A Favorite Christmas Cookie
“It’s not Christmas. No, said Cal, it’s better than Christmas.”
East of Eden, John Steinbeck
Inspiration
This Christmas cookie has been splashed across the internet and a version of the recipe can be found in every cookbook that has cookies as its theme. Of all the Christmas cookies I make this is the most requested. Russian Tea Cakes are the first holiday cookie of the season. A nutty shortbread cookie rolled in powdered sugar, simple to make and even easier to devour. There are many names and variations for this cookie, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Polvorones, made with cinnamon, pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts. I use the recipe my mom used. Changing a family favorite can be treacherous, especially at the holidays. I wouldn’t dream of adding cinnamon, although I imagine it would be fabulous. Over the years I have made a few tweaks. We grew up with cookies made with margarine and walnuts as butter and pecans were too expensive. I migrated to butter, added another handful of walnuts and toasted them before adding to the dough. With my changes the Russian Tea Cakes must taste better. But childhood memories can’t be argued with. Even though I know butter tastes better than margarine the best cookies I’ve ever had at Christmas were the ones my mom and I made together. That’s an ingredient you can’t buy at the store or include in a recipe, even though that’s what we’re all looking for at Christmas.