Russian Tea Cakes
My all-time favorite Christmas cookie, it is light and buttery on the inside and slightly sweet. These will melt in your mouth!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup butter softened
1 cup confectioners sugar
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon of salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
Powdered sugar for dusting
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Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
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Form balls about 1 -1/2 inch in diameter OR roll into a log and slice into 3/4 inch pieces. (When using the log technique, refrigerate the log for 45 minutes before slicing and baking.)
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Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and bake on 325 until they are slightly brown on the bottom.
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The tops may not appear as dark and that is okay!
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Allow cookies to cool for about 7-10 minutes, remove from the pan and roll once in powdered sugar.
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Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll a second time in powdered sugar.
Variation:
BROWN BUTTER RUSSIAN TEA CAKES
For a deeper butter and caramel flavored cookie dough, brown the butter inside a saucepan before using. To brown butter, simply cook on the stove until it bubbles and begins to take on an amber color. Don't overcook or it will burn. This should take about ten minutes on the stove top. Once the butter has browned, remove from the sauce pan to cool and allow it to come back to room temperature. You may place it inside the refrigerator to speed up this process. When you use the butter to make the dough, make sure it is soft, but not melted.