Buttery Russian Tea Cakes with chopped walnuts are a powdered sugar dream. This classic holiday-favorite recipe is easy to make with just 6 ingredients and a few simple recipe steps.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, ¾ cup of powdered sugar, and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add in the chopped walnuts and vanilla, and mix on low speed. With the mixer running, gradually add in the flour until fully incorporated. Scrape the bowl down and mix in any bits of flour or butter with your spatula.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are a very light golden brown on the bottom. Allow the cookies to cool just enough to handle, 3 to 4 minutes.
Place the remaining ¾ cup of powdered sugar in a bowl, then roll the warm cookies in the sugar and set aside to cool completely. Sift a bit more confectioners' sugar over the cookies before serving.
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Notes
Toast the walnuts for the best flavor. Use toasted walnuts for extra flavor. You can follow my toasted walnuts recipe, just make sure you give them plenty of time to cool before chopping and adding to the cookie dough.
Remove the cookies from the oven when the bottoms are light golden brown. The cookies are done when the bottoms turn very light golden brown. Monitor the cookies during the last couple of minutes to prevent overbaking which will result in dry cookies.
Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while hot. The powdered sugar will stick best to hot cookies, so roll them in the sugar as soon as you can handle them, about 3-4 minutes after removing them from the oven.
Dust with additional sugar just before serving. To give these melt-in-your-mouth cookies a final touch, sift a little more confectioners’ sugar over them before serving. You can also sift a little sugar around them to give your serving tray a snowy look.
Vary the flavor. Make these tea cakes with walnuts, macadamia nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, or any combination of nut varieties. Toasted nuts will always taste the best! You can add mini chocolate chips for a nut-free version or beat citrus zest in with the butter for a citrusy zing.