Wedding Cookies

Every year, starting sometime after the November Thanksgiving meal has been cooked, served, consumed and digested, Nanna's brother Uncle Paul descends the stairs to his Michigan basement, ties his apron strings and gets to work, making batches of cookie dough for his holiday cookies. Lucky for us, we are on his cookie recipients list (I have heard he even shares his homemade creations with the postal workers!) The content of his care package include Qaq tal-Ghasel, biscotti, a variety of airy almond cookies and wedding cookies.

These wedding cookies are nutty and dense. When served with tea, they are melty goodness. With their snow ball aesthetic, these cookies are perfect for the wintertime or on a cool morning for breakfast.

Carmen suggests sifting the confectioners sugar over the cookies versus rolling them in the sugar like the recipe calls for. (The batch photographed above were rolled and the results were not as smooth.)

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Wedding Cakes
(Pillsbury/General Mills)

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped or ground almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, the butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour, almonds and salt until dough forms.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 1 inch apart.

Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

Place 3/4 cup powdered sugar in small bowl. Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar again. Cookies can be placed in an airtight container and freeze up to 3 weeks. Before serving, thaw the cookies and reroll them in powdered sugar.

These rich butter cookies are also known as Russian Tea Cakes, Swedish Tea Cakes and Greek Wedding Cookies.

Yield: 54 [Thao - When I made them, this recipe resulted in about 27 cookies]