Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
SOMETIMES the same holiday-confection can travel under a variety of aliases. Take, for example, the dainty round cakes pictured up top. You might know these as Russian Tea Cakes, Scandinavian Tea Cakes, or even as Mexican Wedding Cakes. Because mine were made from a recipe that reader Terry Corum sent in, I will forever know them as “Terry’s Tea Cakes.” And what profoundly delicious, and incredibly easy-to-make cakes they are:
Terry’s Tea Cakes
Ingredients for about 4 dozen cakes (or 2 dozen cakes, if you make them way too large, as I did)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup confectioner’s (powdered) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I used crushed, slivered almonds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Extra confectioner’s sugar, for coating the cakes
Special equipment I used: An electric mixer, outfitted with a paddle attachment; a parchment-lined baking sheet.
1. Heat oven to 350ºF.
2. In the electric mixer, cream together at low speed the butter, the 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, and the vanilla. Gradually add the flour, followed by the nuts and salt. Mix only until a soft dough is formed.
3. Shape the dough into 1-inch diameter balls (above), setting each finished ball about a 1/2-inch apart on the parchment-lined baking sheet (below). Chill in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to firm up the butter, and insure the balls hold their shape during baking.
4. Bake 12-15 minutes, watching that the cakes do not brown. Then let them cool briefly on a wire rack.
5. While they are still warm, roll the cakes in confectioner’s sugar. Return each cake to the wire rack. When completely cool, give them another coating of confectioner’s sugar.
If you’d like to see other cookie recipes that readers have sent in, you’ll find them here. And if you like the recipes I feature from time to time, by all means click the Facebook “like” button below.
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Yolanda says
I call these Russian tea cakes, and have made them without any nuts at all. They are still delicious.
Terry says
Glad you liked the cookies Kevin! I find them very addictive, especially if they are made just the size of my mouth, makes it way too easy to just pop one in everytime I go by the plate!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Yolanda – I suspected they'd be good without any nuts. Thanks for confirming this.
Terry – Addictive? I had a roll-it-in-sugar-pop-it-in-mouth assembly going. That's why there is no lovely tea-cakes-with-tea-cup photo here. I ate them all!
Eric says
Kevin, I can't believe you ate all those tea cakes. I would NEVER do that :))
Sheila says
Thanks for the recipe. I've had Russian tea cakes before, and had no idea they were so easy to make. I might try them this weekend.
LilyBiscuit says
I'm going to make these too. I'll do a batch with nuts and one without for Christmas. Thanks Kevin and Terry!
Valerie says
My mom and I have made these every year for Christmas since I was a little girl, and I make them for my girls every Christmas, however I roll them in colored sugar and non-perils, not the stick shaped non-perills, but the kind that look like micro sized balls. They taste the same and I do not have to fool with them once they are baked. And they look very festive with all of the other brown cookies (like ginger bread) and mine bake at 325 for 20 min.