Wedding Cookies

Wedding Cookies
PJ Hamel 2011-03-23

Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Teacakes, just plain Wedding Cookies... these tender, crumbly cookies, full of ground almonds and covered with a blizzard of confectioners' sugar, go by many names. But one thing is constant: their melt-in-your-mouth texture and distinctive, attractive appearance: round and white as a cumulus cloud.


Ingredients View by: Volume Weight
Dough
1 cup (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter*
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon almond extract, optional
1 teaspoon salt*
3/4 cup almond flour or 3/4 cup blanched almonds, finely ground
2 1/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
*If you use salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt to 1/2 teaspoon.
Coating
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Dough8 ounces unsalted butter2 ounces confectioners' sugar1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract1 teaspoon almond extract, optional1 teaspoon salt*2 1/2 ounces almond flour or 3/4 cup blanched almonds, finely ground9 1/2 ounces King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour*If you use salted butter, reduce the amount of added salt to 1/2 teaspoon.Coating6 ounces confectioners' sugar

Directions
1) Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.

2) In a large bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt.

3) Beat in the almond flour, then the all-purpose flour.

4) Scoop chestnut-sized (1") pieces of dough, and roll them into balls. A level teaspoon cookie scoop will give you just the right amount of dough. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving 1" between them.

5) Bake the cookies for 15 to 20 minutes, until they feel set on top: and some of them are MAYBE beginning to barely brown around the edges.

6) While the cookies are baking, put the topping sugar in a shallow bowl.

7) Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them, 5 or 6 at a time, to the bowl. Roll them in the sugar to coat, then transfer them to a rack to cool.

8) When the cookies are cool, roll them in the sugar again; they should be thoroughly coated and snowy white.

9) Store airtight at room temperature.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies.