The Eighth Day of Christmas Cookies: Mexican Wedding Cookies (America's Test Kitchen)

 

Growing up, I only knew them as Russian Tea Cakes. And the way my mom made them, they had a Hershey Kiss at the center (which I loved at the time, though it meant the chocolate was the dominant experience; and if you kept the cookies in cold storage, biting into them was like biting into a piece of granite).

This America’s Test Kitchen recipe maximizes the nutty flavor – taking it well beyond a simple shortbread cookie caked in powdered sugar.

My two cents: the Mexican Wedding Cookie is one of the most underrated Christmas cookies. They’re never going to be the flashiest cookie on your party platter, but my goodness are they delicious (especially this version, sans the chocolate rock in the middle).

Mexican Wedding Cookies (America’s Test Kitchen)

2        cups pecans or walnuts (I almost exclusively use pecans here)

2        cups all-purpose flour

3/4    teaspoon salt

16      tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/3    cup superfine sugar

[If you don’t have superfine sugar lying around, you can put 1/2 cup granulated sugar into a food processor for 30 seconds, then measure out 1/3 cup.]      

1 1/2  teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Directions

1.       Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Process 1 cup of the nuts in a food processor to the texture of coarse cornmeal, 10 to 15 seconds, then transfer to a medium bowl. Process the remaining 1 cup nuts in the food processor until coarsely chopped, about 5 seconds, then stir into the bowl of finely ground nuts, along with the flour and salt. Set aside.

2.       Beat the butter and superfine sugar together in a large bowl, using an electric mixer until light and fluffy (3 to 6 minutes). Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the nut mixture until combined (about 30 seconds). Scrape the bowl and beaters with a rubber spatula and continue to beat on low speed until the dough is cohesive (about 7 seconds).

3.       Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time (I use a small ice cream scoop), roll into 1-inch balls and lay on two parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced about 1 inch apart. Bake until the tops are pale golden and the bottoms are just beginning to brown, about 18 minutes. Rotate and switch the baking sheets halfway through baking. [This is a good time to get a head start on the dishes!]  

4.       Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar to coat. Just before serving, re-roll the cookies in additional powdered sugar, gently shaking off the excess.