being a great cook! THANK YOU FOR EXISTING!!!) So I made these Russian tea cakes like 8 times now and I just can’t get enough of them. Except I don’t do the final step with confectioners sugar…i find it really hard and time consuming to roll them perfectly white. I would make these when I have nothing to tea or if I am craving for something sweet…something baked (which is ALWAYS!) I am starting to be scared of my appetite because I cook your recipes almost all the time and I could gobble down such big portions of food. Ne kak ne naemsya! lol
P.S. I don’t look like a person who could eat a lot.
Your comment is awesome! It just made my day 🙂 thanks! Blessings to you!! 🙂
Can you make this without walnuts?
Yes. You can omit nuts and mix in 1 cup flaked coconut and 1 Tbsp grated orange peel. Or you can fill them with pieces of caramel or chocolate, or both 🙂
Help! My cookies came out flat and crumbly! I’m at a loss as to what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly. I need them for this afternoon and have to try making another batch but am terrified they’ll turn out flat again. Any suggestions? Some have said to chill the dough for an hour first and that might help. I’m so scared they’ll come out flat again!
They shouldn’t be flat unless you used way too much butter. How much butter did you use?
When I made them the first 2 times, mine came out the same way. But today I made them and they turned out just like in the pictures. The only difference was that I left the butter out longer so that it would be really soft and easy to cream in the first step. I think that may make a big difference.
It definitely makes a difference when it’s easier to blend with the other ingredients. 🙂 thanks for sharing your feedback!
Hi Natasha. I love your website! Got a question for you have you tried to freeze the baked balls or how long do you think they will be good in refrigerator for? Thank you.
I haven’t tried to freeze them. I wonder if the powdered sugar will get weird in the fridge. I kept them at room temp. They sit for up to a week in an airtight container, but they are usually eaten long before that!
Ok thank you I’ll just store them in air tight container because I need them for Saturday 🙂
spasibo za rezept,ochen rassypchatoe i vkusnoe pechen”e.pravda,testo ochen rassypalos i ya dobavila 0,5 stick butter.
I’m so glad you liked it 🙂
these were soo good i made these few months back or several and I miss it thank you
Thanks for stopping by and letting me know you enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Tried these yesterday. They turned out pretty well. I wasnt sure about the outcome as I didnt quite follow the measurements. Here we use European measuring system. At first it was too little butter and the flour was not mixing well. So what I did is to add butter gradually and just mixing until I started seeing that the dough was getting the right consistency. I also made some little changes on the original recipe: I used just all-purpose flour and vanilla powdered sugar.
Still have to pass the final test: giving them to try to my russian bestie!
I really like your website! You do such a good job and I will definitely try more of your recipes!
Thanks Maria 🙂
This recipe is wonderful.. i tried it an followed the exact measurement.. it came out perfect! I was afraid it wont turn out great but i was wrong. I love it and will put it in my treasured recipe collections for my keepings.. will recommend this to all.. thanks natasha.. i never thougt i could bake now with ur hlp.. m becoming to love it! Thnks again
That’s awesome! Way to go! My first baking experiment was actually a little bit of a disaster (good thing I didn’t quit; lol), but I’m glad you had a successful baking experience.
They remind me of Mexican Wedding cookies! Gotta try your recipe! Thank you
You are welcome Iryna 😉
Hi,
Just made your recipe, but subsituted ground hemp seed because I was out of walnuts. They came out great and still had a great nutty flavor. Texture was just the same. Thanks for a great and simple recipe!
J
Where do you buy hemp seed? Is it ok for people with nut allergies?
Amazing 🙂 perfect and fast :)))) Thank u for ur amazing website I use it often!
I made these today,they turned out so good!!Thank you so much for such a great recipe.Keep up the good work;)God bless
Youre welcome and God bless you too 🙂
If I don’t have whole wheat flour, I should still use 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour and 1 additional cup of all purpose flour instead of whole wheat flour? so that is a total of 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour in this recipe? Am i right or I confused everything? lol I want to make them tomorrow and I wasn’t sure.
It would be 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour. Enjoy! 🙂
So delicious. I made these afew weeks ago. So good. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe 🙂
i really loooove them! By the way my name is Natasha too. 🙂
Hi Natasha. Nice to meet you! 🙂 I’m glad you liked the tea cakes 🙂
As i was making these, did i only then realize these are just about the same cookies as we make in our family circle. Only thing different is instead of walnuts, we toast almonds and instead of powdered sugar by itself, we mix it with special dark cocoa. We call them cocoa balls 🙂 yum…:)
That sounds great! How much cocoa do you add?
Just made these little cookies, so simple and fast but very yummy. Didn’t have walnuts so I substituted with pecans and added lemon zest. Simply delicious! thanks
Pecans and lemon zest sound nice. I’ll have to try that.
hmmmmm… i think i might have put too much butter then, because when i saw that it doesnt mix well with the flour, i put two more sticks and thats why they flattened and fell apart when i picked them up.. oh, and the butter was not softened, probably thats why didnt mix… i will try again.. Thanks for replying back..
Your welcome. Man, all that work and you didn’t even get to enjoy them 🙁 Well, I hope you give them another shot because they are very tasty
Natasha: I tried to make them today and something went wrong. The recipe asks for 2 sticks of butter. I am confused of what kind of sticks, you now some butter package comes with 4 sticks of butter.. Some packages have sticks that are long… So when i used the 2 sticks it seemed like i needed more butter for the flour was not mixing…. Also, when i put them in the oven, they flatten. Are the cookies supposed to flatten like that… Again i am thinking i must’ve used too much butter. Can you please let me know.
I checked the recipe to my original and it looks right. Its two regular sticks of butter. I believe it is equivalent to 1 cup of butter. Were they softened to room temp?When they are too firm, it doesn’t mix well. Also, are you sure you didn’t add more than 2 1/4 cups of flour total? They should flatten just a little bit on the bottom but not fall apart. And they stay pretty round (see picture) I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. I’m not sure what else could have happened. Hope that helps.
I mean I really “miss” them.
These arent Pryaniki. They are more like cookies. But my mom makes some really really good pryaniki and frosts them with a mint glaze….mmmm. I haven’t learned to make them, but I definitely want to and will post them as soon as I do. Thanks for the idea!
i am about to make them!🤩
Please share with us how it goes!
Eto prjaniki ili net? I really mix prjaniki… Never made them.
I’ve made them but it was Robin McGraw’s recipe and it called for margarine, which I think made it sub-par. I think this recipe sounds much better–real butter is always better!