Russian Tea Cakes Family Recipes

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the cookie dough and the pecans. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Form 1-inch balls from the chilled dough and place them 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake until the edges of the cookies start to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
• While the cookies are cooling, line another cookie sheet with wax paper. Sprinkle 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar on the bottom of the sheet and place the slightly cooled cookies on top of the sugar. Place the remaining 1 cup of confectioners' sugar in a passe or fine sieve and then sprinkle over the tops of the cookies.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Mix in the eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Turn down the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Use 2 pieces to make cut out cookies, and the other half for the Russian Tea Cakes.
• For the cut out cookies: On a lightly floured surface roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place the cookies on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes, rotating cookie sheet halfway through the cooking time. Cool on pans about 5 minutes, and then transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

CHEF JOHN'S RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange rack in center position of oven.
• Place butter, 1/3 cup packed powdered sugar, walnuts, salt, and vanilla in a bowl. Top with the flour. Mix with your clean hands until the dough starts to clump up. Keep mixing by hand until all the flour and clumps of butter are evenly mixed into the dough and it can be easily formed into balls.
• Scoop out dough and roll by hand into uniformly round balls, just slightly larger than 1 inch. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden, 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.
• Let cool exactly 5 minutes then roll in remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Let cookies cool completely and toss them again in the confectioners' sugar.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees with racks in the upper and lower third positions.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together flours and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with with paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in vanilla and almond liqueur until fully combined. Add flour mixture; beat until combined.
• Using 1 rounded teaspoon of dough per cookie, roll into balls with the palms of your hands; place onto two parchment-lined baking sheets, 1 inch apart. Bake, rotating halfway through, until cookies are set and just turning golden around the edges, about 16 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cookies cool slightly on baking sheets, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, add remaining 1 cup sugar to a medium bowl. When cool enough to handle, roll a few cookies at a time in the bowl of sugar to coat. Transfer to a rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Roll cookies in sugar again until thoroughly coated. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.
• Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again.

BEST RUSSIAN TEA CAKES EVER

Steps:

• Cream the butter and sugar.
• Add vanilla.
• Mix flour and salt together and add.
• Chill the dough for about 10 minutes.
• Roll into 1 inch balls, place on uncreased cookie sheet.
• Bake until set, but not brown in 350 deg. for10-12 minutes.
• While still warm, roll in confectioner's sugar.
• Once cool, roll in sugar again. Then eat!

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Beat butter, 3/4 cup sugar and vanilla in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, beating on low speed after each addition until blended. Add nuts; mix well.
• Shape dough into 72 (1-inch) balls. Place, 1-1/2 inches apart, on baking sheets.
• Bake 14 to 15 min. or until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool 5 min. on baking sheets. Roll warm cookies, 1 at a time, in remaining sugar in small bowl until evenly coated; place on wire racks. Cool completely.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• First, brown the butter: Place the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat to cook. Check it after about 7 minutes; it should be a medium-brown color, not too light but not too burnt. Once it reaches that color, take it off the heat and let it cool. Refrigerate to continue to cool for about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 3 half sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Add the cold browned butter, flour, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and cinnamon to a food processor; process until light and fluffy. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the walnuts and mix with a rubber spatula until combined.
• Using a small ice cream scoop, portion 48 mounds of the dough onto your prepared sheet pans, spacing them 2 inches apart. Place in the freezer to cool for 15 minutes.
• Bake until the cookies are firm and smell nutty and toasty, 15 to 18 minutes. Rotate the pans 180 degrees halfway through baking.
• Meanwhile, place additional powdered sugar in another large bowl. Once the cookies are out of the oven, let cool for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds then toss in the powdered sugar. Enjoy!

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Combine the confectioner's sugar and flour and stir into butter mixture until well blended.
• Mix in chopped walnuts.
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Cool and roll in confectioner's sugar. I rolled mine 2-3 times to get well coated.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Beat butter and 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar in large mixer bowl until light & fluffy. Add water and vanilla. Gradually add flour & nuts, beating until well mixed. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
• Bake 10 minutes. Roll in remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. When completely cool, roll again in sugar.