The delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture of these cookies is reminiscent of Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Warming cinnamon spices up this hazelnut-based version of the teatime classic.
Makes about 40 cookies.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened, cut into small pieces
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1 cup ground hazelnuts
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- For rolling cookies:
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (if you don’t have parchment paper, ungreased cookie sheets work fine, too).
Using a stand mixer, or a large bowl and electric beater, cream the butter on low speed until it is smooth and slightly fluffy. (Or, if you’ve got strong arms, you can use a heavy spoon or old-fashioned rotary beater!)
Add the flour, 1/2 cup of confectioners' sugar, ground nuts, cinnamon, salt and vanilla extract. Beat on medium speed until the ingredients are well blended and the mixture resembles sand.
Working with about a tablespoon of the cookie mixture at a time, gently press the dough into walnut-sized balls. Place them about an inch apart on the cookie sheets. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the cookies are very lightly browned.
Transfer the cookie sheets to a cooling rack and allow the cookies to cool slightly. In the meantime, sift the 2 cups of confectioners' sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon together into a medium bowl. Set a cooling rack over a piece of parchment or wax paper (this will prevent a sugary mess while the cookies finish cooling), or simply lay a large piece of parchment or wax paper on a flat surface.
When the cookies are still warm, but comfortable to the touch, drop them a few at a time into the confectioners' sugar and cinnamon mixture, and roll them around until they are coated. Place the sugar-coated cookies onto the cooling rack or parchment paper-lined surface, and allow them to cool completely. (Tip: Take care not to crowd or stack the cookies before they’ve cooled, or some of the cookies will lose globs of warm sugar to their neighbors.)
Cooled cookies may be stored at room temperature, in an airtight container, for up to two weeks, or in the freezer, well-wrapped in foil, for up to two months. In both cases, separate layers of stacked cookies with parchment or wax paper.