Mexican Wedding Cakes

I love shortbread cookies and my all-time favorite are Mexican Wedding Cakes.  They're also called Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Butter Balls and a few other names.  I was told they were hard to make and always avoided making them....until this Christmas.  I pulled out my Joy of Cooking.  Whoever said they were difficult was smoking crack!  They're one of the easiest cookies I've ever made. I even channeled Erika and "staged" my photo ;) 

Mexican Wedding Cakes Recipe:

2/3 cup toasted pecans

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup powdered/confectioners sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Topping:

1/2 cup powdered/confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place rack in center of oven.

Place nuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly brown and fragrant.  (Or you can toast them in a frying pan on the stove on medium.) 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.

In the bowl of your electric mixer or with a hand mixer, beat 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.

Form the chilled dough into 1 inch balls (or use your 1-inch cookie scoop and bag rolling them) and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking pans - you can line with parchment paper. 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 completely.  Once the cookies are all completely cooled, roll in the ½ cup powdered sugar.  Store in an airtight container.  Makes about 3 dozen cookies. (It only made 2 dozen for me.)

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Note: When rolling them in the sugar at the end, hold them carefully.  I pressed too hard and one crumbled into bits.