Russian Tea Cakes Recipe
This recipe, for Tea Cakes takes you on a journey, into the kingdom of traditional baking, where simplicity and grace come together. Per cookie is a blend of room-temperature unsalted butter and finely ground all-purpose flour, enriched by the pleasurable crunch of toasted walnuts. After being rolled in a layer of confectioners' sugar these cakes emerge from the oven with a tender texture that simply melts in your mouth. The golden edges whisper tales of warmth and homemade deliciousness. This recipe doesn't just yield cookies; it constructs a tapestry of flavors and textures that invite you to reminisce about memories while making new ones savoring each sweet morsel covered in powdery sweetness.
36 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 c all-purpose flour
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 c walnuts toasted and coarsely chopped
- ½ c confectioners' sugar powdered sugar, plus 2 c more for rolling cookies
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking sheet, with parchment paper or a silicone liner.
- Take a skillet. Place the walnuts in it over medium heat. Toast them for 5 minutes tossing them frequently until they become fragrant and turn a golden color. Then roughly chop the walnuts.
- In a bowl use an electric hand mixer to blend the butter at room temperature, ½ cup of powdered sugar and the vanilla extract until you achieve a smooth mixture.
- Add the all-purpose flour and salt to the butter mixture. Stir until the dough is well mixed and there are no streaks of flour left.
- Gently fold in the chopped walnuts so that they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
- Shape the dough into balls that are 1 inch in diameter. Place these balls onto the baking sheet making sure to leave at least 1 inch of space between each ball.
- Bake in your preheated oven for about 12 to 15 minutes. Until the cookies have set and their bases have turned lightly golden in color.
- Once you remove the cookies from the oven while they are still warm roll them in sugar by placing them in a bowl, with sugar. Let them cool slightly on the baking sheet.
- Once cooled to room temperature roll each cookie again in sugar so that they are fully coated. After you have made the Tea Cakes make sure to store them in a sealed container. They will remain fresh for a week.
Notes
Instead of using all-purpose flour you can try using your preferred gluten-free flour blend. Look for a blend that is specifically designed for 1:1 substitution to ensure the best outcome. Some gluten-free flours already contain xanthan gum, which helps replicate the texture of gluten. However if your chosen blend doesn't have xanthan gum you may want to consider adding, around 1/2 teaspoon of it to the mixture. This will assist in binding the ingredients. Prevent the cookies from falling apart. Keep in mind that gluten-free flours sometimes absorb moisture so if your dough seems dry feel free to add a bit more butter to it.