Mexican Wedding Cake cookies

Growing up, I was blessed with a mother who loved holidays. Dressing up for Halloween (ok, not so much a holiday) was something she lived for. Around Thanksgiving and Christmas, she'd always bake tons of holiday cookies. In addition to the sugar cookies and drop cookies, she'd make Mexican Wedding Cakes. How she started making them in Maine, I'll never know. I absolutely love them. When I started living on my own, both during college and when I moved out of state, I had to make them myself when I wanted some. She used to send or bring them to me in college, and some of my friends got addicted to them. While mine come usually come out great, Mom's are just that much better for some reason. Some of my friends would refuse my cookies and instead wait to see if Mom sent me some.

When I lived in Dallas, I'd make them during the holidays. I tried to dye them orange for Halloween one year, but that didn't work out too well. At my last job in Dallas, one of my coworkers, Connie, would pester me at least once a month all year for them. Luckily she was placated most of the year by my chocolate chip cookies. However, once Thanksgiving rolled around, it was restraining order time, as everytime she walked by my cube, she'd ask about them. Since she was over six feet tall, the cubicle walls weren't an obstacle for her.

Nowadays, it's Tara who does the pestering. To me, they are strictly a holiday season cookie. The last time we were in Maine, she tried to get Mom to admit that she made them all year, but Mom backed up my story that they are holiday cookies for us. Tara wasn't pleased.

I picked up some pecan halves last week while getting brining spices at Sunflower on Bell and tonight I toasted them in the oven. Tomorrow or Tuesday, I'm gonna make the cookies. They are really easy to make. A food processor makes them a snap.

Mexican Wedding Cakes

1 cup butter/margarine

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

Cream butter and 1/2 cup confectioners sugar. Add vanilla and flour. Beat until well mixed. Stir in nuts. Chill for 1 hour. Preheat 350. 1" balls. bake on ungreased cookie sheet 15 mins +/-. Cool 2-3 minutes. Roll in confec sugar. Cool and roll again in sugar.