Pecan Puffs Aka Mexican Wedding Cakes Or Russian Tea Cakes Recipes

PANCETTA, PEAR & PECAN PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. On a lightly floured surface, unfold pastry dough. Using a 1-3/4-in. round cookie cutter, cut dough into 24 circles. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. , Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, honey, salt and pepper until well blended. Fold in goat cheese, pancetta, pear and pecans., Halve each cooled pastry. Spoon cream cheese mixture over bottom pastry halves; cover with top halves. Serve at room temperature.

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES AKA RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, with a fork or pastry blender cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Shape tablespoonfuls into 2 inch balls (or slightly smaller). Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. Cool on wire racks.
• 2. NOTE: If cookies tend to spread in the oven, instead of remaining in ball shape, chill dough thoroughly before baking and check oven temperature.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES / MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES (COOKIES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
• Toast nuts. Place nuts on a separate baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes (or until lightly brown and fragrant) in a 350 degree F oven. Cool.
• Once the nuts have cooled completely place them, along with 2 tablespoons of the flour for the recipe, into your food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and process until they are finely ground (but not a paste). Or the nuts can be hand chopped until very fine. Set aside.
• In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
• Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Add the remaining flour and salt and beat until combined.
• Stir in the nuts.
• Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour or until firm.
• Once the dough is firm, form the dough into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
• Bake about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown.
• Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
• Roll the semi-cool cookies in the sifted powdered sugar and return to rack to cool completely.
• Store in airtight container for up to 10 days.

PECAN PUFFS

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat egg whites and salt until soft peaks form. Gradually add brown sugar, beating until stiff peaks form, 5-8 minutes. Fold in vanilla and pecans. Drop by well-rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 225° for 50-55 minutes or until firm to the touch. Store in airtight container.

RUSSIAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth.
• Combine the confectioner's sugar and flour and stir into butter mixture until well blended.
• Mix in chopped walnuts.
• Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes.
• Cool and roll in confectioner's sugar. I rolled mine 2-3 times to get well coated.

PECAN PUFFS II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
• In a medium bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Grind pecans in a food processor or blender; toss with cake flour. Stir the pecan mixture into the creamed mixture until well blended. Roll the dough into tablespoon balls, then place them 1 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
• Bake for 25 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar. When they are cooled, roll them again.

FAVOURITE MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES - PECAN COOKIE BALLS!

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Beat butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, nutmeg and salt; beat until well blended. Stir in flour and pecans.
• Shape into 1-inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake 15 minutes. Remove from baking sheets. Immediately roll hot cookies in the confectioners sugar. Place sugared cookies on wire racks to cool.
• When cool, roll again in sugar at least once but I like to do it twice for a better finish.

MELT IN YOUR MOUTH PECAN PUFFS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Cream butter and sugar; add vanilla.
• Stir in flour and nuts.
• Roll into small (1 inch) balls.
• Bake for 27 minutes.
• Remove from oven, roll in powdered sugar while hot.
• Cool.

PECAN PUFFS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Put on some Christmas music.
• Chop pecan in a food processor or by knife.
• Beat butter until soft with a mixer. Add sugar, vanilla, and pecans. Carefully add flour and blend well.
• Coat hands with flour. Use a teaspoon scoop or a teaspoon and shape into cherry-size and place on a parchment-lined or greased cookie sheet.
• Bake at 300° 15-20 minutes.
• (These should be light in color. Do not brown!) While cookies are still quite warm, roll them in confectioner's sugar. When cool, roll in confectioner's sugar again.

PECAN PUFFS (AKA MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES OR RUSSIAN TEA CAKES)

Steps:

• Cream butter, add sugar and remaining ingredients.
• Roll into small balls, and place on cookie sheet.
• Bake in 325 F oven for 30 minutes.
• Roll balls into powdered sugar when hot, and again when cool.
• Note: These cookies taste best when thoroughly cooled (ie best served the next day--if you can wait!).