It’s hard this year knowing Gigi is now my kitchen angle and not a phone call away. She encouraged me in the kitchen, especially when preparing dishes by her side. Through her kindness and ultimate patience, I became her dutiful sous chef. That is me to the left, in her galley kitchen, age two. We were rolling out the dough for her grandmother’s Kris Kringle cookies. These cookies are now a tradition throughout my family, it wouldn’t be the Holidays without a tin full of those babies. I haven’t made it to those yet. Soon.
Tonight I am going to share a different recipe she loved. Mexican Wedding Cakes. I can still see her hands making the dough balls and then rolling them in powdered sugar after leaving a warm oven. Exhale. This is harder than I thought it would be.
So let’s get on with it, before the keyboard gets all wet.
Oh hey, this is an egg free recipe! You can take down handfuls of these if you have an egg allergy. Here we go Mexican Wedding Cakes Cookie Recipe.
The ingredients are simple; butter, flour, powder sugar, salt, vanilla and pecans.
Add your room temperature unsalted butter to your mixer.
Along with the powder sugar, salt and vanilla.
Whip it good.
Then add your flour. My youngest got a kick out of dumping it in.
Scrape down your sides. Important cookie step.
The dough is going to be soft and crumbly. Looking good.
Add your pecans.
Mix.
Divide dough in half on a piece of plastic wrap.
Form each half into a ball.
Perfect C-Cups.
Chill those lumps until cold, about 30 minutes.
Working with half of the chilled dough, scoop with a small scooper or roll 2 teaspoons between your palms into balls.
Arrange yours balls on large baking sheet, spaced 1/2 inch apart.
Bake those Mexican Wedding Cakes until they are golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes.
While the cookies are cooling for 5 minutes.
Mix your powder sugar and cinnamon together.
Gently toss warm cookies in the sugar mixture to coat completely.
The secret to a terrific Mexican Wedding Cake Cookie is about the be shared.
Guess what. You are not done.
Put them back in the sugar, for one more roll in the hay.
The second layer of sugar coats the cookie completely.
Applause.
Fa la la la la
More cookies tomorrow
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cups powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup pecans, toasted, coarsely ground
- ⅛ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 11/2 cups powdered sugar
- Using electric mixer. Add butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, salt and vanilla; beat until well blended. Beat in flour, then pecans. Divide dough in half; form each half into ball. Wrap separately in plastic; chill until cold, about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk remaining 1½ cups powdered sugar and cinnamon in pie dish to blend. Set sugar aside.
- Working with half of chilled dough, roll dough by 2 teaspoons between palms into balls. Arrange balls on heavy large baking sheet, spacing ½ inch apart. Bake cookies until golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes. Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheet. Gently toss warm cookies in sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to rack and cool completely. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough.