Holidays and Events Recipes Christmas Desserts Christmas Cookie Recipes Chef John's Russian Tea Cakes 4.7 (105) 74 Reviews 25 Photos As the old joke goes, these Russian tea cakes might not be Russian, but at least they're not cakes. No one knows exactly how these came to be known as Russian tea cakes but, nevertheless, they are quite delicious. By John Mitzewich John Mitzewich John Mitzewich — aka Chef John — has produced more than 1,500 cooking videos for Allrecipes. He's the actor, director, and screenwriter whose hands and voice confidently walk you through techniques. Allrecipes' editorial guidelines Updated on April 12, 2023 Tested by Allrecipes Test Kitchen Tested by Allrecipes Test Kitchen The Allrecipes Test Kitchen staff are a team of culinary pros who make and vet recipes using only equipment you'd find in a home kitchen. Staff credentials vary but include training at the Culinary Institute of America; kitchen stints in fine dining restaurants; and countless hours in the test kitchen itself. Meet the Allrecipes Test Kitchen Save Rate Print Share Add Photo 25 25 25 25 Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 15 mins Additional Time: 5 mins Total Time: 35 mins Servings: 14 Yield: 28 to 32 cookies Jump to Nutrition Facts Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 14 servings 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup finely chopped toasted walnuts ⅓ cup confectioners' sugar, packed 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ⅛ teaspoon salt 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting, or more as needed Directions Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange a rack in the center position of the oven. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat. Place butter, walnuts, 1/3 cup packed powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl. Top with 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons flour. Mix with clean hands until dough starts to clump up. Keep mixing by hand until all flour and clumps of butter are evenly mixed into dough. Scoop out dough and roll by hand into uniformly round balls, just slightly larger than 1 inch. Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly golden, 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size of cookies. Let cool for exactly 5 minutes, then roll warm cookies in 1 cup confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Let cookies cool completely, then toss them again in confectioners' sugar. Chef's Note: The only tricky thing here is the baking time since there are so many variables: the size of the dough balls, whether you use a silicone mat or parchment, how light or dark the sheet pan is, etc. These factors can all affect the final time significantly. This cookie tends to get undercooked. Some recipes call for as little as 12 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). I like these fairly golden, so I get that nice brown-butter flavor. It took me about 20 minutes or so, which is why I gave such a wide range. Start checking at 15 minutes, and proceed from there. I Made It Print 267 home cooks made it! Nutrition Facts (per serving) 276 Calories 18g Fat 26g Carbs 3g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 14 Calories 276 % Daily Value * Total Fat 18g 23% Saturated Fat 9g 43% Cholesterol 35mg 12% Sodium 22mg 1% Total Carbohydrate 26g 9% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Total Sugars 11g Protein 3g 6% Vitamin C 0mg 0% Calcium 14mg 1% Iron 1mg 6% Potassium 58mg 1% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.