Russian Tea Cakes / Mexican Wedding Cakes (Cookies)

From the Joyofbaking.com, my friend Wendy made these cookies during our Operation Baking Gals 'baking day' -- these are one of my FAVORITE cookies, I can never eat just one. NOTE: There is a 1-hour 'rest' time for the dough to firm up once it is mixed. This is not included in the prep time.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 2⁄3 cup  toasted pecans or 2⁄3 cup walnuts or 2⁄3 cup hazelnuts
• 1  cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1⁄4 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered or icing sugar)
• 1  teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2  cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt

• TOPPING

• 1  cup confectioners' sugar, sifted (powdered or icing sugar)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Toast nuts. Place nuts on a separate baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes (or until lightly brown and fragrant) in a 350 degree F oven. Cool.
4. Once the nuts have cooled completely place them, along with 2 tablespoons of the flour for the recipe, into your food processor, fitted with a metal blade, and process until they are finely ground (but not a paste). Or the nuts can be hand chopped until very fine. Set aside.
5. In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
6. Beat in the vanilla extract.
7. Add the remaining flour and salt and beat until combined.
8. Stir in the nuts.
9. Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour or until firm.
10. Once the dough is firm, form the dough into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets.
11. Bake about 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown.
12. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes.
13. Roll the semi-cool cookies in the sifted powdered sugar and return to rack to cool completely.
14. Store in airtight container for up to 10 days.