'Ace of Cakes' star Duff Goldman shares the cookie recipe that he says sealed the deal and won over his wife's family

• Duff Goldman says his go-to, bake-to-impress cookie recipe comes from his great-grandmother.
• He said he made them for his wife's family before they got married and they helped seal the deal.

Celebrity pastry chef Duff Goldman is a Food Network icon and the personality behind "Ace of Cakes," the show that launched his TV career. But even as a professional baker, the star had to prove himself to his now-wife's family of cookie aficionados.

In an interview with Insider about his partnership with Sun-Maid, Goldman shared his go-to, guaranteed crowd-pleaser recipe for Russian tea cakes.

The chef said his wife's family hosts an annual Christmas party that is both a potluck and a cookie swap. One year while they were still dating, Goldman landed an invite.

"She was like, 'These guys are good bakers and you have to bring it, especially because you're the baker guy on television,'" he told Insider.

So, in an effort to impress, he made his great-grandmother's Russian tea cakes (cookies that go by many names, including snowballs, polvorones, and Mexican wedding cakes).

"I know they're good," Goldman said with matter-of-fact confidence. "So when I brought them, afterward, I think that was when the family accepted me and was like, 'OK, you can marry into our family.'"

He told Insider they're one of the best cookies he makes, and that "they have the most unique, kind of crispy texture."

Goldman said that he uses brown butter in his recipe, which removes some of the moisture, leaving you with a crunchier, less gummy cookie. "And now," he added, "every year, I have to bake them."

See Goldman's recipe for Russian tea cakes — which he also included in his new book, "Super Good Cookies for Kids" — below.