Being a Slovak, nut cookies at Christmas are ALWAYS walnut based. Now don’t get me wrong I enjoy walnuts… especially when paired with honey in nut roll… but I also like lots of other nuts. A lot of cookies contain nuts, but most of them have nuts as an accessory instead of the star of the show. Mexican Wedding cookies throw almonds into the center stage.

These may seem like easy cookies. For the most part they are, but there are lots of missteps that will lead to icky cookies. Almonds will scorch if you expose them to too much heat. These cookies also will get very dry when overcooked, even if the almonds don’t scorch. Also, if you end up with a dry cookie, the confectioner’s sugar will not bind to the surface which also makes for a less enjoyable cookie.

Mexican Wedding Cookies (about 3 dozen)

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 Tablespoon milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup almond meal (you can use almond butter if you cannot find meal, just cut the butter in half to account for the extra liquid)
• 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the flour and almond meal; the dough will look like large pebbles. Add the almond extract and milk and continue to mix, the dough will come together but will still feel dry to the touch. Cover and chill for at least 3 hours or freeze for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Form the dough into 1 inch balls and place them about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet lined in parchment. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Allow cookies to cool to touch on baking sheet. Roll cookies in confectioner’s sugar while still warm.