12 Days of Christmas Cookies - Day 9

Mexican Wedding Cookies, aka Russian Tea Cakes, are my favorite cookies, hands down. Luckily I found a high altitude recipe in Pie in the Sky that works like a charm.

Mexican Wedding Cookies
Makes about 40 (1-inch diameter) cookies
Recipe for 5,000 feet

½ pound butter
2½ cups sifted cake or all-purpose flour
½ cup sifted confectioners' sugar
½ generous teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts, almonds or pecans
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon almond extract
sifted confectioners' sugar for rolling and storing cookies

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and divide oven into thirds. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or leave ungreased.
2. In a large bowl of an electric mixer, preferably with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until creamy and smooth. Gradually beat in flour, sifted confectioners' sugar, salt, nuts and extracts.
3. With lightly floured fingers, pinch off small lumps of dough and roll them between your palms into balls about 1 inch in diameter, then set them on prepared cookie sheet about 1 inch apart.
4. Bake the cookies for 15-20 minutes, or just until the tops are a pale golden color; don't let them get too brown.
5. When cookies come out of the oven, set the pan on a wire rack and cool 4-5 minutes. While cookies are still warm, roll in sifted confectioners' sugar to coat well. Set on waxed paper to cool completely.
6. Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container, layered with additional sifted confectioners' sugar.

They're not perfectly coated or ready for their close-up, but they melt in your mouth nonetheless. Delish.