Russianteabiscuits 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 CIGARETTES

Steps:

• Place the butter in a small stainless-steel bowl and beat with a wooden spatula, warming it over low heat as needed to make it smooth, white, and creamy. Beat in the sugar. When smooth, beat in the almond and sugar powder. Beat in 1 egg white with the wooden spatula. Then beat in the remaining egg whites, 1 at a time, with a wire whisk. Whisk in the vanilla. Sift the flour over the batter and mix it in with the wooden spatula. Cover the batter airtight and refrigerate overnight or for up to 1 week. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Scoop the batter into the pastry bag, and pipe the batter in domes 1-inch wide, arranging them on the baking sheets in staggered rows and separating them by 2 to 3 inches. (Do not pipe more than 12 or 13 cookies on each baking sheet or you won't be able to roll them before they cool.) Or, spoon the batter in 1 teaspoon domes using the ice cream scoop. Let rest at room temperature for about 5 minutes before baking. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are golden brown around the edges but still pale in the center, about 4 to 7 minutes.
• While the cookies are baking, place a folded kitchen towel (a smooth, untextured towel, no terry cloth) on your countertop. One at a time, lift each cookie off the baking sheet using a metal spatula and place it upside down on the towel. Roll it around a wooden dowel or metal rod to form a cigarette. As you finish rolling the cigarette, press down firmly on the dowel to prevent the cigarette from unrolling, then slide it off the dowel onto a plate. Work quickly because if the cookies cool they will become brittle. If they do cool and start to crack as you roll them, return the baking sheet to the oven briefly to reheat them. Storage: Covered airtight in a cookie jar or tin cookie bowl for up to 1 week. Pipe the filling into both ends of the each cigarette to fill the entire length. Dip 1 end of each cigarette in the chocolate, clean off the excess on the edge of the pot, and place the cigarette on a sheet of waxed paper until the chocolate sets. Then dip the other end of each cigarette in the chocolate, clean off the excess on the edge of the pot, and return to the sheet of waxed paper until the chocolate on both ends has set. Serve on a serving platter.

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.

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 BISCUITS

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Combine flour and salt and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream together butter and confectioners' sugar blending well. Beat in vodka. Gradually blend in flour/salt mixture. Fold in chopped hazelnuts.
• Break off dough in walnut sized pieces and roll into balls. On ungreased baking sheets place balls 1-1/2 inches apart. Flatten slightly. Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly colored. Sprinkle hot cookies with confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.

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!

CLEVELAND STYLE RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Sift dry ingredients in bowl; make well in center and add oil, margarine, orange,juice and peel, eggs and vanilla.
• Knead dough, refrigerate at least 2 hours.
• Cut dough into 4 parts. Refrigerate unused dough in between rolling. Roll 1 dough piece on floured board, to 8" x 16", spread with 1/4 cup jam, then sprinkle with nuts and raisins.
• Roll as for jelly roll.
• Brush top with egg white,sprinkle with sugar mixture.
• Slice into 1 1/2 inch slices, place 1 1/2 inches apart on very lightly greased baking sheet with topping side up. Continue with other pieces of dough.
• Bake 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Remove from baking sheet, and cool on rack.