Pumpkin Pecan Polvorones Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipes

POLVORONES (MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES)

Steps:

• Process pecans until ground but not "pasty."
• Beat butter and 1/2 C. powdered sugar on medium until fluffy, scraping down once.
• Gradually add 1 C. flour, vanilla and salt. Beat on low until well blended, scraping down once.
• Fold in remaining flour and ground nuts with spoon until just blended. Careful not to over-stir.
• Form dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll tablespoons of dough into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
• Bake 12-15 minutes or until pale golden brown. Let cookies stand on sheet 2 minutes.
• Place 1 C. powdered sugar in serving dish. Transfer hot cookies to dish (easiest to do one at a time) and roll to coat evenly. Let cookies cool in sugar.
• Sift more sugar over platter of cookies just before serving.

MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream butter and 1 cup confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes; beat in vanilla. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in pecans. , Shape tablespoons of dough into 2-in. crescents. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets., Bake until light brown, 12-15 minutes. Roll cookies in additional confectioners' sugar while warm; cool on wire racks.

POLVORONES (MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES)

Steps:

• Put 1/2 cup of the walnuts and the salt in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Roughly chop the remaining 1 cup walnuts.
• Position two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Beat the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the flour, then the ground and chopped walnuts. Divide the dough in half, forming each half into a ball. Wrap separately in plastic and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Put the confectioners' sugar in a large bowl.
• Working with half of the chilled dough at a time and keeping the rest in the fridge, roll the dough by 2 teaspoonfuls between your palms into balls. Arrange the balls on a large baking sheet, spacing them 1/2 inch apart.
• Bake the cookies until golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top, about 18 minutes. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Toss the warm cookies in the powdered sugar. Transfer the sugar-coated cookies to a rack to cool completely. The cookies can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Once cooled, store them in an airtight container. You need to make sure they are cooled before storing them, otherwise they will get soggy. Sift additional powdered sugar and cinnamon over the cookies if desired before serving.