Florentine Wedding Cakes
The melt-in-your-mouth classic, Mexican wedding cakes, takes on an Italian veil as Lynn Tremble, replaces the traditional walnuts with hazelnuts and adds a sprinkle of cocoa.
How to Make It
Step 1
1
Put nuts in a 9-inch cake or pie pan. Bake in a 350° oven until pale gold under skin, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour nuts into a towel and rub briskly with the cloth to remove as much skin as possible. Lift nuts from towel and finely chop. Wipe out pan.
Step 2
2
Cut butter into chunks and put in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla; beat on slow speed to incorporate, then beat on high speed until fluffy.
Step 3
3
On low speed, mix in flour and salt, then beat until blended.
Step 4
4
Stir in nuts.
Step 5
5
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Step 6
6
Bake in a 300° oven until cookies no longer feel soft when gently touched but are not browned, about 18 minutes. (If using one oven, alternate pan positions after 8 to 10 minutes.) Cool on pans about 5 minutes.
Step 7
7
Place remaining powdered sugar in cake pan. Gently roll hot cookies, a few at a time, in sugar to coat well. Set cookies slightly apart on piece of waxed paper (about 20 in. long) until almost cool, then roll in sugar again. Return cookies to paper in a single layer. Shake cocoa through fine strainer over cookies. Let cookies cool.
Step 8
8
Serve, or store airtight at once for up to 3 days. Freeze to store longer.
Step 9
9
Nutritional analysis per cookie.
Ingredients
3/4 cup hazelnuts
1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter or margarine, at room temperature
About 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons Dutch-process cocoa
Directions
Step 1
1
Put nuts in a 9-inch cake or pie pan. Bake in a 350° oven until pale gold under skin, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour nuts into a towel and rub briskly with the cloth to remove as much skin as possible. Lift nuts from towel and finely chop. Wipe out pan.
Step 2
2
Cut butter into chunks and put in a large bowl. Beat with a mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add 1/3 cup of the powdered sugar and the vanilla; beat on slow speed to incorporate, then beat on high speed until fluffy.
Step 3
3
On low speed, mix in flour and salt, then beat until blended.
Step 4
4
Stir in nuts.
Step 5
5
Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets.
Step 6
6
Bake in a 300° oven until cookies no longer feel soft when gently touched but are not browned, about 18 minutes. (If using one oven, alternate pan positions after 8 to 10 minutes.) Cool on pans about 5 minutes.
Step 7
7
Place remaining powdered sugar in cake pan. Gently roll hot cookies, a few at a time, in sugar to coat well. Set cookies slightly apart on piece of waxed paper (about 20 in. long) until almost cool, then roll in sugar again. Return cookies to paper in a single layer. Shake cocoa through fine strainer over cookies. Let cookies cool.
Step 8
8
Serve, or store airtight at once for up to 3 days. Freeze to store longer.
Step 9
9
Nutritional analysis per cookie.
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