christmas cookies: russian tea cakes

while some people consider two weeks before thanksgiving an appropriate time to start christmas celebrations, i find the beginning of december a much more suitable start to the holiday season. and to me, that means christmas cookies.

when i think of christmas cookies it’s not just gingerbread men that come to mind.  i have dozens of tasty treats that vividly convey christmas to my taste buds.  in the next few weeks i will be sharing some of them with you, so get ready for a month of vegan christmas cookies!

kicking things off is a cookie my family knows well, russian tea cakes.  they are a popular christmas cookie – probably because they so closely resemble snowballs.  my mom makes every year with just a handful of simple ingredients.  they don’t even call for eggs so the only substitute to make them vegan is swapping in an all veggie margarine for the butter.

russian tea cakes
1 c earth balance or other butter substitute
1/2 c powdered sugar + about 1/2 c to roll in
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 c unbleached flour
1 c coarsely chopped walnuts

begin by creaming together the butter substitute and powdered sugar until smooth.  then stir in the vanilla extract.

in a large bowl mix together the butter mixture with the flour until it forms a dough.

mix in the walnuts last.

roll into balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  bake at 350F for 16 minutes until lightly golden brown.

let cool thoroughly before rolling in or dusting with powdered sugar.

enjoy with a mug of cider or hot cocoa!

yields about 20 cookies