January23
I grew up with Mexican Wedding Cookies… little puffs of melt-in-your-mouth happiness… at holidays, christenings, weddings. If there was a celebration, these were on the sweets table.
Since these shortbread-like cookies are so easy to make, they are popular all over the world. You may know them as a Snowdrops, Viennese Sugar Balls or a Russian Tea Cake.
I like to toast the nuts because it intensifies their flavor in the cookie. And, most important, I always double-dip the cookies in the powdered sugar… it gives them a nice finish!
Mexican Wedding Cookies
prep: 20 minutes
bake: 20 minutes
you’ll need…
1 cup pecans
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1¼ cup powdered sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
let’s get to it…
Heat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly toasted, stirring occasionally. Cool completely; chop finely and set aside.
Beat butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla on medium speed in an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour and cooled pecans.
Using a spoon, shape dough into small 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until cookies brown on the bottom. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. While cookies are warm, roll them in the remaining powdered sugar until evenly coated. Cool on a wire rack. Roll cookies a second time in the powdered sugar. Store in a tightly sealed container.
December17
Top your holiday desserts with this bit of sweet enchantment: Candy Cane Whipped Cream.
There’s nothing like homemade whipped cream. Seriously.
The billowing clouds of cream go with just about everything. Serve it sweetened as a topping or as a filling for pies and cakes. A small dollop of savory whipped cream in a soup richly elevates the flavor.
But, for the holidays, this Candy Cane Whipped Cream recipe is all about fun. Be careful not to over whip it, or the cream will become curdled-looking and grainy. A really cold mixing bowl and beaters help. Also, make sure you pulverize the candy cane because you don’t want a sharp shard ruining the fun.
You can refrigerate Candy Cane Whipped Cream for about eight hours, but otherwise it doesn’t store very well. If you have any leftover, serve it with hot chocolate or stir it into your coffee. You can also use it as a dip for Christmas cookies.
But please don’t do what I did (grab a spoon and eat it out of the mixing bowl). That is definitely NOT enchanting (but pretty delicious)!
Candy Cane Whipped Cream
prep: 15 minutes
you’ll need…
2 6-inch candy canes (you’ll need ⅓ cup finely crushed candy cane)
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar)
1 teaspoon vanilla
let’s get to it…
Place the candy canes in a gallon size Ziploc® Freezer Bag. Place a kitchen towel over the Ziploc® bag. With a heavy skillet, meat pounder or a heavy can, pound the candy canes until completely pulverized with no sharp shards remaining; set aside.
Pour the cream into a large mixing bowl. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds.
Add the sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Increase the speed to high for 20 seconds or until soft peaks form and the volume has doubled. If you like stiffer peaks, beat for another 10 seconds (be careful not to overbeat or you’ll make butter!).
Fold crushed candy canes into whipped cream. Serve immediately or store for up to 8 hours.
tip: if you have leftover crushed candy canes, sprinkle on top of the dessert!
