Best Mexican Tea Cakes Recipes

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!).

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.

RUSSIAN TEA BALLS (MEXICAN WEDDING CAKES)

Steps:

• Preheat oven 400; Cream butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add water and vanilla. Gradually add flour, nuts beating well Roll into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet Bake at 400 for 10 min. till light brown on bottom Cool on wire racks about 10 min Then roll in 1 cup of confectioners' sugar. When completely cool, roll again in sugar.

MEXICAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Beat butter until light and fluffy; beat in the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar, egg yolk and almonds.
• Gradually add flour to make a soft dough that you can shape with your hands.
• Pinch off pieces of dough the size of a large walnut and roll between your hands into round balls or form half moons.
• Place about 1 1/2" apart on ungreased baking sheets and bake in a 275 degree oven 45 minutes or until very lightly browned.
• Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets until lukewarm.
• Sift about 1/2 of the 1 pound powdered sugar over butcher paper; arranged in a shallow pan, and carefully transfer cookies from baking sheet to sugar.
• Sift more powdered sugar over tops and sides; completely coating cookies at least 1/8" thick with sugar.
• Let stand until cool; store in an airtight container with waxed paper between layers of cookies.

MEXICAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Beat together butter and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at moderately high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then add flour, pecans, and salt and mix at low speed until just combined. Chill, covered, at least 6 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Let dough stand at room temperature until just pliable, about 15 minutes. Roll level teaspoons of dough into 3/4-inch balls and arrange about 2 inches apart on lightly buttered large baking sheets.
• Sift remaining 2 1/2 cups confectioners sugar into a large shallow bowl.
• Bake in batches in middle of oven until bottoms are pale golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Immediately transfer hot cookies to confectioners sugar, gently rolling to coat well, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
• Roll cookies in confectioners sugar again when cooled.

MEXICAN TEA CAKES

Steps:

• Combine flour, salt and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Add butter, pecans, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla; stir until well blended. Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Roll cookies in additional powdered sugar while hot. Remove to wire racks to cool completely, and reroll cookies in powdered sugar.