Italian Wedding Cookies
"Also sometimes called 'Mexican wedding cookie', 'Russian tea cakes', or 'butterballs', can also be shaped into crescents. You can also substitute pecans and they are very good as well. This is the best version of these I have ever seen, it was given me by a friend who grew up in central Europe."
photo by BetteLovr
- Ready In:
- 15mins
- Ingredients:
- 7
- Yields:
-
80 cookies
ingredients
- 1 1⁄2 cups butter or 1 1/2 cups margarine, unsalted
- 3⁄4 cup confectioners' sugar
- 3⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1⁄2 cups almonds, finely ground
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (plus 1 1/2 teaspoons)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- confectioners' sugar (extra)
directions
- Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
- Cream butter or margarine in a bowl, gradually add confectioners' sugar and salt. Beat until light and fluffy.
- Add almonds and vanilla.
- Blend in flour gradually and mix well.
- Shape into balls (or crescents) using about 1 teaspoon for each cookie.
- Place on ungreased cookie sheets, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not brown.
- Cool slightly, then roll in the extra confectioners' sugar.
Questions & Replies
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I made the recipe doubled it,correct amount of powered sugar & margarine, won't Form a ball.,2 make round cookies. More like buttery & very sweet drop cookies. Would it be best 2 ADD MORE FLOUR,WANT IT TO STAY YUMMY!How much would be 2 MUCH
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I mixed the dough yesterday and put it in the refrigerator overnight. The dough is DRY and SANDY. Is there a way to salvage it before I bake? Thanks
Reviews
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The Cookies were really good. They were like a shortbread cookie. But I did not use the almonds. I used Fishers nut topping instead. My kids really liked them. -
These are wonderful cookies, a wonderful standard in many cultures with variations. As previous reviews state, the choice of nuts is up to you, let your imagination, your budget and convenience be your guide. As for flavoring, there are many options as well, including some sweet spices, such as cardomom. This time I used rose water, a good quality rose water that holds up in baking, that I purchased from an Arabic store, using about 1/3 more than the measurement for vanilla. In the past, I have added lemon juice and zest, along with using walnuts, for a great result. These cookies do not spread, despite the batter being very sticky, so feel free to place them closer than you normally would on the cookie sheet, so that you can get them all done more quickly. Mine were done baking on an Airbake cookiesheet when set and a very pale golden just on the bottom, resulting in a very fine sandy cookie, heavenly. I found I needed more powdered sugar than called for, as I rolled them in powdered sugar when hot, and then again after that "set" on the cookies, so they would not have any stickiness. I was very happy with these, very good results. -
I have been searching for a recipe for a cookie my mom made when I was a child. It was a mint chocolate chip snowball cookie. Couldn't find it so I decided to improvise. I made this recipe and used 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp peppermint extract and 1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips. BEST COOKIE EVER!! Melt in your mouth yummy! Just exactly like I remember, maybe even better. -
SO good! These just melt in your mouth. Little cookie packed full of flavor. The dough freezes well. Made the dough up a week ahead of time and thawed in the fridge the day before I planned to bake them. Turned out perfect. Thanks for the great recipe! -
If you are looking for authenic Italian wedding cookies, this is THE recipe. I had lost my great great grandmothers recipe many years ago but had been longing for a taste of the "Old Country" so I was thrilled to find this recipe. Excellent!
see 8 more reviews
Tweaks
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Added grated rind from 1 lemon and 1 orange; used walnuts instead of almonds; added 1-1/2 t lemon extract. Perfect. -
The recipe should state 3 cups sifted all purpose flour, not 3 cups flour sifted. Not being an experienced baker at all, I measured then sifted so my cookies were too dry to eat. I'm looking forward to making them again using less flour! Like Comments 1 review by BetteLovr 12/23/2011 I used maple extract and finely chopped walnuts.. was to die for and got rave reviews at the Italian Restaurant I work at.. I posted a pic of them.. They come out a little darker in color since I used maple...definitely a keeper. -
Tonkcat thank you so much for sharing this lovely recipe. I enjoyed these cookies so much, it was hard to stop eating them. I substituted salted mix nuts for the pecans, as I didn't have any. I will be making these tender, melt in your mouth treats again and again.
