Chile-Spiked Mexican Wedding Cakes

One of my all-time favorite cookies. And quite possibly the only recipe from The Splendid Table that has actually worked for me. What I love about this cookie is you pick it up, thinking it's going to be yet another Italian wedding cookie -- a cookie you'll enjoy but immediately forget.

Instead, you bight into this and there's a hint of sweetness, an undertone of heat, and an overall sense of Je ne sais quoi that keeps one going back for more.

Chile-Spiked Mexican Wedding Cakes
The Splendid Table

1	c pecan, lightly toasted, in pieces
1	c unsalted butter, softened
1/2	c sugar
2 tsps	vanilla extract
2	c flour
1/2 tsp	salt
1/2 tsp	cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp	cinnamon
1/2	c powdered sugar

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the pecans until coarsely ground. Add the butter and pulse until combined. Mix in the sugar and vanilla. Add the flour, salt, cayenne and cinnamon and pulse just to combine.

Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line two 2 baking sheets with parchment.

When ready to bake, let the dough warm to room temperature so that it is pliable but still cold. Using about 1 tablespoon of dough per cookie, roll the dough into like-size balls. Place them on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass to keep them from rolling.

Bake until slightly browned on the bottom, about 12 minutes. Let them cool completely. Sift the confectioners’ sugar over the cooled cookies and dust with additional spices if desired.

Comments

Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles

I love this dish so much that I can barely stand it. Delicious the night it was made, and fantastic as leftovers throughout the week. Mayocoba beans are easily replaced -- try pintos, if you can't find mayocobas. Mayocoba Beans with Green Chiles Baptism of Fire 3-4 green chiles, roasted and chopped 1 onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 T lard or olive oil 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp cumin pepper 1 c mayocoba beans, dry 3 c water 1 tsp salt Cook the green chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, and black pepper in the fat until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the beans sit, uncovered, for an hour. You may drain the water to remove some of the slightly indigestible sugars that cause gassiness. If you decide to drain them, add enough water back into the pot to cover the beans with about 2" of water above the beans for cooking. Bring the beans back to a boil and cook, until tender. This will take...

Curried Chicken Soup

I made this soup so often in the 1990s, but frankly had forgotten about it. Flipping through this cookbook, I found this recipe and was flooded with memories. When I was in grad school, this soup was my "feeling decadent" food and reminded me of something people might eat after hitting the slopes -- a thing I have never done. A few decades long, and with a lot more experience with cooking, I realize that this is basically a chicken curry with a thin sauce and the rice already in the meal -- but don't let that in any way discourage you! It's delicious as is and is a wonderful take on what is otherwise chicken and rice soup. I have become a fan of using rotisserie chickens, especially during the pandemic. They are so cheap, and I can use the meat in a soup like this on the day-of grocery shopping, and, crunch the bones down for the freezer for making stock in the future. Of course, this soup can be made with a fresh chicken, but I have modified the recipe bel...

Spicy Bulgarian Tomato Dumpling Soup - Domatene Supa

This was very very good. The soup itself was flavorful and would have been enough as a dinner soup. But adding the dumplings converted this soup into an entree. The couscous addition in the batter makes the dumplings pretty foolproof -- no real concern that they'll still be raw because most of the bulk is couscous, which was already cooked. I opted to cook only enough dumplings as we needed that night. We will have to make future dumplings "on demand" as we eat this as leftovers. Spicy Bulgarian Tomato Dumpling Soup - Domatene Supa Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant Soup 1 onion , diced 4 cloves garlic , minced 3 T olive oil 6 c tomatoes , chopped (fresh or canned and drained) 2 tsp chili powder 2 T flour 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 4 c stock Dumplings 2 T butter , room temperature 2 eggs , separated 1/4 c couscous 1/4 c boiling water 3/4 c flour 1/4 tsp salt 2 T dill weed , fresh (or 1 tsp dried) 1/3 c milk or stock In medium pot, sa...

Donut Army

Search This Blog