Classic Butter Balls

Classic Butter Balls

Dessert
18 min

A Christmas Classic! These Butter Balls, also known as Russian Tea Cakes, are so easy, but so delicious and perfect little snowball like bites of Christmas!

Ingredients

  • 1 cupsoft unsalted butter
  • ½ cupconfectioner's sugar (+ 1/4-1/2 cup more for dusting)
  • 1 tspvanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cupsall purpose flour
  • ¼ tspkosher salt
  • ¾ cupchopped walnuts

Directions

  1. 1

    Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. 2

    In a large bowl mix together butter, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla until well incorporated.  

  3. 3

    In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt.  Stir into butter mixture.  Add walnuts and mix. 

  4. 4

    Roll dough into 1 inch balls.  Place on un-greased cookie sheets.  They don't spread so they don't need to be spaced far apart.

  5. 5

    Bake for 10-12 minutes.  Let cool for a minute or two, then add another 1/4-1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar to a small bowl and then roll just out of the oven balls in sugar (don't worry, they wont fully coat, yet).  Let cool and then roll again to get the full sugary coating.