12 Days of Christmas Cookies: Mexican Wedding Cakes

Mexican Wedding Cakes!

Olé!

There are many recipes for this wonderful buttery cookie, but this one is the best.  


Ingredients: 
1 cup butter (2 sticks, unsalted) 
6 Tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup nut meats, chopped (walnuts or pecans both work well)
Extra powdered sugar for rolling baked cookies 

In an electric mixture, cream butter, then add powdered sugar, vanilla, almond extract and salt.  Add sifted four gradually and then add nut meats.  If too stiff to stir, mix by hand.  
Roll into balls the size of a small walnut shell.  Bake in a medium oven (350 degrees F.) for about 20 minutes.  Watch carefully as they burn quite easily on the bottom.  Cool slightly and roll in powdered sugar. 

My Mom was a "Flapper" in a tiny Mennonite Kansas town!

Always use good quality ingredients.  Keep your baking nuts and nutmeats in the fridge or freezer.  They'll stay fresh longer.  Also:  store your poppy seeeds in the fridge as well.  Some foods with high oil content (healthy oils!) will turn rancid at room temperature.  Buy good quality real vanilla and extracts.  I like to shop online at Penzey's spices.
Penzeys Spices
 Penzeys has every herb, spice and extract you can imagine.  Better yet, you can order different quantities, so little used items like tumeric can be ordered in small quantities, and the spices  you use most (perhaps paprika or chili powder) can be ordered in larger sizes.  They have a great catalog with some fine recipes and also a few scattered stores.   Prices are good, and you'll save more than enough to pay the postage.  P.S. They don't pay me to rave about them.  I am a longtime satisfied customer.    

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