tea cakes.



These classic cookies go by many names, the most common being Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, or Snowdrops. Almost every recipe for them is quite similar, made with lots of butter, nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds), powdered sugar, and vanilla. They are cookies that I like to make year-round, just because they are perfect, pretty shortbread confections that are great with tea or coffee.

I was a bit stressed out and stir-crazy the other morning, and usually when this occurs, I bake. Baking bread or sweets is always something that calms me down... I don't know if it is the process of keeping my hands busy, knowing that I am creating something from scratch, or just that it is something I really love. Anyways, these are the perfect cookies to make when you just want to have a little fun in the kitchen. Their deliciousness is an added bonus.



Russian Tea Cakes

Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter or margarine
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for rolling
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl combine ingredients on low speed of a mixer for about 1 minute. Blend well. Gradually add flour at low speed until just combined. Stir in the nuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes until firm to the touch but not brown. Do not overbake. While warm, roll in powdered sugar. Cool, then re-roll in powdered sugar before serving.

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