Desserts

Russian Tea Cakes (Mexican Wedding Cakes)

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

Russian Tea Cakes (Mexican Wedding Cakes)

Makes about 5 dozen cookies

The secret to making these classic cookies is to not over bake them. Take them out of the oven when they still seem soft to the touch.

Calories 140 (54% from fat)
carb. 14g
pro. 2g
fat 9g
sat. fat 4g
chol. 15mg
sod. 105mg
calc. 14mg
fiber 1g

Ingredients

1 cup toasted almonds ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature ½ cup confectioners’ sugar, plus 1 cup for dredging 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons sea salt ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preparation

In the bowl of a Cuisinart Food Processor, add the almonds. Pulse until coarsely ground. Remove half of the almonds, reserve. Add the granulated sugar to the remaining almonds in the work bowl of the food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Reserve. In the bowl of the Cuisinart Hand Stand Mixer, fitted with the flat beaters, add the butter. Mix on Speed 3 until creamy. With the mixer running, add the almond/sugar mixture, confectioners sugar and vanilla; continue to mix, rising to speed 4, until light and creamy, about 1 minute. Reduce to Speed 1 and add the dry ingredients and reserved coarse almonds. Mix until completely combined. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill until firm (about 2 hours, or overnight). Preheat oven to 350°F. Once chilled, cut each dough into 60 even pieces. Roll each one into a smooth ball. Place on a baking sheet that has been lined with parchment paper. Note: these cookies do not spread a lot so they need no more than 1-inch space in between each one. Bake in preheated oven until still soft to the touch, but where the bottom edges are just starting to brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for about 2 minutes, and then roll in confectioners’ sugar.