Russian Cherry Teacakes Food

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

CHEF JOHN'S RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange rack in center position of oven.
• Place butter, 1/3 cup packed powdered sugar, walnuts, salt, and vanilla in a bowl. Top with the flour. Mix with your clean hands until the dough starts to clump up. Keep mixing by hand until all the flour and clumps of butter are evenly mixed into the dough and it can be easily formed into balls.
• Scoop out dough and roll by hand into uniformly round balls, just slightly larger than 1 inch. Place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in preheated oven until lightly golden, 15 to 25 minutes depending on the size of the cookies.
• Let cool exactly 5 minutes then roll in remaining 1 cup confectioners' sugar. Let cookies cool completely and toss them again in the confectioners' sugar.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Cream butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla then gradually add the 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Sift the flour, measure, then sift again with the salt. Add gradually to the butter mixture. Add the pecans and mix well.
• Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Flatten slightly using the bottom of a glass, then bake for 20 minutes, or until edges are very lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the baking sheets and roll in powdered sugar while still hot. Cool on wire racks and roll cookies again in powdered sugar before serving.
• Once they are completely cooled, cookies may be stored in airtight containers for up to 1 week.

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.

MAMIE'S TEACAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Grease two large (14-by-16-inch) cookie sheets with shortening.
• Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Using an electric mixer set to medium speed, cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla. Add the sour cream and mix well. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just blended. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, and gently pat with floured hands to a 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with a 2-inch round, floured cookie cutter and place about 1 inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake until the teacakes are lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of sugar and remove the cookies to a rack to cool.

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:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed, or mix with spoon.
• Stir in flour and salt.
• Stir in nuts.
• Shape dough into 1-inch balls.
• Place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 8 to 9 minutes or until set but not brown.
• Immediately remove from cookie sheet; roll in powdered sugar.
• Cool completely on wire rack.
• Roll in powdered sugar again.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES (NO NUTS)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla or almond extract throughly. Mix in flour and salt.
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls and dip the tops in the colored sugar crystals. Place on greased baking sheet. (Cookies don't spread.) Bake 10 minutes or until set but not brown. Cool.