Mexican Wedding Cookies

My friend asked me to make some cookies for her with which she could participate during a Christmas cookie exchange at her work. She also mentioned to me about the Mexican wedding cookies. These are basically sugar cookies with finely chopped nuts in the dough that makes them a little different from the usual sugar cookies. The confectioner's sugar that is added after the cookies cool off definitely contributes to the special way of finishing these cookies. No wonder these cookies are always served at a wedding or some special occasion. Enjoy these simple Mexican wedding cookies.

Ingredients:
2 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup powdered confectioner’s sugar, divided
1 cup almonds or walnuts, lightly toasted and finely chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:
Cream the butter with half of the powdered sugar and all the vanilla extract in a large bowl. Sift the flour and salt together into the bowl and fold into the butter mixture. Stir in the nuts. Cover and let chill in the refrigerator for an hour or until firm.
Preheat oven to 375°. With lightly floured hands, shape the dough into 1 inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on a large baking sheet.

 Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until set but not browned and rotating the baking sheet so that the cookies bake evenly. Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.

Place the remaining half of the powdered sugar on a shallow dish.

 Roll the warm cookies in the sugar, and then let cool on wire racks for 30 minutes. When cool, roll again in the sugar. Store in airtight containers.