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5 from 26 votes

Russian Tea Cakes

Russian tea cakes are a classic holiday treat! A melt in your mouth buttery cookie filled with pecans that's made in one bowl and with just 5 ingredients.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time32 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: European
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 71kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks. 226 g) unsalted butter softened
  • 2 2/3 cups (300 g) powdered (or confectioners) sugar *divided
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups (270 g) all purpose flour
  • 1 cup (115 g) finely chopped toasted pecans *see note
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Prep oven and pans. Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (or you can use a silicone baking mat).
  • Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer (I prefer my stand mixer with paddle attachment but a hand mixer will also work) cream together on medium speed, the butter, 2/3 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in flour, nuts, and salt until a soft dough forms.
  • Add remaining ingredients. On low speed, stir in flour, nuts, and salt until a soft dough forms. Dough will be very stiff.
  • Scoop cookies. Using a small cookie scoop, or two spoons shape dough into 1 inch balls. (I like to scoop the dough then roll into a ball with my hands to smooth). Place about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  • Bake cookies. Bake in the preheated 400°F oven for about 10-12 minutes until set on edges but not brown. Remove the oven and allow to cool slightly on cookie sheet before removing to a wire cooling rack. Cool slightly on a wire rack.
  • Roll in powdered sugar. Place remaining 2 cups of powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar. Cool completely , then roll again in powdered sugar when cool.

Video

Notes

  • Tools: Cookies Sheets Oven Thermometer |Kitchen-Aid Mixer |Cookie Scoop | silicon baking mat | spatula | cooling rack | cookie spatula
  • Storage: These will keep for a week in an airtight container for up to a week.
  • Freezing: Freeze baked, cooled cookies in an airtight bag or container for up to 3 months.
  • Unsalted Butter - I always recommend unsalted butter so you can control the amount of salt in the cookie dough. But you can also use salted butter, simply omit the added salt in the recipe. Do not use margarine or tub butter which is not pure butter and has added oils and ingredients which can affect the texture.
  • Powdered Sugar - You will use this in your cookie dough and also again to roll them in after they are baked. 
  • Vanilla extract - I recommend pure vanilla for best flavor, but imitation vanilla extract will also work.
  • Pecans - Toasting is optional but preferred. I toast pecan halves in a 350°F for 7-8 minutes until fragrant, then cool and chop finely. Be sure to allow to cool before adding to cookie dough. I prefer pecans but any nut will work.  You can omit the nuts if need be, and try swapping in some chocolate chips instead. Mini chocolate chips also work great in these little cookies. If you don't swap the nuts for anything, you may need to add additional flour to help the cookies keep their shape (try adding a 1/4 cup extra.)
 

Nutrition

Calories: 71kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 13mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.3mg