Holiday cookies from Hope Taft

Hope's also taught me to make these, OH my gosh, talk about a sinful dessert, but SOOO stinking good!



MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES (from The All-New All-Purpose Joy of Cooking)

Yields about 4 dozen 1 ¼ “ cookies

In Mexico, where they’re often served at weddings, these are known as Pastelitas de Boda, or Little Wedding Cakes. They are also known as Pecan Butter Balls.

1 c. coarsely chopped pecans, toasted (see instructions below)

Position oven rack into the upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to 350. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Toast pecans, stirring occasionally, in a baking pan until lightly brown, about 5-7 minutes.

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened at room temp

¼ t. salt

½ c. + ½ c. powdered sugar

2 t. vanilla

2 c. flour

Set aside pecans to cool completely, then grind until very finely chopped but not powder or oily. (I just bought pre-ground pecans and toasted that. Maybe it would taste even better to follow the instructions to the “t”, but I think it has always turned out tasty.)Beat the butter, salt, ½ c. of powdered sugar, and vanilla on medium speed until very fluffy and well-blended. Gradually beat the pecans into the butter mixture. Sift the flour over the top and stir in until well-blended.Pull off pieces of the dough and roll between your palms into generous 1” balls. (At this point I place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and freeze them. After frozen, I put them into a Tupperware dish and keep frozen until I’m ready to bake them.) When ready to bake, place about 1” apart on a well-greased cookie sheet. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are faintly tinged with brown, 12-14 minutes. Rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning. Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly. Cookies will crumble easily, so carefully transfer the cookies to racks to cool completely. Roll the cookies in remaining ½ c. powdered sugar until coated.