Tea Cookies From Brigitte Sealing

These tea cookies go by many names: Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, snowballs. Whatever you call them, the formula is the same: butter, powdered sugar, flour, vanilla, and finely chopped pecans rolled into marble-sized balls and baked until just set, never browned.

The double roll in powdered sugar is what gives these their signature snowy coating. The first roll happens while the cookies are still warm from the oven. The heat melts the sugar slightly, creating a thin, sticky base layer that acts as glue. The second roll after cooling builds a thick, even coat that stays put.

Chilling the dough for at least an hour is essential for two reasons: it firms up the butter so the cookies hold their round shape in the oven, and it relaxes the gluten so the texture stays tender and crumbly instead of tough. These should practically dissolve on your tongue.

Kitchen Tips

• Beat the butter and powdered sugar until truly smooth. Lumps in the base will show up as dense spots in the finished cookie.
• Bake until firm but NOT brown. This is the most important instruction. Browning these cookies ruins their delicate flavor. They should look pale when they come out.
• Roll in sugar while still warm, but handle carefully. They’re fragile right out of the oven and crumble if squeezed.
• Chop the pecans very fine. Large nut pieces prevent the dough from forming smooth, round balls.

Variations

• Walnut version: Swap pecans for finely chopped walnuts for a slightly more bitter, earthy nut flavor.
• Almond tea cookies: Use finely chopped almonds and almond extract instead of vanilla for a different direction entirely.
• Cocoa dusted: Mix a tablespoon of cocoa powder into the powdered sugar for the second roll for chocolate-kissed snowballs.