Mexican Wedding Cookies

The irresistable mexican wedding cookie has many names and many origins. "Russian Tea Cakes", "Italian Wedding Cookies", "Snowdrops", "Snowballs", etc...

• 2/3 cup toasted nuts (pecans, walnuts or hazelnuts - I used walnuts)
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar for topping

Preheat oven to 350 and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Toast Nuts: Place nuts in a baking sheet & bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly brown & fragrant. Cool completely.

Once the nuts have cooled, place them, along with 2 tbsp of the flour into food processor & process until they're finely ground (but not a paste). Set aside.

Use hand mixer to cream the butter & 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 nuts.

Cover & refrigerate the dough for at least an hour or until firm.

Form dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 9nches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove from oven & place on a wire rack to cool for only about 5 minutes.

Roll cookies in the remaining cup of powdered sugar until coated.