Austrian Tea Cakes Food

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• In a large bowl mix together the cookie dough and the pecans. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Form 1-inch balls from the chilled dough and place them 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Bake until the edges of the cookies start to brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
• While the cookies are cooling, line another cookie sheet with wax paper. Sprinkle 1 cup of the confectioners' sugar on the bottom of the sheet and place the slightly cooled cookies on top of the sugar. Place the remaining 1 cup of confectioners' sugar in a passe or fine sieve and then sprinkle over the tops of the cookies.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, stir together the flour and baking powder. In a standing mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter with sugar until fluffy and light. Mix in the eggs, almond extract, and vanilla extract. Turn down the mixer and slowly add the flour mixture, a third at a time to make a stiff dough. Divide the dough into 4 pieces. Use 2 pieces to make cut out cookies, and the other half for the Russian Tea Cakes.
• For the cut out cookies: On a lightly floured surface roll out a portion of cookie dough to 1/4-inch thick. Cut out shapes using cookie cutters. Place the cookies on lightly greased or nonstick cookie sheets. Bake until lightly golden, about 10 minutes, rotating cookie sheet halfway through the cooking time. Cool on pans about 5 minutes, and then transfer to wire racks and cool completely.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Add the butter to your standing mixer, put it on medium speed, then add your sugar right into the bowl. Turn it up so it gets nice and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape down the edges. Continue to beat it until it's almost white. Now you're ready for your eggs. Keep the mixer on low and add them 1 at a time. Wait to add the other egg until the first one is fully incorporated into the butter and sugar. Now add the almond and vanilla extracts.
• Add the baking powder to the flour and whisk really well, fully incorporating the baking powder into the flour and making sure any little clumps of flour are broken up. Add just a pinch of salt. Now add the flour mixture slowly to the butter mixture. Add in the pecans on slow speed.
• Scoop the batter with a small ice cream scooper, melon baller, or even a soup spoon, just make sure they are all the same size. And don't worry about spacing them out too much on the baking sheet, they aren't going to spread out, they're going to stay like little balls.
• Put the trays in the fridge for an hour or so. You want the butter to harden up, making the cookies crispy and delicious when baked.
• Bake for 15 minutes until they are golden brown. While still warm, roll them in confectioners' sugar. It will adhere slightly to the cookies, looking like snowballs.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Combine the confectioner's sugar and flour and stir into butter mixture until well blended.
• Mix in chopped walnuts.
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Cool and roll in confectioner's sugar. I rolled mine 2-3 times to get well coated.

AUSTRIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and light. Add the flour, salt, and ground hazelnuts; stir together until well combined. Chill dough for 1 hour, then drop onto greased cookie sheets in rounded teaspoons.
• Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. Cool completely on a wire rack, then roll in powdered sugar once again.

BUTTERY RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Mix margarine, 1/2 C powdered sugar, and the vanilla.
• Stir in flour, salt, and nuts.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
• Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake until set, but not brown, 8 to 9 minutes.
• Roll in powdered sugar while warm; cool.
• Roll in powdered sugar again.