Italian Wedding Cookies Recipe… AKA Mexican Wedding Cookie and Russian Tea Cakes
Nutty, crumbly Italian Wedding Cookies coated with powdered sugar are irresistible for any occasion! You might be thinking, “Wait, aren’t these Mexican wedding cookies?” In fact, Italian wedding cookies and Mexican wedding cookies are remarkably similar… They are both cookies made with a simple combination of butter, flour, powdered sugar, and nuts. (No eggs required!) The differences are the types of nuts used in the cookies. Mexican wedding cookies include nut varieties from the Americas, such as pecans or walnuts. Italian wedding cookies include almonds or pistachios. And, surprise, these cookies are also called Russian Tea Cakes, a highly comparable and popular cookie in Russia and Eastern Europe. If a cookie could create world peace, this would be the recipe! Here we show you the easy step-by-step recipe for how to make sweet, crunchy cookies with your choice of nuts. Whichever one (or combo) you choose, these delicate and delicious wedding cookies are a fabulous addition to any dessert tray or bowl of ice cream!
Ingredients You Need
All-purpose flour – for a soft but dense and crumbly cookie texture Nuts – finely ground almonds or pistachios Powdered sugar – also known as confectioners’ sugar Vanilla extract – use “real” vanilla extract, not the fake stuff Salt – just a bit to balance the sweetness Butter – unsalted, softened
How to Make the Best Italian Wedding Cookies
Preheat the oven and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Gather all of your ingredients to streamline the baking process. Next, place 2 cups of shelled nuts in a food processor. Pulse the nuts in a food processor until they grind into fine pieces. You want a fine crumb, but be careful not to turn the nuts into nut butter. Beat flour, ground nuts, 1 cup of powdered sugar (reserve the rest for later), vanilla extract, and salt together in the bowl of a standing mixer. Add the softened butter and beat on low until the mixture is smooth and even. Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough into balls. Gently roll the dough balls in your hands and place them on the baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Pro Tip: Wash and lightly dry your hands, but keep them slightly damp. This helps to prevent the cookie dough from sticking while you roll the balls. Bake until they gold around the edges. Unlike some softer cookies, these should not look “underbaked” when done. Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Once the cookies are out of the oven, allow them to rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes. While they are still warm, but cool enough to handle, roll the cookies in the remaining powdered sugar. Place the cookies back onto the baking sheets or onto a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Pro Tip: Alternatively, you can use a sifter to dust powdered sugar over the top of the Italian wedding cookies. Adding just a sprinkling cuts down a bit on the amount of sugar and messiness.
Recipe Variations
Gluten-free – Substitute your favorite GF-friendly alternative to all-purpose flour. Nuts – Almonds are classic for Italian cookies, but nearly any nut will do! Make this recipe with finely chopped pistachio, walnuts, hazelnuts, or a combination of 2 or 3 of your favorites. Extract – I like the mellow flavor of vanilla extract. However, if you want a super intense nutty flavor you can use almond extract or pistachio extract, or whichever extract matches the nuts you include. You can even add a little anise extract or Dairy-free – Use your preferred plant-based butter substitute. Powdered sugar – If you aren’t a fan of the powdery-ness or trying to cut back on sugar a bit, feel free to completely omit the powdered sugar coating and enjoy the cookies as-is from the oven. Halve the recipe – This easy Italian wedding cookies recipe yields approximately 40 cookies. Halve the ingredients to make a smaller batch of 20-24 treats.
Looking for More Classic Cookie Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Soft Strawberry Cookies with Pistachios White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies Lemon Cookie Recipe Earl Gray Tea Cookies Cool Whip Cookies (2-Ingredients) Mexican Cookies (Biscochitos) Cream Cheese Cookies Orange Cookies (Sugar Cookies with Orange)
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