Mexican Chocolate "Speckled" Wedding Cookies

I’ve read recipes of Mexican Wedding Cookies for a long time now. The recipe resembles a shortbread recipe with some nuts incorporated into the dough and then dusted with powdered sugar when they come out of the oven.

Have I ever seen them at any Mexican wedding I’ve ever attended? NO. The traditional wedding cookie here in El Paso is the biscocho. I’ve always known biscochos as Polvorones. I learned how to make these with my Grandmother, Mi Chita, by memorizing the ingredients and many years later committing them to paper. These delightful little cookies are very often found at many Southwestern gatherings such as weddings, birthdays, baptismals and holidays like Christmas.

But my curiosity got the better of me. I’ve made the Pecan Sandies recipe found in the old BHG cookbook. This recipe reminded me of that. I looked in the Food Network recipe archives and found one that I knew I had all the ingredients for. Of course, I had to tweak it. I added some Mexican chocolate bits to it. The taste is quite delicious. So maybe I don’t go with the norm and make these as wedding cookies, but they do make a great treat. Enjoy.


(Mexican Chocolate Speckled) Wedding Cookies http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/mexican-wedding-cookies-recipe/index.html

( I made half of the recipe)
Ingredients
1 pound soft unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup powdered sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons vanilla (1 tablespoon)
1 teaspoon salt (pinch)
2 cups finely chopped pecans (1 cup)
5 cups sifted pastry flour (2 ½ cups)
Powdered sugar for dusting
3/4 cup Mexican chocolate chopped into tiny bits

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and powdered sugar in mixer until light and fluffy, about 10-15 minutes.

Add vanilla, salt and pecans. Fold in Mexican chocolate bits. Remove from mixer and stir in pastry flour by hand being careful not to over mix. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to stabilize the dough.

Form into football shapes about the size of small walnuts and place on a buttered cookie sheet.
I used a cookie scoop to form small round dough shapes. Press lightly with bottom of lightly-floured glass.

Bake 10-12 minutes or until just beginning to get the slightest bit colored on the bottom. Remove upon the first sign of color and set on a rack to cool. When cool enough to touch place in a bowl with powdered sugar on top and bottom and toss gently.

Occasionally toss with sugar while cooling, trying to get as much sugar as possible to stick. When cold, place cookies in airtight container and cover until ready to serve.