Mexican Commitment Ceremony Cakes

They're just like Mexican Wedding Cakes, but for morally corrupt crusaders against family values like yours truly! Apparently these cookies are also called Russian Tea Cakes, but let's not even go there.

Alright, all snark aside, you guys are going to love these teeny sugar-coated cookies - they're ridiculously delicious and so easy to make! This sweet treat is super rich and buttery, with a great nutty crunch and a melt-in-your-mouth powdered sugar coating. 

These cookies only require 5 ingredients and approximately 20 minutes, so if you're in the market for a last-minute contribution to a potluck or afternoon tea then these little guys are perfect. Plus they're tiny, so you can totally eat 7 of them in one sitting without feeling guilty. That's how it works, right? 

Mexican Wedding Cakes

(adapted from Hell Yeah It's Vegan!)

Makes about 4 dozen cookies

1 cup Earth Balance

1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or a nutty liqueur like amaretto, because YOLO)

2 cups flour

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 cup walnuts

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Chop up the walnuts, spread them on a cookie sheet, and pop them in the oven while it heats up. Keep a close eye on them - the line between "toasted" and "completely charred" is pretty fine. You'll want your walnuts to be fragrant and just a teeny bit golden brown. 

Chop chop!

In the meantime, grab a medium bowl and mix the Earth Balance and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour and 6 tablespoons of the powdered sugar and go to town - you're going to need to mix for a couple of minutes before the dough comes together. 

Keep mixing!

Quick quick, take out the walnuts before they burn! Once they've cooled a little, mix them into the cookie dough. If you're the kind of person who liberally taste-tests raw cookie dough before it goes into the oven (who isn't?), you're going to worry that I've ripped you off because this concoction is admittedly a little bland and uninspiring. But have faith, it's gonna be okay!

Also, check out the sweet apron my mom got me. 

Dig into the dough and make cookie balls that are a little bit smaller than a ping pong ball. Don't worry about flattening them or spacing them out or anything like that. Once you fill up a cookie sheet, just stick it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are a very little brown on the bottom. Wait a couple of minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

Enlist your friends for help!

Once the cookies are sort of cool but still warm (I gave them about 10 minutes), you're ready for the final step. Pour the rest of your powdered sugar into a flat dish and roll the cookies around like little snowballs. If the powdered sugar immediately melts on contact, wait a couple more minutes for the cookies to cool. That's it! Your cookies are ready to devour - just watch out for powdered sugar spillage!