Snowball Walnut Cookies — better known as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies — are a Christmas staple around the world, they make an equally perfect treat for Chinese New Year gatherings. These delicate, bite-sized treasures originated in Russia but gained global fame through European and American baking traditions, with each culture adding its own twist using local nuts like walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts.
The magic lies in their melt-in-your-mouth texture: a buttery dough enriched with finely chopped nuts, baked until golden, then rolled in powdered sugar for that signature snowy finish. This quick-and-easy recipe takes just 30 minutes from start to finish, making it ideal for busy bakers who want impressive results without hassle. The nuts add a subtle crunch and earthy flavour that pairs beautifully with tea or coffee.
Storage tip: With their sugar coating, these cookies stay fresh for up to a week in an airtight container at room temperature. For longer storage (up to 2 weeks), keep them uncoated in the fridge — they’ll retain their tender texture perfectly.
A timeless classic that’s sure to delight at your CNY table. Hope you’ll give them a try and share your thoughts (and photos!) in the comments below!
SnowBall Walnut Cookies
Ingredients
- 250 g plain flour all purpose flour
- 227 g unsalted butter softened & cut into pieces
- ¼ tsp salt
- 60 g caster sugar
- 250 g toasted walnuts finely chopped
- 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
For Coating
- 1 cup powdered sugar / icing sugar sifted
Instructions
- Lightly toast walnuts in an oven at 170°C for about 7 minutes. Or you can fry (without oil) in a frying pan for a few minutes. Let it cool down and chop finely.
- Add flour, butter, walnuts, salt, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and mix everything well together (using hands).
- Gather together all the ingredients into a dough and wrap in a plastic bag. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes so it is easier to handle.
- Remove dough from the plastic bag. Pinch some dough and roll it into 1 inch balls.
- Line a tray with baking paper and arrange cookie balls about an inch apart from each other.
- Bake in an oven (no fan) at 175°C until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the tray from the oven and let it stand for about 3 minutes.
- Sift powdered sugar onto a bowl and roll each cookie ball gently until coated with the sugar.
- Leave to cool for about 20 minutes and roll again gently in the powdered sugar.