Whether you call them Lemon Snowdrop Cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, or Powdered Sugar Cookies, this recipe makes a delicious shortbread-type cookie studded with finely chopped pecans and dressed liberally with powdered sugar.
1teaspoonlemon oil - or 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel for milder lemon flavor
2cups(240g)powdered sugar
Instructions
Using a food processor with a metal blade, finely chop 1¼ cups chopped pecans along with 1/4 cup of flour. Pulse 3 or 4 times, then process steadily for about 8 seconds. (If you don't have a food processor, chop them as finely as possible with a sharp knife.)
Add remaining flour (1¾ cup) and ¼ teaspoon table or sea salt to pecans and pulse a few times until combined.
Add room-temperature 1 cup unsalted butter to a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-low until light and creamy.
Reduce mixer speed to low and add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon cold water, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon lemon oil.
Add chopped pecan-flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 portions, mixing just until combined. Don't overwork.
Press dough into a ball, wrap well, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Make tablespoon-size cookie dough balls and place them onto lined (parchment paper or silicone mat) baking sheets. Leave them as balls, if desired, or slightly flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar.
Bake in a preheated,325˚F oven for 20-25 minutes or until the bottoms start to brown.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes.
Offload baked cookies upside down onto a cooling rack set over a piece of waxed paper.
Coating the cookies with powdered sugar
While still warm, sprinkle with 2 cups powdered sugar using a sieve.
Flip them, and sprinkle the top sides with powdered sugar.
Allow cookies to cool completely.
Sprinkle the top side for the second time using a sieve of powdered sugar.
Move rack off of the waxed paper and press each cookie into the remaining sugar on the waxed paper so that now the bottom also has two coats. (The sugar will melt slightly in the beginning, requiring more than one coat.)
Store in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.