Russian Tea Cakes (aka Snowball Cookies)

Russian Tea Cakes are rich and buttery cookies with a texture similar to shortbread. They’re quick and easy to make and very festive coated in powdered sugar, which looks like snow!

For the last day of my 7 Days of Festive Holiday Treats even, I wanted to share a cookie from my childhood.

My mom has made Russian Tea Cakes/Snowball Cookies every Christmas for as long as I can remember. Which, oddly enough, has nothing to do with the fact that my family is Russian on my dad’s side and “Russian” is in the title of these cookies. (And I have no idea whether these cookies are authentically Russian or not!)

My mom usually refers to them as Butter Balls anyway, lol.

I like to think of these cookies as a sweeter version of shortbread cookies, as a wink and a nudge to my mom’s Scottish roots. They really are very much like shortbread, with the addition of nuts and being rolled in powdered sugar.

These cookies are wonderful; rich and buttery, and so pretty coated in powdered sugar. If you enjoy shortbread, I think you’ll really enjoy these.

What Are Russian Tea Cakes?

Russian Tea Cakes are actually cookies! They are easy to make with a relatively short ingredient list, usually containing flour, butter, nuts, and sugar.

Russian Tea Cakes are typically rolled in powdered sugar while they’re still hot and then cooled to room temperature, and rolled in powdered sugar a second time.

Other Names for Russian Tea Cakes

You might know Russian Tea Cakes as Mexican Wedding Cakes, Snowball Cookies, and Italian Butterball Cookies.

Are there any other names out there for these little treats? If so, please tell me in the comments below! I know I’m probably forgetting a few.

Russian Tea Cakes aka Snowball Cookies Recipe

Snowball Cookies are so easy to make! The dough is basically mixed up and then rolled into balls and baked. And then of course rolled in powdered sugar!

How to Make Snowballs or Russian Tea Cakes

Get out the ingredients to make Russian Tea Cakes, also called Snowball Cookies.

Add the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla to a large bowl.

Pro Tip: Your butter should be softened, but not fully melted.

You can use an electric beater or just mix the dough by hand.

Stir in the flour, salt, and chopped nuts. The dough will be fairly thick and crumbly, but you should be able to shape it into balls when you squeeze it.

Shape the dough into 1-tablespoon size balls with a scoop, and then roll them until smooth.

Arrange the dough balls on a large cookie sheet.

Bake the cookies until they’re set and golden brown on the bottom.

Carefully roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar.

Place the rolled cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are cooled, roll them again in powdered sugar.

Pro Tip: Instead of rolling Russian Tea Cakes in powdered sugar a second time, you can generously sift powdered sugar on top once they’re cooled.

FAQs

How Do I Store Russian Tea Cakes?

1. Make sure the cookies are cooled to room temperature.
2. Layer the cookies between wax paper in an airtight container.
3. Store them at room temperature for up to 1 week. Alternatively, you can store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Do Snowball Cookies Ship Well?

Yes! These cookies are firm and circular so they’re not prone to breaking when shipped.

When shipping, be sure to store them well-wrapped in an air-tight container to keep them as fresh as possible.

What Kind of Nuts Are Usually Used in Mexican Wedding Cakes?

Pecans are the nuts most often found in Mexican Wedding Cakes.

My mom always used walnuts when she made these cookies, referring to them as Butter Balls Cookies.

I like to play around with the type of nut when I make Russian Tea Cakes. Hazelnuts and almonds are a couple of my favorites.

7 Days of Festive Holiday Treats on An Edible Mosaic

And just in case you missed a post, here my first six recipes for this event:

• Dark Chocolate Coated Cranberry Cake Bites
• Peanut Butter Banana Bread Whoopie Pies {vegan; grain-free; naturally-sweetened}
• Coconut-Vanilla “Honey” Syrup {vegan}
• Cranberry Flax Cookies {naturally-sweetened}
• Nutty Biscotti
• Gingersnap + White Chocolate Truffles

More Sweet Festive Treats to Try:

• Chocolate Covered Cherries
• Ma’amoul (Middle Eastern Date Filled Cookies)
• Quick and Easy Chocolate Fudge
• Chocolate Covered Sponge Candy
• No Bake Chocolate Peppermint Cheesecake Bites
• Chocolate Rum Balls
• No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Haystacks
• Cranberry Oatmeal Bars
• Chocolate Peppermint Bark

Did you make this recipe? Please rate it and leave a comment below because I love hearing from you! You can also tag @anediblemosaic on social media. To stay up-to-date FOLLOW ME on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Xoxo, Faith

Russian Tea Cakes (aka Snowball Cookies)

By: Faith Gorsky

Russian Tea Cakes are rich and buttery cookies with a texture similar to shortbread. They're quick and easy to make and very festive coated in powdered sugar, which looks like snow!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 22 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 328 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup unsalted butter softened but not melted
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar divided
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3/4 cup hazelnuts finely chopped (or walnuts, pecans, or almonds)
• ▢ 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400F.
• Mix together the butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl.
• Stir in the flour, nuts, and salt until the dough holds together when squeezed.
• Shape the dough into 1-tablespoon-sized balls and roll the balls between your hands until smooth.
• Place the cookies about 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake until the cookies are set and golden brown on the bottom, about 10 to 12 minutes.
• While they’re still warm, roll the cookies in the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar.
• Place the cookies on a wire rack to cool completely.
• Roll the cookies in powdered sugar a second time.

Video

Faith's Tips

• This recipe makes 36 cookies, which is 12 servings. Each serving is 3 cookies.
• The butter should be softened, but not fully melted.
• Instead of rolling these cookies in powdered sugar a second time, you can generously sift powdered sugar on top once they're cooled.
• Store Russian Tea Cakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Russian Tea Cakes (aka Snowball Cookies)

Amount Per Serving (3 cookies)

Calories 328 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 10g63%

Cholesterol 41mg14%

Sodium 3mg0%

Potassium 81mg2%

Carbohydrates 34g11%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 15g17%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 473IU9%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 17mg2%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword Butter Balls Cookies, Italian Butterball Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes,, Snowball Cookies

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

: : GIVEAWAY : :

King Arthur Flour is very kindly giving away a $25 gift certificate to one lucky winner for their online shop, where they have just about every baking ingredient that you can imagine!

You do not need to have a blog to enter this giveaway! To participate, you can do any of the following (please leave a separate comment for each so I can count them as separate entries):

1. Leave a comment telling me your favorite festive recipe – it could be anything from brunch to dessert, or anything in between!
2. Like King Arthur Flour on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me you did.
3. Like An Edible Mosaic on Facebook and leave a comment here telling me you did.
4. Share this giveaway on Twitter and leave a comment here.

This giveaway ends Friday, December 21, 2012 at 5AM EST; after that the winner will be randomly selected and notified by email. Good luck to all!

This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on December 18, 2012. I updated it with new photos and more information on December 16, 2020. 

Disclosure: I received a sampling of Redpack products to try for free from Red Gold, and they are also sponsoring this giveaway. As always, opinions stated are my own. This post contains Amazon affiliate links to products I believe in, which means that even though it doesn’t cost you anything extra, I will receive a small amount of money from the sale of these items, which helps me keep this site alive – thank you for helping to support An Edible Mosaic!