Kid-Approved Russian Tea Cake Cookies: Easy Budget Recipe
These melt-in-your-mouth Russian Tea Cake cookies are made with simple pantry staples and come together in under 30 minutes. Perfect for holiday baking, last-minute potlucks, or a cozy afternoon treat, they’re budget-friendly and kid-approved.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (60g) powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (90g) finely chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with 1/2 cup of powdered sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate small bowl, whisk together the flour and salt.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed or stirring gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Fold in the finely chopped walnuts until evenly distributed.
- Scoop rounded teaspoons of dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until set but not browned on top. The bottoms should be lightly golden.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then roll each cookie in a bowl of powdered sugar.
- Once the cookies are completely cool (about 20 minutes), roll them in powdered sugar one more time for a snowy appearance.
Notes
Don’t overbake the cookies; they should look pale when done. Roll in powdered sugar while warm for the first coat, then again when cool for the best snowy look. Toast walnuts for extra flavor. Dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. For nut-free version, omit nuts or use finely chopped sunflower seeds. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 35
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 5
- Carbohydrates: 13
- Fiber: 0.5
- Protein: 2
Keywords: Russian tea cake cookies, snowball cookies, budget-friendly cookies, easy cookie recipe, kid-approved cookies, holiday cookies, walnut cookies