We were headed to a party the other night. It was the birthday party for some friends of my younger sons, but the whole family was invited.  I always feel badly for people that invite all of us because of the sheer amount that means.  We are 3-4 times the size of the average family.

We were asked to bring a snack, and so I decided to try a recipe that had been whirling around in my head for awhile..I get these awesome ideas that have to stay on the back burner until I have a chance, or a reason to make them!  I figured most kids wouldn’t like them, chai and all, but I knew my kids loved chai and that would at least keep them away from the other stuff and give other people a chance.

These are much like Mexican Wedding Cakes, in the way that they are made.  The dough is high in butter and fat, both from the butter and the ground nuts.  The taste is intensely chai because..well I ground up 2 tsp of strong chai tea leaves to add with the flour.  What a taste kick that provided!  I think that in doing it again, I would allow the dough to stand for awhile for the flavors to intensify.

Don’t overbake..they will get rock-like.  You want a crumbly, melt in your mouth texture.

Snowball Cookies 

2 cups flour
2 cups coarsely ground pecans or other nuts
1/2 cup confectioners sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 tsp chai tea ground with the nuts (I used 2 tea bags of Yogi,Indian Spice and just cut open the bags)

1 teaspoon vanilla
Powdered sugar for rolling in

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine all ingredients, except the last powdered sugar,  in large  bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until well mixed.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Place 1 inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 18 to 25 minutes or until very lightly browned.

Cool 5 minutes; roll in powdered sugar while still warm and then again when cool.

Makes 3 dozen cookies

Images:Marye Audet

Content:Marye Audet for Baking Delights 

Post from: Baking Delights

Mexican Wedding Cakes are not cakes at all. They are somewhat like a short bread cookie but not. And sometimes they are called Mexican Wedding Cookies.

Are you confused?

They are a delicate cookie that has a delicate, yet definitely there flavor..vanilla, butter…nuts…

But where did Mexican Wedding Cakes come from?

The cookie got its name sometime in the early 1950’s and seemed to be one of the staple recipes of the plethora of cookbooks that were published during those decades. One theory suggests that the name was changed because the other name, Russian Tea Cakes, was a very unpopular one during the Cold War. I also have a recipe for them in an old cookbook that calls them Butterballs.

They can be crescent or ball shaped. If you roll them in the confectioners sugar while they are hot and then roll them again when they cool off the layer of confectioners sugar will be heavenly thick and sweet.

Around here alot of people serve them at teas and weddings. I love them..in fact I could probably eat a ton of them myself…once you get started it is really hard to stop.

I wanted to change my recipe around a little. Normally walnuts or pecans take center stage in these but I used pistachios. I really liked the unique flavor it gave them and the added richness from the pistachios. You can use any nut you like in the same proportions as these.

They are a very delicate cookie. If you have to have a certain amount make extra because some are bound to crumble..or find their way into someone’s mouth when you are not looking.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pistachios (I grind them in a blender)

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

In a bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Stir in vanilla.

Add the flour and pistachios and mix until well blended.

Cover and chill for 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Shape dough into balls or crescents. Place them on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from pan to cool on wire racks.

When cookies are cool, roll in confectioners’ sugar. Store in an airtight container.

About 3 dozen.

Image:Marye Audet

Content:BakingDelights

Post from: Baking Delights