Mexican Wedding Cookies

Makes 20 - 1.5 inch cookies, but recipe can be doubled or tripled for big batches of cookies.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups flour

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 stick melted butter (8 oz.)

• Pinch of salt

• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional, but gives a decidedly Mexican flavor)

• 1/2 cup roasted, nuts (your choice and optional)

To Prepare:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees

• If using nuts, roast them in the oven for 10 minutes, then let them cool and finely chop.

• Combine the nuts and the powdered sugar.

• Combine flour, cinnamon and salt.

• Add the sugar and nuts to the flour mix.

• Add the melted butter to the dry ingredients. Blend with your hands or a fork until incorporated. This dough is crumbly, but it will hold together when you compress it in your hands.

• Form into small spheres with your hands about 1 to 1.5 inches each

• Bake for 10 - 12 minutes

  • Note: All ovens are slightly different, so an oven thermometer is a critical tool. Variance is oven temperature is what changes baking time from one oven to another.

  • After 10 minutes the cookies will be pale, but they are done. If you turned a cookie over, you should see a golden color at the bottom of the cookie, and the cookie will hold together.

    • Note: they are slightly crumbly until they have cooled.

  • I’ve never baked for longer than 12 minutes, but one trick I use, is to turn the oven off after 10 minutes and let them sit in the hot oven for two more minutes. This will ensure they are cooked “through and through”.

• After they are cooled, roll them in a bowl of powdered sugar for a thick coating.

Other Variations on this amazingly versatile dough:

This is the same shortbread dough I use for making pumpkin pie.

Try adding different flavors to the dough; Essential oils like almond or lavender are delicious.

Add an extra zing of flavor with cardamom, orange or lemon zest.

You can use different nuts, like hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios, or pecans. For best results, roast the nuts prior to using.