Nut Balls

These buttery nut ball cookies go by a dozen names: Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, snowballs, butterballs. Whatever you call them, the recipe is the same: a simple shortbread-style dough loaded with chopped nuts, rolled into balls, baked until barely golden, and double-rolled in powdered sugar.

The dough uses corn syrup instead of granulated sugar, which keeps the cookies tender and slightly chewy instead of crumbly. There’s no egg in this dough, so the texture stays sandy and delicate rather than cakey. They practically dissolve on your tongue.

The double powdered sugar coating is essential. The first roll while the cookies are still warm melts slightly and creates a sticky base layer. The second roll after cooling builds a thick, snowy shell that stays put.

Chef Tips

• Roll the dough into uniform balls so they bake evenly. Bigger balls take longer and smaller ones burn.
• Watch carefully for light browning on the bottom. These cookies overbake fast because of the high butter content, and they should be pale, not golden.
• Roll in powdered sugar immediately out of the oven while they’re still hot. Waiting even a few minutes means the sugar won’t stick.
• Handle gently. These are fragile when warm and crumble if squeezed.

Variations

• Use pecans for a Southern take, or walnuts for a more traditional Russian tea cake.
• Add a teaspoon of almond extract alongside the vanilla for deeper nutty flavor.
• Mix cocoa powder into the powdered sugar for a chocolate-dusted version.