Friday, June 26, 2009

Mexican Wedding Cakes



I can remember my mother making these cookies when I was a kid. They're still one of my favorites today. My three year old helped me roll them in the powdered sugar. She loves helping in the kitchen whenever she can.

2/3 cup toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts)
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted, for coating

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly brown and fragrant. Cool. Once the nuts have cooled completely place them, along with 2 tablespoons of the flour from the recipe, into your food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and process until they are finely ground (but not a paste). Set aside.

In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the remaining flour and salt and beat until combined. Stir in the nuts. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour or until firm.

Form the dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.

Add the powdered sugar in a shallow dish. Roll the slightly cooled cookies in the sugar to coat.

Store in an airtight container. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

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