Ginger’s Russian Tea Cakes

My mother, Virginia Blondi (Ginger to all), always had these amazing cookies for us during the holidays.
It's a sugary cloud dream, complete with nuts. Here's the recipe, so you can join in the family tradition. 

Pro tip: when dunking in powdered sugar, more is always better. The powdered sugar should be like glitter: everything covered in a fabulous coat!

Prep: 20 min | Bake: 10 to 12 min/sheet | Cool: 10 min | Yield: About 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Powdered sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F.

Mix butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the vanilla in large bowl. Stir in flour, nuts and salt until dough holds together.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until set but not brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool slightly on wire rack.

Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar; cool on wire rack. Roll in powdered sugar again. Dunk in powdered sugar again before serving. You can never have too much.

Notes

This dough doesn’t spread during baking, so arrange them about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Like shortbread they don’t brown; they’re done when firm to the touch.