You could spend the entire winter season picking your favorite desserts from a holiday buffet table: pies, cakes, tortes, brownies, cookies… But there’s one cookie that stands out above the rest as the definitive Christmas cookie.   Enjoyed around the world, these traditional cookies go by many names: butterballs, Mexican wedding cakes, Italian wedding cookies, snowballs. You may know them as Russian tea cakes or cookies. Whatever you decide to call them, they all mean the same thing: a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth treat best enjoyed after a big holiday meal.   Russian tea cakes are buttery, sweet, and nutty; ground nuts are rolled into the dough to add texture and flavor. While the European variety usually uses hazelnuts, almonds, or walnuts, the Mexican wedding  cake version tends to use pecans. Whatever nut you choose, it’s hard to go wrong! The dough is formed into round balls and then, after baking, rolled in powdered sugar. It’s because of this white, snowy appearance that they acquired the name snowball cookies.   These cookies are an old winter holiday tradition. Still enjoyed at Christmastime in the United States, these unique cookie-like pastries were also commonly eaten in England during the Middle Ages.   So how did the cookies get so many different names? No one is certain why they are called Russian tea cakes, but it’s possible that they’re descendents of similar Eastern European shortbread cookies. Then they made their way to Mexico, possibly with European nuns, and became popular in Mexican convents.   Whatever the real story is, Christmas just isn’t complete without these buttery little morsels. Enjoy a traditional dessert this winter! You can order delicious, homemade Russian Tea Cookies from Lucia & Co. to share with friends, families, and clients this holiday season!