Russian Tea Cookie Balls — a cozy, melt-in-your-mouth recipe (step-by-step)

Russian tea cookie balls (a.k.a. Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, or snowball cookies) are tiny, buttery, nutty cookies coated in powdered sugar that practically dissolve on the tongue. They’re deceptively simple to make and perfect for tea, holiday plates, gifts, or anytime you want a delicate, sweet bite.

Below is a clear, dependable recipe plus smart tips and variations so your batch comes out perfect every time.

Yield & timing

• Yield: about 36–40 small cookies (1-inch / 2.5 cm balls)
• Active prep: 20–30 minutes
• Chill/bake time: 15–20 minutes (+ short cooling)
• Total time: ~50 minutes (including cooling)

Ingredients (reliable measurements)

• 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered (confectioners’) sugar — for the dough
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (about 120 g) finely chopped toasted pecans (or walnuts/almonds)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (omit if using salted butter and you prefer less salt)
• 1 to 2 cups (120–240 g) powdered sugar, for rolling/coating

Notes: I list both cups and grams for precision. If you prefer slightly larger cookies, form 1½-inch balls and expect fewer cookies and a slightly longer bake.

Equipment

• Mixing bowls
• Hand mixer or stand mixer (optional — you can do it by hand)
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper or silicone mat
• Cooling rack
• Measuring cups/spoons or kitchen scale

Step-by-step method

1. Toast and chop the nuts

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Spread 1 cup nuts on a baking sheet and toast 6–8 minutes until fragrant and slightly darker. Watch closely — nuts burn fast.
3. Let cool, then chop finely (pulse in a food processor in short bursts or chop by hand). Set aside.

2. Prepare the dough

1. In a medium bowl whisk together the flour and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream the room-temperature butter with 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar until light and smooth (about 2–3 minutes with a mixer). Scrape down the bowl.
3. Mix in the vanilla.
4. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture gradually just until incorporated. Don’t overmix.
5. Fold in the chopped nuts by hand so they distribute evenly.

Result: a soft, slightly crumbly but cohesive dough.

3. Chill briefly (optional but recommended)

If your kitchen is warm or the dough feels quite soft, refrigerate the dough 15–20 minutes. Chilled dough balls hold shape better and give a cleaner, bumpy “snowball” look.

4. Shape the cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) if you turned it off.
2. Line baking sheets with parchment or a silicone mat.
3. Scoop dough by heaping teaspoons or a small cookie scoop and roll into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Place balls about 1½ inches apart on the sheet (these do not spread much).
4. For uniform cookies, weigh the balls — about 12–14 g each yields ~36 cookies.

5. Bake

Bake 12–15 minutes. The cookies should look set and not browned (a hint of very light color on the bottom is okay). They will still be soft but firm up as they cool.

6. Sugar coating — the signature step

1. Prepare a shallow bowl with powdered sugar (1–2 cups).
2. Right after removing cookies from the oven, let them sit on the pan for 3–5 minutes (they should be cool enough to handle but still warm).
3. Roll each warm cookie generously in powdered sugar and place on a cooling rack (or another parchment-lined tray).
4. Once completely cool (20–30 minutes), roll them again in powdered sugar to create the classic snowy finish.

Why twice? Rolling warm cookies allows the sugar to adhere; rolling again after cooling gives a thicker, prettier coating.

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