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Paleo Russian Tea Cakes

  • gluten-free Gluten-Free
  • dairy-free Dairy-Free
  • paleo Paleo
  • low-carb Low Carb
  • keto Keto
  • vegetarian-vegan Vegetarian or Vegan
  • pescatarian Pescatarian

Everyone's holiday favorite turned paleo! These delicious Russian tea cakes are now gluten free, paleo, and can be made low carb and even keto!

Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, butterballs, snowballs… these cookies go by many names! Who knows where the name comes from because apparently they are neither Russian nor Mexican. 😂 But I do know one thing: they are DELICIOUS.

These cookies can be made all year-round but are especially popular for Christmas! They are perfect for a cookie exchange or to give away as gifts! I really like giving them as gifts in cookie tins because they don’t really dry out like other cookies can. They actually last quite a while after baking. Around a week or so! I love that! Now, will they actually last a week without being eaten? Most likely not. 😏

Everyone's holiday favorite turned paleo! These delicious Russian tea cakes are now gluten free, paleo, and can be made low carb and even keto!

To make these cookies you will need to first make my Paleo Powdered Sugar. It’s made from maple sugar and is perfect for this recipe because it is almost perfectly white in color, unlike the brown powdered sugar you get if you make it from coconut sugar. You really want that nice white color so they look like snowballs. Nice and festive!

You can make these low carb by substituting a pre-made keto powdered sugar like Swerve or make one yourself from something like Lakanto monk fruit sweetener. These cookies do have some arrowroot powder in them, so you will have to decide if they are right for you if you are trying to follow a strict ketogenic diet.

I like to toast the walnuts before using them in this recipe because it really enhances the flavor. Just heat them in a skillet over medium-low for a few minutes, stirring often so they don’t burn. You’ll know they’re done when they smell nice and fragrant. Allow them to cool and then chop them really finely.

I hope you enjoy the recipe!

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    Paleo Russian Tea Cakes

    • gluten-free Gluten-Free
    • dairy-free Dairy-Free
    • paleo Paleo
    • low-carb Low Carb
    • keto Keto
    • vegetarian-vegan Vegetarian or Vegan
    • pescatarian Pescatarian
    4.12 from 9 votes
    Paleo, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Option, Low Carb/Keto Option
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 40 minutes
    Servings: 20 cookies

    Ingredients 

    • 1.5 cups + 2 Tbsp *packed* 250g blanched almond flour
    • 1/4 cup 32g arrowroot powder
    • 1/4 tsp sea salt
    • 1 cup 227g grass-fed butter, ghee, or palm shortening, softened
    • 6 Tbsp powdered maple sugar plus more for rolling (easy recipe in notes above, see notes for low carb/keto option)
    • 2 tsp vanilla extract
    • 1 cup toasted walnuts finely chopped, cooled to room temperature

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
    • In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together almond flour, arrowroot powder, and sea salt.
    • In a large mixing bowl, mix together room temperature butter, powdered sugar (sifted), and vanilla using a spatula. You'll need to kind of press it against the sides as you mix. If you feel like you can just mix it right up without pressing it into the sides to mix, then your butter is too soft and the cookies will spread when baked.
    • Pour cooled walnuts and flour mixture in to the large bowl and stir everything together until well combined and the dough starts to stick together.
    • Use a cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out dough. Roll in your hands to make 1 inch (2.5cm) balls (pressing/packing a bit). You really want these to be uniform size so that they bake at the same rate.
    • Place on lined cookie sheet and place in freezer for 15 minutes. DON'T FORGET THIS STEP!
    • Bake for 14-16 minutes or until set and light brown on the bottoms but not browned on top. Mine are done right at 15 minutes.
    • Allow to cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes or until just cool enough to handle.
    • Roll in powdered sugar, then place back on the wire rack.
    • When they are completely cooled, roll in sugar again. If you are looking to reduce the amount of sugar a bit, just sprinkle with powdered sugar instead at the end instead of rolling.
    • Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

    Did you love the recipe? I would love it if you left me a 5-star review below!

    Notes

    *Make sure to pack the almond flour into the measuring cups, just like you would in a recipe with brown sugar. Also, make sure to remember the extra 2 Tbsp almond flour here! Really the best way to make this recipe (and all of my recipes) is by weighing the ingredients on a food scale. That will give you the most precise results.
    Be sure that the butter is softened, but not too soft. It should still be slightly cold. Another way to think about it - it should have some structure too it and not be greasy and super spreadable. Think the consistency of cold cream cheese.
    Author: Kit

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    How did yours turn out?? If you liked it, please feel free to leave a review and let me know in the comments section below!

    xx Kit

    *Disclosure: Kit’s Coastal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. Affiliate programs like this help me keep this blog up and running. When you purchase through an affiliate link I receive a small commission. So, if you love the blog and you’d like to support me, then you know what to do 🙂

    Everyone's holiday favorite turned paleo! These delicious Russian tea cakes are now gluten free, paleo, and can be made low carb and even keto!