8th Day of the Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

Let’s make Russian Tea Cakes, only this time gluten free! Many of our favorite, handed down Christmas recipes can be changed to become gluten free. You can purchase pre-made gluten products to assist you as I have done with this recipe. Russian Tea Cakes, also known as Bon Bon’s, Mexican Wedding Cakes, or more commonly known as snowball cookies are a buttery melt in your mouth cookie. The original cookie recipe has been around since the 20th century and has been a Christmas cookie tradition ever since.

Note, with a little time of refrigerating overnight these cookies will hold together better for you. Being gluten free they will need to set up a little prior to handling.

Gluten Free Russian Tea Cakes

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened (not melted)
½ cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 ¼ cups of Gluten Free Bisquick mix
¾ cup finely chopped nuts
2/3 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

STEP 1:

In a large bowl, mix butter, ½ cup of powdered sugar, vanilla and egg. Stir in Bisquick and nuts. Continue stirring until the dough holds together. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or at least 4-5 hours.

STEP 2:

Pre-heat your oven to 400 Degrees.

STEP 3:

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On an ungreased cookie sheet, place rolled balls about 1 inch apart.

STEP 4:

Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until set but not brown, they will appear crackled. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks, cooling slightly.

STEP 5:

Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar; place on cooling racks to cool completely. Roll in powdered sugar again. You can use decorator’s sugar in various colors as well.

This recipe makes 48 cookies (4 dozen).

NOTE: You can use regular Bisquick if you choose not to make gluten free cookies.

Fact:

“A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens that embraces love, goodwill, and mercy was written in 1843 during the Victorian Era. After six weeks of publication, the book hit the London stage where it was performed for 40 weeks before moving on to New York’s Park Theatre. 10 years after its publication in the year 1853, Charles Dickens gave the first public performance in Birmingham’s town hall. He performed it in front of a crowd of 2,000 all working towns people. His reading lasted just under three hours.