Russian Tea Cakes are sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cookies or Snowballs. These nutty cookies from Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley are perfect for Christmas baking. They make a great addition to gifted treat boxes and they’re sure to be a hit at holiday parties.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup dry pecans
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
- Big pinch of sea salt
- 1/4 cup coconut nectar
- 2 tablespoons water or non-
- dairy milk of choice
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour or lucuma powder
Preparation:
Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until finely ground (be careful not to overprocess). Add the coconut flour, sugar, and salt, and pulse to combine. Add the coconut nectar and water or nut milk, and pulse until the dough starts to stick together, but doesn’t quite form a ball. You can add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed to help the dough come together.
Divide the dough in half, then divide each portion in half again to make 4 equal-sized portions. Divide each of the 4 portions into 3 equal-sized portions (for a total of 12 cookies). Roll each portion into a ball and flatten it just slightly so it doesn’t roll around.
Make It Raw: Arrange the cookies on a mesh-lined tray and dehydrate at 110°F for 1 to 2 hours, until firm and dry on the surface.
Make It Baked: Preheat the oven to 300°F. Arrange the cookies on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet. Bake for 11 to 12 minutes, until the cookies look dry and lightly browned. Let cool completely on the baking sheet before handling.
Make It Easy: Arrange the cookies on a wax-paper-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm.
When the cookies are ready, place the coconut flour or lucuma powder in a small bowl. Add one or two cookies at a time to the bowl and roll them around to lightly coat them. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.
Yield: About 12 cookies
From Practically Raw Desserts by Amber Shea Crawley. ©2013 Amber Shea Crawley. Used by permission from Vegan Heritage Press.