Mexican Wedding Cookies

This is rare but there are times when I think I know more than the legions of cooks and bakers who came before me.  There is not a Mexican Wedding Cookie recipe out there that instructs melting the butter before mixing with the other ingredients.  Being the brilliant master of the cookie that I thought I was (NOT), I thought I could make this cookie even nuttier by doing a brown butter version which entails melting then browning the butter.  The crumbly mess that ensued made my kitchen counter look like the cookies exploded.  So, pro tip, let the butter soften naturally to room temperature and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.  



Recipe:

1 cup chopped pecans (you can also use walnuts...or an other nut for that matter...I just happen to love pecans)
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature (do not melt the butter - read warning above)
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
powdered sugar, sifted, to coat the cookies

Method:
Toast the nuts on the stovetop in a skillet for about 5 minutes on medium tp high heat.  Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn.  Set aside to cool.

While waiting for the nuts to cool, in a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon and salt.

Cream the butter and powdered sugar together in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until sugar is fully incorporated into the butter, about 5 minutes. (Start slow so the sugar doesn't fly all over the place when you start mixing.)  Add in the vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.  Scrape down the sides a couple times with a rubber spatula throughout this process.

Once the nuts are cool or not blazing hot, put them in a zip lock bag and finely crush them with a rolling pin.  You can also use a food processor but I like the bag for this job since it doesn't crush the pecans too much.  You don't want a powder or big chunks.  Somewhere in between.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix just until blended together.  Add in the pecans and mix until blended.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and do one more mix with the rubber spatula to make sure all of the little bits on the sides and the bottom are incorporated.

Scrape all of the dough into plastic wrap, bring together into a big ball, wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 3 days.  If you choose to leave the dough in the fridge for longer than a few hours, you will want to bring it out to warm a bit before moving forward with baking.

When you are ready to bake, pre-heat the oven to 350°F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break off 1 inch pieces of dough and roll in the powdered sugar.  Alternatively, you could bake without the powdered sugar and sprinkle it on after baking.

Put the rolled dough a few inches apart on prepared baking sheet and bake for 17-20 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool for about 15 minutes and then move them to a cooling rack.  Once the cookies are cool, lightly sift powdered sugar over the top of the cookies.