Mexican Wedding Cookies

Mexican wedding cookies are traditionally given as wedding favors wrapped in white fancy paper.

This favorite holiday cookie also goes by many different names. Some call them snowballs, Russian teacakes, or Swedish teacakes. The names may be different but the cookie is basically the same.
Mexican wedding cookies can also vary by the type of nuts that are used. Pecans, walnuts or almonds can be used.
1⁄4 lb. butter

2 tbsp. confectioners' sugar

1⁄2 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1 cup finely ground walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 375°. Cream butter until fluffy. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Beat for 1–2 minutes. Gradually beat in flour. Stir in nuts.

Shape dough into 1" balls, using about 1 tbsp. of dough for each. Place 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes, turning sheet so that cookies bake lightly and evenly. Transfer to a rack, allow to cool, and roll in confectioners' sugar.

Butter Balls

Dredging these melt-in-your-mouth cookies twice—first while still warm and again after they've cooled—insures a generous covering of powdery sugar.
MAKES 4 DOZEN

1 cup finely ground walnuts

2 1⁄4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1⁄2 tsp. salt

1⁄2 lb. unsalted butter, softened

1⁄2 cup confectioners' sugar, plus 2 cups for dredging

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Combine walnuts, flour, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix well and set aside. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed. Gradually add 1⁄4 cup sugar and beat until mixture is fluffy. Beat in vanilla, then reduce speed and add flour mixture, mixing until just combined.

2. Using your hands, shape dough, 1 tbsp. at a time, into small balls, then place about 1" apart on buttered nonstick baking sheets. Bake until cookies are slightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove cookies from oven and allow to cool for 5–10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, place remaining 1–2 cups sugar on a large plate. Roll cookies, while still warm, in sugar, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. Once cookies are completely cool, roll them again in sugar.

Oreo Cookie Brownies

What’s great about these brownies is, if you make them properly , they have an almost flakey texture. That is, they hold together and appear to be borderline cakey, but when you bite into them, they are almost truffle-like. Ofcourse it doesn't hurt that Oero cookies are a favorite of my husband.

And finally, Halloween. The orange and black Halloween themed Oreos are out now and I think broken Halloween Oreos would look really good.
8 ounces unsalted butter

8 ounces plus
4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (12 oz total)

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder

8 Oreo cookies, broken up

Preheat the oven to 350º. Line a 13×9 inch metal pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.
Melt the butter, 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly.

Stir (do not beat) eggs, vanilla, and sugar together in a large mixing bowl. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and cool to room temperature.

Stir 1/2 cup of flour, the baking powder, salt and espresso powder together in another bowl then add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the Oreo chunks and 4 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with remaining 2 tablespoon of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into pan.

Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 10 minutes more, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool, then chill brownies. Lift from pan and cut into squares.

Makes about 32
Note: Recipe works well in an 8 inch square pan too. Just use half of all ingredients (1 ½ Tablespoons of beaten egg for the ½ egg).