This easy gluten free Russian tea cookie recipe is a delicious cookie to make to enjoy with a cup of hot tea. Russian tea cookies melt in your mouth and are a fun cookie to make!
If you love cookies as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious gluten free cookie recipes.

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I hope these super easy gluten free Russian tea cookies will help add some cheer to your day. Whether it is a holiday or any day...cookies definitely make the days sweeter!
This cookie recipe is perfect for a cold rainy day because they are really fun to make with your kids. Rolling the dough into balls is only a part of this kid-friendly gluten free snack; eating them will definitely be the best part :-).
To see my very favorite gluten free cookies, check out my Gluten Free Holiday Cookie roundup.

Today has been a great excuse for the kids and me to make these cookies. These cookies are great all year round, but their cute snowy white looks make them the perfect cookie for a cookie exchange or holiday party too!
If you are looking for more Christmas-style cookies, check out my best gluten free Christmas Cookies recipes.
Made your recipe last Christmas…. Yummms!"
Helen H.
Can you freeze these cookies?
Yes, you can easily freeze these cookies. We like to make a double batch and freeze the extras. Then all we have to do is defrost them and roll them in the powdered sugar.
Nothing goes better with hot tea or coffee than these Russian tea cookies. Their sweet buttery melt in your mouth goodness is so good. These cookies are also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies...just in case you were looking and thought they look familiar.
This easy gluten free Russian tea cookie recipe is super easy to make, so follow along!
Instructions:

Slowly cream the butter with the powdered sugar in a mixer.
Can you make cookies without a standing mixer?
You can easily make these cookies in a bowl. Put all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk to blend them. In a smaller bowl, add the wet ingredients. Mix the two together and then scoop onto

Chop up the raw pecans into small pieces.
Can you use different nuts?
Although pecans are more traditionally used in this easy tea cookies recipe, you can also use walnuts or different nuts.
You can also make a nut free crinkle cookie like these gluten free honey crinkle cookies.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Line a

Your dough will be firm enough to roll into balls. Bake at 350º F for 8-10 minutes. When you remove them from the oven, allow them to cool briefly and then roll in powdered sugar!
More Cookies
- These delicious Gluten Free Cranberry Shortbread Bars can be made with any fruit!
- If you love melt in your mouth cookies, these Gluten Free Austrian Vanillekipferl Cookies are another delicious cookie to make.
- Edible Gluten Free Cookie Dough (because sometimes the dough is the best part!)
- If you love a sandwich-style cookie, these Gluten Free Nutella Linzer Cookies are fun to make.
- Crinkle cookies are a lot of fun to make. Give this easy Gluten Free Chocolate Mint Crinkle Cookies recipe a try.
- These Gluten Free Ginger Cookies have a delicious pop of ginger flavor.

📖 Recipe

Gluten Free Russian Tea Cookies




Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter very softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- dash salt
- ¼ cup raw pecans chopped
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add butter, vanilla and sugar. Beat on low speed until sugar is incorporated.
- Slowly add flour on low speed and mix until blended. Add pecans and mix on low. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Roll dough into 1 ½ inch balls.
- Place dough balls onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Remove GENTLY with a thin spatula onto a cooling rack. These cookies are very crumbly when hot.
- Allow to cool 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar.
Notes
- I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF, Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend, and Authentic Foods Multi Blend in this recipe. That doesn't mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn't contain Xanthan Gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- To make this recipe dairy-free, substitute the butter for vegan butter.
- These cookies will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn't test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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(*Note, this post is updated from an older January 2017 post.)
Susana
My cookies flattened out and didn’t stay rounded…what did I do wrong ?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Susana, What gluten free flour blend did you use? Some have a higher starch content, and you probably needed to use more flour.
Connie from Colorado
This recipe was amazing. Of course I don’t do a recipe straight up. I added 1/2 cup chopped pecan and 1/2 cup chopped cranberries to give it a holiday flare. When mixing the dough be sure to mix the dough for at least three minutes to get the dough to come together. Gluten free flour can be tricky. I buy whatever kind of flour that I can conveniently find, this time it was Pamala’s. Then add the pecans and cranberries if you are going that route. After baking definitely let them cool completely before rolling in powdered sugar. They are FRAGILE when hot.So good! I had no problems with high altitude.
Sandi Gaertner
Ooooh, I love the idea of adding chopped cranberries. Thank you so much. I am sure many readers will love to try that.
Renee
Delicious, easy and they do melt in your mouth!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved these cookies! Thank you so much.
Jessica
Bake and then freeze? Or freeze unbaked?
Sandi Gaertner
I freeze them baked or as dough balls.
Terry Call
I replaced the vanilla with Almond extract. Soooooo good!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you tried the almond extract. I am going to try it next!
Rebecca
These look great! Have you ever tried using coconut oil instead of butter?
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Rebecca, I haven't tested an oil in this recipe.
Helen
These cookies were always my favorite pre-celiac, lucky to have my favorite Christmas treat! We have a Christmas Cookie Crew, and I refer to these as Snow Ball cookies for the kids in the crew, easy for them to make and yummy! Thank you!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad to bring back a good memory. Thank you so much for coming to let me know how much you enjoy the cookies.
Carol
Love making these cookies with the grandkids. Some don’t like nuts so we substitute Enjoy Life mini chips. We always make these on Christmas Eve for them to leave for Santa. I had tried so many GF recipes that were horrible and a waste of expensive ingredients. Thankfully I found you! I share them with others who need GF recipes. This was such a game changer because I knew nothing about gluten free! Thank you!
Sandi Gaertner
I love how you made this recipe with chocolate chips. It is so creative. I am glad you loved the recipe. Thank you.