Russian Tea Cakes

Jump to Recipe

Return to the Kitchen is a participant in the Amazon Affiliates Program. This post may contain affiliate links for which we may earn a profit if a purchase is made at no additional cost to you.

Russian Tea Cakes are one of my personal favorites when it comes to Christmas Cookies. They are lightly sweet, buttery and filled with walnuts. Make these for your holiday platter and watch them disappear!

close up of the inside of a Russian Tea Cake

How to make Russian Tea Cakes

To start, preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a hand or stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Next, add the vanilla and stir well. Then, add flour, salt, and walnuts. Mix until dough forms. Roll dough into tablespoon-size balls. Then, bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden brown.

Let the cookies cool for a minute then roll in powdered sugar and let cool on wire rack. Once cookies are cool, roll in powdered sugar for a second time.

To make your cookies nice and uniform sizes, or any of your cookies for that matter, I recommend using a scoop. This size scoop with make them approximately a tablespoon-size.

Don’t skip the second rolling in powdered sugar. It will help to keep the cookies from sticking together and give them the added sweetness. You can even roll these in powdered sugar a third time when you are ready to serve them or add them to a cookie platter. The sugar will dissolve a little bit as it sits on the cookies.

Store your cookies in an airtight container. They should remain fresh for 2-3 weeks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do my Russian Tea Cakes fall apart?

Your tea cakes may need a bit more moisture. If you’re cookies are dry and crumbly, whip some butter by hand until soft and then add it into the dough. Try just a tablespoon or two at a time.

Or if your cookies seem greasy and are hard to roll into nice balls, add a little bit of flour a tablespoon at a time until your dough is smooth.

These changes can happen based on different brands of butter or humidity changes.

How do I store Russian Tea Cakes?

Store your finished Russian Tea Cakes in an air tight container.

Can Russian Tea Cakes be frozen?

Yes! Freeze in an air tight container for up to 3 months. When ready to serve, defrost cookies and then you may want to re roll them in powdered sugar.

For a behind the scenes look at Return to the Kitchen, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Pinterest! Also, if you make this recipe or any of our recipes be sure to tag us @returntothekitchen!

Looking for more holiday cookie recipes? Try our Italian Cookies, Cream Cheese Logs, Chocolate Pretzel Bark, Reindeer Poop Cookies, Cranberry Noel Cookies, Chocolate Crinkles and Snickerdoodles. Other desserts you may like include Black Moon Whoopie Pies, Chewy M&M Cookie Bars, Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting and Nutella Chickpea Brownies. If you are looking for holiday cookies, be sure to check out our Christmas Cookie List!

Yield: 50

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 11 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 41 minutes

Russian Tea Cakes are buttery, light, and sweet walnut filled cookies. These are perfect for the holidays!

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
2 ¼ cups flour
¾ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup powdered sugar, for rolling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together butter and sugar.
Add vanilla. Stir well.
Add flour, salt, and walnuts. Mix until dough forms.
Roll dough into tablespoon-size balls.
Bake at 350 degrees for 9-11 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
Let cool for a minute then roll in powdered sugar and let cool on wire rack.
Once cookies are cool, roll in powdered sugar for a second time.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Walnuts may be substituted for a different type of nut if there is an allergy but it may alter the texture.

Russian Tea Cakes

How to make Russian Tea Cakes

Frequently Asked Questions