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Aarika Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 1:31 am My mom has requested I make these this year and I kept putting off looking for a recipe and then, ta da!, Orangette has a new post. Are you in Christmas cahoots with my mom? Continued wellness to your family. Reply Annie Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 1:59 am These are my mother's favorite of the many Christmas cookies she made each year when we were kids. Just yesterday I mailed a batch off to my parents and brother, a small act of reciprocity that makes me happy this time of year. Our recipe is identical (I'm from Iowa, btw), and we always use pecans, too.Thank you for sharing this, and for this lovely site of yours. Reply Liz Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 3:09 am YES. I was just thinking I wanted to make some of these,and I never have! Reply Ellen Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 5:40 am It's true, I'm not sure I've ever actually encountered a good one of these in the wild…made in-house though, that's another story:) Reply Anonymous Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 5:49 am Coming from the Tolofsen side of the family…they were called Norwegian snowballs. Reply Zoomie Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 6:45 am Merry Christmas and thanks for another delightful year of Orangette. Reply Emily Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 11:01 am I have seen these out and about but never had any. My mom is allergic to nuts and my cookie knowledge is limited to no nut cookies. Reply SeattleDee Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 11:07 am Mom called her version Pecan Crescents – I call them irresistible! Christmas Cookie Greetings to you and yours. Reply Kim Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 12:38 pm Molly! I'm so glad you're all finally well. I feel much like you do: my God, it's the holidays already! I spent most of November sick myself with mastitis and blocked ducts due to stress, and after being well for all of a week, whammo, a nasty cold (including fever!) for my son, my husband, & myself. The adult set is feeling mostly better but the 18-mo-old is still getting over a horrendous cough, and for that I have to thank you for your link to the homemade vaporub a couple posts back. I made it yesterday and last night there was less coughing, less crying, and generally better sleep all around. We are all happier today.Anyway, enjoy your vacation and I do hope you manage to make it be just –a vacation. Happy holidays to you and yours. (btw, please forgive the perhaps overly familiar tone…I seem to be in a particularly friendly mood this morning, perhaps thanks to better sleep?) Reply Bobo Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 3:19 pm Hi Molly- Thanks for posting this and jiggling my memory…my mother always made these, and they were the delicious, meltinyourmouth variety- She called them Butter Nut Balls! I made them too, before mind and time numbing technology came, so this holiday season I am going to make them again…have a great vacation! Reply Amy W. Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 4:06 pm What a wonderful post to wake up to! My mom used to make Russian teacakes every year and they were one of my favorites, along with Thumbprint Cookies. My mom died nine years ago on December 31, so this is the 9th Christmas I've spent without her and I miss her very much. She loved this time of year. Seeing your little June making cookies with her grandma just warms my heart and makes me grateful for all of the time I did have with my mom. Thank you, Molly. One of these days I will make it to Delancey so my daughter and I can finally meet you! Merry Christmas to you and yours. Reply kathy Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 5:16 pm My sure fire cure for any bug that dares to come near me is…empty a bottle of echinacea (is that spelled right???) into a glass and squeeze a whole lemon (preferably Meyers lemon) …mix… Down in one swigOne time I was visiting my step son and his wife, his 1 1/2 yr old and himself.. Were all sick with some horrible head cold picked up from daycare (the biggest germfest anywhere). By the time we left my throat was beginning something… No echinacea in the house.. Only thing available was an old bottle of rye. So what is echinacea anyway but alcohol from a flower… ?Rye, Meyers lemon, mix, swigWorked…And rye is much cheaper Reply Karen White Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 5:58 pm So glad you are all well again. I've never heard of these cookies but they sound yummy! Reply Linda E. Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 6:59 pm I went to school in a very small town, Fargo, OK, and our wonderful cooks (German farm women who brought thick cream from home to whip for the Jello with fruit cocktail) would make these cookies fairly often. I didn't know then how lucky we were! Reply Ellen P Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 7:00 pm Yup, these are popular all around the world. My Italian grandma made them and just called them “Delectables” — cuz they were! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and thank YOU for an always delectable readt Reply Jocelyn Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 7:01 pm This is almost the exact recipe I grew up with and still make every holiday season. My recipe comes from the Betty Crocker cookbook that my parents received for their wedding in 1952. Reply Heather Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 7:16 pm Every year at Christmas a family friend makes me a whole nut container full of Mexican Wedding Cookies. They are my absolute favorite! The way that she makes them is the best that I have tasted. They melt in my mouth and I can't stop at just one! I look forward to them every year! Reply pmacott Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 8:49 pm These photos of your mother's hands are BEAUTIFUL. p Reply Jennifer Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 9:00 pm Exactly like my mom's recipe! Perfect! Reply Gerlinde de Broekert Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 9:01 pm My friend from Vienna calls them Nut Kipferl because there are shaped like cresent moons. It would be fun to try your recipe, it looks great. Happy Holidays Reply Jessiev Sunday, December 21, 2014 at 10:30 pm i LOVE these – they are some of my favorites, esp for the simplicity. I love the photos of the hands – that is family, and love, and making something delicious together. happy holidays! Reply Lori Monday, December 22, 2014 at 1:44 am My German grandmother made a version I loved with 1/2 the butter but twice the pecans. They were rolled into little logs and curved in a crescent, and called Pecan Fingers. Talk about fragile – she'd send them to me at college and I'd get a box of very tasty crumbs! Reply KatyBelle Monday, December 22, 2014 at 2:39 am Hi Molly!This has been a great year for Orangette, I must agree! Thank you for so generously sharing your stories and yourself with us.Your blog has brought me a great deal of joy over the years. We are a very lucky bunch to have found you, and I have to say, I'm much, MUCH better for it.Lots of love,Katy Reply mauigirlcooks Monday, December 22, 2014 at 6:22 am These are one of my favorite cookies for the holidays! Mine are called English Teacakes, and I have another similar recipe for Golden Nuggets. Glad you're feeling better!m Reply Anonymous Monday, December 22, 2014 at 11:05 am Am eating our version of the Christmas cookie as I read your post…add mini chocolate chips to mine…enjoy your books & your blog… Reply tangled sky studio Monday, December 22, 2014 at 12:43 pm yep. i made a batch of these yesterday morning. nearly the same recipe and definitely all the same sentiments. wishing you a holiday that is merry and bright!-b Reply Victoria Monday, December 22, 2014 at 1:17 pm We call ours Butter Nut Balls….. or as my brother discovered when rolling them in powdered sugar, Burn-Your-Finger Balls. Reply Brittany Monday, December 22, 2014 at 3:23 pm It's so funny, I intended to make these yesterday using the recipe my grandma uses, and woke up to this post. I compared and the recipes are identical! Although hers also doesn't call for toasting, I took your suggestion and they were fabulous. Thank you. Reply Anonymous Monday, December 22, 2014 at 4:19 pm My mother called them Butter Thumbs and I have some family friends that call theirs Italian Wedding Cookies. So many names for a simple but delicious cookie! Reply Anonymous Monday, December 22, 2014 at 9:02 pm My mother also made these every Christmas. The ones rolled in powdered sugar she called Russian Tea Cakes and then she rolled some in red and green sugar and called those Mexican Wedding Cookies. I actually bought all the stuff to make them this year but have not gotten around to it yet. But hey, I still have a couple days. Reply Anonymous Monday, December 22, 2014 at 9:59 pm Almonds work too – not traditional but my allergic kid (also an Emily) can do almonds, and loves these. And if you are short on time you can put the powdered sugar in a container or bag and shake a few cookies at a time – gently. Works fine. Saves time to make more cookies. Reply Kate Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 12:21 am My grandmother called them pecan sandies. Reply Anonymous Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 3:31 pm We call these Butter Balls, and I'm pretty sure I've never had a Christmas without them! In fact I talked with my mom yesterday, and she'd just made some, and I will be making some for friends tonight! On another note, I've been obsessed with making Aunt Bill's Brown Candy ever since I read your first book, and finally did it. You were right – the work that goes into it is no joke. I actually got a blister from gripping the wooden spoon during the final phase of beating the candy to get rid of the glossy shine! Reply Elizabeth Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 5:05 pm These are a tradition for us, too, only we call them Swedish cookies and shape them in crescents instead of balls. Merry Christmas! Reply Joseph Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 5:36 pm wow! I really enjoyed reading this post. I hope it's more enjoyable when baked! Merry Christmas. Reply Johh Mark Tuesday, December 23, 2014 at 11:01 pm Our family was on the list of lucky friends to receive that tin full of goodies for so many years. Thank you Toni and Molly!What great memories! Reply Anonymous Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 2:06 am The Greek version of these cookies is called Kourambiedes, they are delicious under any name. I want the recipe for the Apricot Crescents, I hope you might share!Merry Christmas to you and yours – happy to see you are well again. Reply Bookmumm Wednesday, December 24, 2014 at 1:35 pm Merry Christmas to you and family. The recipe brings back fond family memories. Wishing you a lovely New Year. Reply Evde Cilt Bakımı Friday, December 26, 2014 at 11:13 pm Mom called her version Pecan Crescents – I call them irresistible! Christmas Cookie Greetings to you and yours. Reply Lilusha X Saturday, December 27, 2014 at 6:56 pm We make similar dough for Linzer Cookies. You cut out cookies of many shapes and assemble them with a good jam. We make them ahead of time because they soften when stored. About 1-2 weeks or so.. Thank you for this post. Reply Wasabi Honey Bee Sunday, December 28, 2014 at 7:09 am Hi Molly, I just came by here remembering your blog from years ago… It is still here!! : ) I love russian tea cakes or “mexican wedding cakes” as I've know them… Although russsian tea cake does sound very familiar. Haven't made them in years but was actually considering it this last week for a tea party. Fun stuff! Anyway Merry Holidays! Maricawasabihoneybee.blogspot.com Reply Margo Monday, December 29, 2014 at 1:48 am love these cookies – same name, same recipe, but we use walnuts. They look so pretty on a cookie plate, too. I love imagining the jewel boxes of cookies your mom sent out. Reply CindyLou Monday, December 29, 2014 at 6:19 pm Russian Tea Cakes are a Christmas tradition in my family and I make them every year just like my mom used to.The recipe that you posted is identical to the one that I use with one exception that my mom started and I've carried on:Wrap the dough around a Hershey Kiss.Bake the same way, same temp. It doesn't melt and OMG! So! Good! Reply AuntieAllyn Monday, December 29, 2014 at 7:05 pm I hope you will write a post on your trip to Oaxaca. I'm planning a trip there early next year and would love your thoughts on the city . . . what's a “must see” and what to avoid. Reply Amya Monday, December 29, 2014 at 11:06 pm Merry Christmas and happy vacation!! I'm late to the party, but wanted to extend greetings, regardless. I got too burned out with all the holiday hoopla and general goings on to do much baking, but this recipe has given me my motivation to try them. I'll call them after the party cookies. Thanks for sharing! Reply Sara Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 12:30 am Hi, Molly. Just wanted to let any readers know that I added 1 cup of mini chocolate chips to this recipe without any other changes (my husband was very upset I was considering a non-chocolate cookie) and they turned out perfectly. I hope you had a very merry Christmas and wishing you a happy new year, as well. Reply Courtney Tuesday, December 30, 2014 at 7:08 pm these are favorites of my dad and me. This year I had to travel for work and had to cut back on the Christmas chores – I told my mom we could bake cookies when we arrived at her house for the holiday. Apparently she wanted to cut back on work as well because she told us we had to bake our cookies out of these pre-rolled out, prepared cookie dough. In terms of working with my toddler, who just wanted to fling icing and sprinkles on everything, they worked out fine – but they did nothing for our adult souls. I will be making a DOUBLE batch of Russian tea cookies next year. Oh! I gave your book to two people for Christmas and they are already cooking recipes from it! Reply David Griffen Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 12:44 pm These cookies look really good, a bit of a change from shortbreads or snicker doodle cookies (they seem like a bit of a cross between both, with nuts). I love the idea of you baking your Mum's recipes, and it's lovely to read that you still bake with your Mum, even if you forgot to take pictures. I hope you have a great New Year.http://www.davidgriffen.co.uk/food-photography-blog Reply Susan Wednesday, December 31, 2014 at 10:10 pm I grew up in Oklahoma making and eating these with my grandmother and mother, but knew them as Pecan Dreams. And they are, dreamy.I thought they were a special Oklahoma cookie and didn't know until I grew up that it was a shared cookie across many countries and cultures. They are that good! Reply Carol Thursday, January 1, 2015 at 9:26 am I just wanted to wish you and your family a happy new year and to thank you for the wonderful apricot macaroon tart (I cant remember the name you gave it). The apricots in Adelaide this year are just divine and we had the family over for lunch so I knocked their socks off with your tart. Many thanks!! Reply Karen White Friday, January 2, 2015 at 8:41 pm I had to pop in and say Happy New Year. I'm sat here, with a cup of red bush tea and a luscious slice of banana, dark chocolate and ginger cake. Buttered. Is that too indulgent? Reply Kate Friday, January 2, 2015 at 9:11 pm Most of my family call these “Russian Sawdust Balls”; I call them delicious! Reply Rita Monday, January 5, 2015 at 5:15 pm Thanks for this, my mother made these every year. Also, a cookie very similar to the apricot crescent, could you post the recipe for that dough? Reply AnnaVallance Monday, January 12, 2015 at 12:18 am Just before Christmas, my friend gave me a jar of homemade grenadine. So instead of giving her back an empty jar (that is so rude) I made a batch of your Russian Tea cookies to thank her for the grenadine. These are so good! Thank you! Reply julie Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 7:28 pm I added a little rum to the recipe one year and it was not a mistake. Reply IMS Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 11:56 pm Thank you for this recipe! My mother has a similar recipe, uses a mixture of pecans, walnuts & almonds and adds a whisper of cardamom—its delicious!! Reply Debbie Monday, December 21, 2015 at 5:00 pm My grandma, Velma Small used to adapt these at Christmas by putting a filling of crushed candy canes, powdered sugar, cream cheese, and a little milk to mix. Then she’d make a hole for the filling, cover it with more dough and when they came out of the oven, roll them in a 1/2 powered sugar 1/2 crushed candy cane mix. Just made 6 dozen. My son loves them! Reply Mark Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 4:59 pm I was so excited when I saw this recipe as I thought my dear departed mother took her famous Russian tea cakes to the grave. I just spent the last hour trying to make these cookies but I am convinced the recipe is wrong. You call for 2 1/4 cups of flour – – as I was mixing the flour in after one cup, I thought – – this is much too much flour and sure enough by the time I folded the full 2 1/4 cups of flour into the butter mixture, it would no longer adhere to the butter. I had no choice but to throw the whole thing away – – hoping someone will get back to me and let me know if I’m right and the recipe is wrong with waaaay too much flour called for and it should more like one cup of flour — or what did I do wrong? Reply Molly Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 11:49 pm Mark, I wonder if you accidentally mismeasured the butter? I just did some Googling to see how my recipe compared to other recipes for the same cookies, and it’s almost identical to most of them. (Here’s Epicurious, for instance.) The recipe here is correct. I wish I could be of more help! Rebekka Lee Tuesday, November 28, 2017 at 7:03 pm I’ve tried making these numerous times and always ended up with the same result, doughy like they aren’t fully cooked, not crunchy like shortbread cookies should be, no matter how long or what temp I cook them at..I don’t understand where I’m going wrong Reply Molly Monday, December 4, 2017 at 10:28 pm That’s so strange! I’ve made four batches from this recipe this week. What brand and type of flour are you using? I wonder if you need to cook them a bit longer? They will develop tiny cracks (hair-width) along the top when they’re ready, but they will still feel a bit soft until they cool. Rebekka Lee Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 5:10 pm I use Pillsbury all purpose flour, but I’m wondering if it’s the butter..I just realized I’d been using margarine, not unsalted real butter. I’ll try it again to see.

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Molly Sunday, January 17, 2016 at 11:49 pm Mark, I wonder if you accidentally mismeasured the butter? I just did some Googling to see how my recipe compared to other recipes for the same cookies, and it’s almost identical to most of them. (Here’s Epicurious, for instance.) The recipe here is correct. I wish I could be of more help!

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Molly Monday, December 4, 2017 at 10:28 pm That’s so strange! I’ve made four batches from this recipe this week. What brand and type of flour are you using? I wonder if you need to cook them a bit longer? They will develop tiny cracks (hair-width) along the top when they’re ready, but they will still feel a bit soft until they cool. Rebekka Lee Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at 5:10 pm I use Pillsbury all purpose flour, but I’m wondering if it’s the butter..I just realized I’d been using margarine, not unsalted real butter. I’ll try it again to see.