Best Pecan Puffs Aka Mexican Wedding Cakes Or Russian Tea Cakes Recipes

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.

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.

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.

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.

POWDERED SUGAR MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place pecans on a cookie sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
• Cool pecans completely before proceeding.
• IN THE FOOD PROCESSER (preferred) -----------.
• Process pecans, salt and sugar until pecans are ground very fine.
• Cut the butter in chunks and, with the motor running, add.
• Process until smooth and creamy.
• Scrape down bowl, add vanilla and pulse.
• Add flour and salt, pulse until it starts to clump.
• OR IN THE MIXER-------------.
• Soften butter.
• Grind toasted pecans.
• In medium bowl whisk, flour, nuts and salt until combined.
• Combine sugar and butter in a mixing bowl, beat until light and fluffy.
• Beat in vanilla extract and scrape down bowl.
• Stir on low speed, gradually adding the flour mixture until just incorporated.
• FOR EITHER METHOD-------------.
• Place dough into a bowl and refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees f.
• Measure dough using a gently rounded 1 ¼" scoop, or 1 scant tablespoon, roll between palms to form a 1" balls.
• Place balls 1 ½" apart on cookie sheet, bake for 15 mins or until just beginning to brown, undersides will be lightly browned.
• Rotate pan half way through cooking for even baking.
• Cool cookies on sheet for 2-3 mins, using a small angled spatula lift the cookies from the sheet and gently roll several times in powdered sugar.
• Cool completely on rack and roll again in powdered sugar.
• Store in an airtight container for about 1 month.

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.

WEDDING COOKIES (SNOWBALLS, RUSSIAN TEA CAKES)

Steps:

• Blend softened butter with powdered sugar. Add vanilla.
• Mix in salt, baking powder, flour and chopped pecans.
• Form dough into 1 inch balls or flattened cookies and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake in a 325 degree oven for 12 minutes, until firm but not brown. While hot roll in powdered sugar. Let cool and roll again in powdered sugar.