I love the Christmas season! People are friendlier, decorations abound and homes smell so good! Every year it brings back special memories of when I was little. Mom would gather my sister and I together in the cozy kitchen and we’d have such fun baking up all sorts of goodies, cookies of all kinds that she gifted to friends and neighbors, cakes for holiday parties and plenty of yummy appetizers to snitch before company came. It was such a warm and loving atmosphere that I carried the tradition on with my family as well. And I’m happy to report that my daughter followed in her Mom’s footsteps and does the same with her children!
I have always had snowballs on my list of Christmas cookies to bake, usually the Brazil nut variety, but this year I thought I would try something different, Russian Tea Cake snowballs. The funny thing is, these cookies are curiously devoid of any Russian heritage and seem to have more of a history with England, having been a common pastry, similar to a jumble, served during the Middle Ages. Of course, to give a nod to Russia, it is also speculated that they might have been the cookies served beside Russian samovars or tea urns. Wherever they come from, they are a popular form of cookie similar to a Mexican or Italian wedding cookie, all spherical in shape and usually rolled in powdered sugar and served around the holidays.
These Russian Tea Cake Snowballs are a little outside the norm, as I flavored them with dark chocolate and then took them up a notch with the addition of mini chocolate chips. I figured you can’t go wrong with more chocolate. Right?! They are easy to make and are especially fun for kids! They love getting their hands messy and forming what looks like little chocolate snowballs. Then it’s powdered sugar time – don’t even get me started on what the kitchen looks like after that! Lol
They came out so good that I had to hide them so they would last long enough to make up my cookie tins for neighbors. It’s just so easy to keep popping them in your mouth, along with a glass of milk or cup of coffee, that you’ve gone through 6 of them without even knowing it (but then again, who’s counting?).
Whip up a batch if you get a chance and enjoy a delicious, wonderful and safe holiday season!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ cup Special Dark unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
- Additional confectioner’s sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper or a silicone liner or silpat.
- In large bowl of electric mixer, beat butter, sugar, cocoa and vanilla extract until fluffy.
- Turn mixer lower and slowly add in flour and salt. Mix just until mixture comes together. Stir in chocolate chips.
- Using a small cookie scoop or your hands, place about 1 Tablespoon dough, shaped into a ball, on prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 7-10 minutes or until tops no longer look shiny.
- Remove and let cool on cookie sheets placed on wire racks for 10 minutes. When you can handle them easily, remove and roll in confectioner’s sugar to coat. Place on wire rack to finish cooling completely.
- Prior to storing in an airtight tin, roll once more in confectioner’s sugar.
What’s your favorite cookie to make for the holidays?
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