Description
Russian Tea Cakes are delicate, buttery cookies studded with finely chopped nuts and coated in powdered sugar. These melt-in-your-mouth treats are perfect for festive occasions or everyday snacking, offering a subtly sweet and nutty flavor with a tender crumb.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 2 cups (255 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (for coating)
Nuts
- 1 1/2 cups nuts (choose one: 210 grams almond or hazelnuts, 150 grams pecans or walnuts, 170 grams peanuts, 190 grams macadamias, or 255 grams pistachios)
Wet Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons (225 grams or 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened and cut into small chunks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 egg yolk (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the nuts: Pulse the nuts in a food processor fitted with a steel blade until about half are pulverized and half remain chopped. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Wipe the food processor bowl with a paper towel to remove excess oil.
- Make the dough: Add the granulated sugar to the food processor and process until fine and powdery. Add the flour and salt and pulse briefly to combine. Add the softened butter, vanilla extract, and egg yolk if using. Process until the mixture appears damp and begins to clump. Add the chopped nuts and pulse just enough to incorporate them evenly. Transfer the dough to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.
- Preheat oven and shape cookies: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C) with racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds. Shape slightly more than level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place the balls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake the cookies: Bake for 22 to 24 minutes, or until the tops are lightly colored and the bottoms golden brown. Halfway through baking, rotate the cookie sheets top to bottom and front to back to ensure even baking.
- Prepare powdered sugar: While the cookies bake, place the powdered sugar in a small bowl for coating.
- Coat and cool: When done, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Then sieve powdered sugar over the tops of the warm cookies. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely before storing. Re-sift additional powdered sugar over the cookies before serving if desired.
- Storage: Store the cooled cookies airtight for at least 2 weeks.
Notes
- For best texture, refrigerate the dough overnight to let the flavors meld and make shaping easier.
- If you omit the egg yolk, the cookies will still hold together but may be a bit more crumbly.
- Use a variety of nuts as preferred; toasting nuts lightly before pulsing can enhance flavor.
- Ensure cookies are completely cool before storing to prevent sogginess.
- These cookies freeze well and can be coated with powdered sugar after thawing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (about 10 grams)
- Calories: 70
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg
