Dough Preparation

• Start by preheating your oven to 400°F (200°C). In a large mixing bowl, use your electric mixer to beat softened butter, vanilla extract, almond flavor, and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2–3 minutes on medium speed. The creamed butter acts as the base for the cookies and ensures a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry mixture to your creamed butter mixture. At first, the dough might look dry and crumbly—don’t worry, that’s completely normal. Just keep mixing until it begins to come together into a thick dough.
• Once your dough is well combined, fold in the finely chopped walnuts. Make sure the nuts are distributed evenly throughout the dough. This gives the cookies a delightful crunch and a subtle nutty flavor in every bite.
• Portion the Dough: Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion the dough into balls about the size of a golf ball (approximately 1 inch in diameter).Place on Baking Sheets: Arrange the dough balls about 1 inch apart on your lined baking sheets. These cookies don’t spread much, so they can be placed relatively close together.
• Bake the cookies in your preheated oven for 10–12 minutes, or until they are just set and firm to the touch. Be careful not to let them brown; Russian Tea Cakes are meant to stay pale. Once baked, let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes—just until they’re cool enough to handle but still warm.
• As soon as the cookies are cool enough to handle but still slightly warm (about 5 minutes out of the oven), roll each one gently in powdered sugar. The warmth helps the sugar stick and slightly melt into the surface, creating a light, sweet crust.

  Use a shallow bowl or plate filled with about ½ cup of powdered sugar. I like to use a spoon or my fingers to coat each cookie thoroughly, making sure every side gets a dusting.