Russian tea biscuits:
Cream 225g unsalted butter with 5ml of vanilla extract until soft and smooth. Add 50g icing sugar and 250g plain flour through a sieve. Stir until just combined into a heavy dough. Add 120g chopped walnuts, stir*

Spoon the dough into small balls, place on a silicone baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 180ºC until barely tinged with colour. Leave to cool and roll in icing sugar, twice if you wish.







*The second time i made these i ground the walnuts first, into a heavy dust. The biscuits were smoother in texture and appearance, lighter to the bite and slightly less crumbly.

Be warned - these cookies collapse into your mouth with a puff of sweet icing sugar and are quite addictive. I will try the same recipe with pecans, and perhaps almonds too; they are light, very buttery and the delicate flavour of nut shines. Apparently they keep well in a tin.