Johnny's Impossible Tawdry Mexican Wedding Cookies
- 1 3/4 cups walnut pieces
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup tapioca starch (tapioca flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 sticks butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons grade A dark amber maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until the consistency of coarse cornmeal (twenty 2 second pulses).
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, tapioca and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl, using an electric hand mixer, add the butter and sugar and blend until smooth.
- Stir in the maple syrup and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients in thirds, using the paddle attachment on your mixer, at slow speed.
- Once the mixture has pulled together, mix at a slightly higher speed to fully incorporate the ingredients.
- Finally, add the walnuts and mix briefly to combine.
- Roll the dough into ball, flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for 1/2 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure 1 tablespoon of the dough into your hand, roll into a log with tapered ends and shape into a crescent.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Arrange the cookies, about 1-inch apart, on the baking sheets.
- Bake just until the bottom edges start to turn golden, about 14 to 16 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack until completely cool, about 20 minutes.
- Put the confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl, and dredge the cookies, 1 at a time, tapping off excess sugar.
- Daisy's Variation:
- Add 1 teaspoon of good quality cinnamon, and 1 cup of mini morsels (recommended, Nestle's) to the dough.
- You can also flavor the confectioners' sugar by sifting it with 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder, for wonderful results.
walnut pieces, flour, tapioca starch, salt, butter, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, sugar
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/daisy-martinez/johnnys-impossible-tawdry-mexican-wedding-cookies-recipe.html (may not work)