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Recipe: Nana’s Russian tea cookies

(Glenn Koenig / Los Angeles Times)
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Nana’s Russian tea cookies

Submitted by Jody Truitt of Los Angeles

‘My Nana Ida was born in Russia in 1899 and immigrated to the U.S. in 1904. When I was a child growing up in Honolulu, Hawaii, my nana would come to visit us by ship. She taught us to make these flaky, jam-filled delights rolled in powdered sugar, and we have been baking them for the holidays for over 40 years.’

Total time: 1 hour, plus overnight chilling time for the dough

Servings: About 2 dozen cookies


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1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 cup flour, plus more for rolling

Sifted powdered sugar, for coating the finished cookies

Assorted seedless jams for filling

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the butter, cream cheese and flour and pulse until it forms a soft ball. Halve the ball and sprinkle the halves with flour. Wrap the balls and refrigerate the dough overnight to chill.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a baking pan or shallow mixing bowl with powdered sugar to coat the finished cookies.

3. On a heavily floured surface, roll the dough to a thickness of one-eighth inch. Cut the dough into 3-inch thick rounds using a cookie cutter or glass. Spoon about 1 teaspoon jam in the center of each circle. Fold the circle into a moon shape and press the edges closed with your fingers (if the dough won’t seal, wet the edge with a little water to make it sticky). Use a fork to seal the edges completely.

4. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake until set but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then place in the powdered sugar to coat.

Each of 2 dozen cookies: 84 calories; 1 gram protein; 9 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 5 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 14 mg cholesterol; 3 grams sugar; 14 mg sodium.

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