Russian Tea Cakes / Mexican Wedding Cakes (Cookies)

Name: Russian Tea Cakes / Mexican Wedding Cakes (Cookies)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 dozen
Ingredients: 2/3 cup walnuts or 2/3 cup hazelnuts; 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature; 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered or icing sugar); 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted (powdered or icing sugar)

Submitted by kitty.rock

"From the Joyofbaking.com, my friend Wendy made these cookies during our Operation Baking Gals 'baking day' -- these are one of my FAVORITE cookies, I can never eat just one. NOTE: There is a 1-hour 'rest' time for the dough to firm up once it is mixed. This is not included in the prep time."

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Ready In:: 30mins
Ingredients:: 7
Yields:: 4 dozen

ingredients

²⁄₃ 2/3 cup walnuts or 2/3 cup hazelnuts
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
¹⁄₄ cup confectioners' sugar (powdered or icing sugar)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
TOPPING
1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted (powdered or icing sugar)

directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Toast nuts. Place nuts on a separate baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes (or until lightly brown and fragrant) in a 350 degree F oven. Cool.
Once the nuts have cooled completely place them, along with 2 tablespoons of the flour for the recipe, into your food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and process until they are finely ground (but not a paste). Or the nuts can be hand chopped until very fine. Set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), 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.
Once the dough is firm, form the dough into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake 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.
Roll the semi-cool cookies in the sifted powdered sugar and return to rack to cool completely.
Store in airtight container for up to 10 days.