I first made these cookies with my sister and the sweet old lady down the road we used to visit all the time. After a long day of sledding she took us inside and taught us how to make them. Since then I've made them multiple times, not with this exact recipe, I always used the one she copied for me, but while in the process of moving, I lost it :( So now I'm looking for it, and this looks exactly like it. I do have a suggestion to this one however, When you take the cookies out of the oven, have your bowl of confectioners sugar ready and immediately (and very carefully) roll them in it for the first time, the sugar will get all melty and gooey, but it provides the perfect, and delicious base coat for your second roll through, once the cookies are cooled. This gives them a much more thorough coat, and much more snowy look

Yes, they are Delicious and Addictive! lol. I do the same thing that Krystal does. Definitely roll them carefully when warm, then put another batch in the oven, go back and roll the coated cookies a second time. It works perfectly that way. Coating while warm creates a buttery solid coat and the final dusting makes it powdery again. Also, for added depth of flavor, I use 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract. You don't need much almond extract because it is strong. I use the pecans rather than walnuts in my cookies. Happy Baking & Happy Holidays everyone! :o)

Absolutely first roll in powdered sugar has to be when cookie is still warm (hot). I remembered from my mom's recipe that the pecans had to be chopped really fine and the dough had to be refrigerated for awhile, but could be wrong. One of my favorite cookies for Christmas - YUMM!!!

We always rolled them when hot too. The melted sugar makes them finger lickin good. A holiday favorite in our family for sure!

I made this recipe for a cookie exchange one year and my grandma use to put anise extract in them so I did too (1 and 1/2 to 2 tsp. per batch), and everyone loved them. I use a small brown paper bag to put the powder sugar coating on it works great and not so much mess to clean up. Just use a small amount of powder sugar and a small amount of cookies each time doing it. Works Great good luck and Merry Christmas to all...

These turned out just the way I remember from being a child. So delicious! I did chill the dough for about 3 hours before baking, and also only baked them to perfection in about 10 minutes. I definitely will keep this recipe for years to come!

Also called "Russian Tea Cakes" I've been making them since 1976 when I saw the recipe on a Local tv christmas show called "Christmas Fare with Martha Dixon" Lansing Michigan. I have made them every year since then and my family says it's not Christmas without them!

My mom always made these cookies (Russian Tea Cakes) she saw the Martha Dixon show in Lansing MI too! They have been a family favorite for decades.

Also, after I roll the snow balls in 10X sugar, while still warm, I then roll them in white, red and green sugar, to make them look very christmasy. I portion the batch out and have some snowballs look snowy white with white regular sugar, while the two batches are red and green.

Love these. Make them every Christmas. And because I always give them all away I just made a batch for me

Ohhhh my goodness! I am so happy to have run across this recipe. My big sister use to make these cookies when we were kids. I was 10... she was 15. She hid the cook book so only she could make them. I loved loved loved these cookies with pecans from our yard. Carol passed away at age 20 and I never had these cookies again. I just told my 91yr old mother this story 1month ago. I'm now 50. I cant wait to make these BELOVED cookies in honor of Carol!!! Thank you.. thank you!

Amazing - melts in the mouth. mmmm... thank you!

Here's a few tips for these cookies. Toast your nuts before adding them to the recipe, as they will taste less starchy and have better flavor. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar first while they are still hot, then again once they are cooled(It creates a more attractive snowball). These cookies are beautiful when stacked pyramid fashion on a platter. For added decadence and aroma, roll in vanilla powder sugar instead of regular powdered sugar. Using walnuts in these cookies make a wonderful Greek dessert to finish a Greek themed meal. These store well for a long time and can be frozen, but DO NOT SHIP WELL. Using a 1-inch scoop makes these cookies SO MUCH EASIER and FASTER to create. I decrease the sugar in this recipe to 1/4 cup, and cut back on the flour to 2 cups.

Nothing wrong with making these in July, right?! They are so quick and easy to make, I didn't have vanilla which is fine because I noticed you can get away without it in a lot of recipes calling for it, did use a teaspoon of maple instead though, and half cup powdered sugar in the balls. I am in my late 30s yet felt like a kid making these for the first time, then felt like an adult while stuffing several down without any disapproving looks from aunts and the like.