❄️ Russian Tea Balls (Snowball Cookies)

❄️ Russian Tea Balls (Snowball Cookies)

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

• ½ cup powdered sugar (plus more for rolling)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¾ cup finely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds work best)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven:
   Set oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter & sugar:
   In a large bowl, cream together butter and ½ cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla.

3. Add dry ingredients:
   Mix in flour and salt until combined. Stir in chopped nuts — the dough will be crumbly but should hold together when pressed.

4. Shape cookies:
   Roll dough into 1-inch balls (about 1 tablespoon of dough each) and place on prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.

5. Bake:
   Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the bottoms are lightly golden but tops are still pale. Do not overbake.

6. Powdered sugar coating:
   While still warm (after about 5 minutes of cooling), roll cookies in powdered sugar.
   Cool completely, then roll again for that signature snowball look. ❄️