12 Sweets for Santa: Princess Tea Cakes

12.13.10
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Can you believe it?! 12 days until Christmas!! I’m eager to spend some time with my family, give & get presents, drink eggnog and have some much needed time off work! Although I’m full of Christmas cheer, nothing puts me in the spirit more than holiday baking. And what better way to celebrate the comfort and joy of Christmas than with 12 days of sweet baking? I had originally planned to do 12 cookies of Christmas- but in my family- we aren’t exclusive to just the bite sized sweets during the holidays. As I’ve prefaced in an  earlier article, my mom is an exceptional baker, so Santa was never left with just one type of cookie. Santa’s plate was filled with a myriad of cookie choices, brownies, pint-size cakes, hearty bars and mini pies. And to top it all off, he either had a nice glass of eggnog or homemade hot cocoa to wash it all down. Santa was never hurting for sweets at our abode 🙂 Even as adults, my mom still lays out a plate of sweets and treats for Santa late on Christmas Eve. Holiday traditions like these keep the magic in my heart and make Christmas such a special time for myself and my family. So to celebrate what Christmas is all about [Santa Claus, tons of sweets and magic], I am featuring 12 sweets for Santa, beginning with these delicious princess tea cakes. These crumbly cookies are normally made with butter, but to lighten them up, I used canola oil. Once they are warm out of the oven, they are rolled in powdered sugar for a snowy look and sweet taste! These are my grandpa’s favorite, and if you aren’t careful, he’ll eat an entire bag in one sitting!

This recipe was inspired by Beth Klein’s on Eating Well. She created them to feel closer to her late sister. How incredible, right?

Princess Tea Cakes

What You’ll Need:

  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
  • 2 cups powdered [confectioner’s] sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup very finely chopped walnuts

How To Make Them:

  • Preheat over to 400 degrees.
  • Pour oil into a medium bowl. Mix flours, 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt into the oil mixture using a whisk.

  • Add vanilla to mixture.

  • Stir in nuts.

  • Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 11 minutes and place on a cooling rack/plate for 2 minutes.

  • Once cookies have cooled for about 3 minutes and are still warm, roll in powdered sugar. Set aside and roll again once they have cooled completely.

Nutritional Information per cookie: 105 calories, 6 grams of fat, 1 gram of protein and 1 gram of fiber.

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Comments

  1. Posted by Alicia @CharityWedding on
    Monday, December 13th, 2010
    I made something similar called Pecan balls or sometimes Mexican Wedding cookies. They are my obsession. If I make them, I eat them for every meal. It is terrible but I justify it as a once a year experience.
    Reply
  2. Posted by Amanda @ Bakingwithoutabox on
    Monday, December 13th, 2010
    I'm with grandpa. I could eat a whole bag of those in one sitting they look so good! Sweet, powdery holiday goodness.
    Reply
  3. Posted by Briarrose on
    Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
    Oh yum....these look so wonderful.
    Reply
  4. Posted by Tes on
    Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
    Wow these cookies look so adorable. They seems so simple to make, too. I definitely add this to my holiday baking list :)
    Tes
    http://tesathome.com
    Reply
  5. Posted by Katie C on
    Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
    These are both my dad's and my FIL's favorite cookies! We call them Russia tea cakes, but I kind of love that you call them Princess tea cakes...it sounds so much cuter.
    Reply
  6. Posted by Bridget Klein on
    Thursday, November 17th, 2011
    Thank you so much for putting my recipe on your blog! I would very much appreciate it if you would include the story of how and why I developed this cookie, which can be found at http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/princess_tea_cakes.html. Your pictures are great!
    Reply
    • Posted by admin on
      Friday, November 18th, 2011
      Absolutely Beth! I will update immediately. Beautiful story.
      Reply