Mexican Wedding Cookies

I actually don't know why this cookies are called like this, I know that Mexican people don't serve them at their weddings, they are not really cookies per se and I'm not completely sure the original recipe comes from Mexico at all!..... But one thing I do know is that they are GREAT and they're quite easy to make. I could eat these cookies all day long! (which is why I only make them once a year )

The "secret" with this recipe is the vanilla, you really have to use fresh vanilla or a very good vanilla extract, that's what gives them their real flavor!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 230g unsalted butter cut into chunks
• 2/3 cup pecans lightly toasted
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup powder sugar for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C
2. Using a food procesor finely chop the pecans. Add 2 tablespoons of flour to the processor and grind or chop lightly. If done by hand, just mix together.
3. Mix the remaining flour and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Drop in the chunks of butter little by little. Begin to mix with your hands, until the butter is mixed in with the flour and salt. The mixture will turn into a coarse dough.
4. Add in the vanilla, sugar and pecan mixture and work it all in. 
5. Don't knead more than necessary, you just want it to come together into a homogeneous mass.
6. Butter a large cookie sheet. 
7. One by one, make small balls of dough with the palms of your hands. 
8. Place them on a baking sheet with about 1/2cm in between them. 
9. Bake them for about 10 to 15 minutes, until they have a golden brown color.
10. Dust confectioners sugar over the cookies and serve.