A Christmas Classic! These Butter Balls, also known as Russian Tea Cakes, are so easy, but so delicious and perfect little snowball bites of Christmas!
It’s the final countdowwnnn! Can you believe we’re just a couple of days away? We’re wrapping up our Christmas Cookie Platter Gifts for our neighbors and no cookie plate would be complete without Classic Butter Balls!
Although these are now more commonly known as Russian Tea Cakes, I prefer Butter Balls because, let’s be honest, that’s exactly what they are. Little sugar coated balls of butter. So simple, yet so perfect.
These are up there as one of my husband’s favorite cookies, which is why he has requested that we give away 99% of them, otherwise if he makes eye contact with the little snowball butter bites, we’ll end up only having 1% to give away. 😛
The best thing about these cookies? They’re so stinkin’ easy. Less than 20 mins and you’ll have dozens of Butter Balls ready to decorate any cookie tray.
May your Christmas (or Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, or whatever you observe) be filled with many delicious treats! Now that we’ve finished all of our cookie baking, we’re ready for the rest of our Christmas Cooking Traditions. Next up, Christmas Eve Pierogis! Keep an eye out on my Facebook and Instagram tomorrow to see me teaching them to little M as this will be here first year able to use a rolling pin! <3
Classic Butter Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup soft butter
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar + 1/4-1/2 cup more for dusting
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl mix together butter, confectioner's sugar, and vanilla until well incorporated.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. Stir into butter mixture. Add walnuts and mix.
- 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.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. 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.
Most old fashion recipe for Butter Ball Cookies require after mixture place in refrigerator for 6-8 hours. Thereafter they should form into balls.
Hi Helen! You’re right – they do! But this busy mom doesn’t have time for that, so this is my cheat 😉
Are you able to make dough and let it set over night?
This is a slight variation on the Butter Balls that I make. My favourite cookie, since childhood. 🙂
Aww that’s great! There’s nothing better than childhood favorites!
My grandmother always made these for the holidays, the only thing she did different was a half a cherry in the middle. Omg so good and I hate walnuts but I love these.
Oooh half a cherry, what a great idea!!! Love recipes that remind us of our grandmothers!
These are such a great classic that don’t get made often enough! Can’t wait to make these for the holidays!
Oh yum. This sound deliciously indulgent.
You are right these butter balls sound so easy. Def want to add them to my Christmas cookie list!
These look fabulous, and they sound so simple to make too! I’ll be adding these to our Christmas sweet list this year!
These are delicious, easy-to-make amd melt-in-your mouth treats! A favourite part of Christmas for me.
These Butter Balls look like the perfect Holidays sweet treat for sure! I love it!
These would be such a great addition to the cookie tray! and the kids would love making these.
They’re super fun to make with kids!
Hmm these look good. They must taste similar to shortbread bread cookies as they kind of have similar ingredients.
A little bit – but different texture 🙂
These are the perfect bite-sized treat for the holidays!
Just a pop in your mouth treat!
These look so good and so simple! I just put up my Christmas tree and am now craving Christmas cookies!
I would love to have a couple of these with my morning coffee right now!!
Ooooh Felesha you are genius! Coffee and butter balls, of course!
My dough is flakey and won’t form a ball. What do
i do?
Try adding a little more butter!
These cookies look delicious and so easy to make! YUM!
SO easy!
These are one of my favorite parts of Christmas!
Thanks Juli, mine too!