Nutty Mexican Wedding Cookies

1. Prep Oven and Baking Sheets

Adjust your oven racks to the upper-middle and lower-middle positions and preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Process Pecans

Using a food processor, process 1 cup of the pecans until they resemble the texture of coarse cornmeal, about 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer these finely ground pecans to a bowl. Next, process the remaining 1 cup of pecans until they are coarsely chopped, about 5 seconds. Add these to the same bowl.

3. Mix Dry Ingredients

Mix in the flour and salt with the processed pecans to create your dry mixture.

4. Cream Butter and Sugar

In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the softened butter and superfine sugar at medium speed until the mixture becomes pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and beat until fully incorporated.

5. Combine Mixtures

Reduce the mixer speed to low and slowly add the nut mixture to the butter mixture. Continue mixing until everything is well combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix on low speed for another 7 seconds or until the dough is cohesive. Stir by hand to ensure there are no dry pockets.

6. Shape Dough

Take 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and roll it into a ball. Place each ball about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.

7. Bake Cookies

Bake the cookies for about 18 minutes, or until the tops are pale golden and the bottoms are just beginning to brown. Halfway through baking, switch and rotate the baking sheets to ensure even baking.

8. Cool Cookies

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

9. Coat in Confectioners' Sugar

Spread the confectioners' sugar in a shallow dish. Once the cookies are completely cool, roll them in the sugar to coat. Before serving, give them another roll in the sugar and gently shake off any excess.