NUTBALLS A.K.A Mexican Wedding Cookies or Butterballs

I’m not a cookie person, but there is one cookie that defines me and that is the “Nutball” or as some people call them, Mexican wedding cookies. I have a beautiful history with nutballs, but recently I decided to try making them with whole wheat flour instead of white flour. My mother found a recipe that uses honey instead of sugar out of the Silver Palate Cookbook and all I did was swap out 1 cup of white flour for 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour. If you do the math you will see that this makes these cookies a protein powerhouse, yet they taste like a guilty pleasure. The biggest problem with these little dusty balls of happiness is that you can’t stop eating them and if you fool yourself, like me, by saying that they are a protein snack, then you are screwed.

I’m not a cookie person, but there is one cookie that defines me and that is the “Nutball” or as some people call them, Mexican wedding cookies. I have a beautiful history with nutballs, but recently I decided to try making them with whole wheat flour instead of white flour. My mother found a recipe that uses honey instead of sugar out of the Silver Palate Cookbook and all I did was swap out 1 cup of white flour for 3/4 cup of whole wheat flour. If you do the math you will see that this makes these cookies a protein powerhouse, yet they taste like a guilty pleasure. The biggest problem with these little dusty balls of happiness is that you can’t stop eating them and if you fool yourself, like me, by saying that they are a protein snack, then you are screwed.

These cookies are great for kids if you leave off the powdered sugar…. all they are getting is nuts, whole wheat flour and butter.

You will need:

a pre-heated 300F oven
a parchment-lined cookie sheet
1 cup chopped pecans
1 stick of butter softened
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour (or whole wheat flour)
3 T honey
1/2 t salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Cream butter and honey with a mixer or cold, clean hands
Add flour slowly
Add nuts
Add salt
Form into a ball and refrigerate for at least one hour
Form into quarter-sized balls. I used a round metal teaspon-sized measuring spoon
Bake for 35 minutes

When cool enough to touch, but still warm, toss into some powdered sugar.
These cookies are best cool, so don’t Hoover them down just out of the oven. These are a perfect Easter cookie.

By |2018-10-02T19:11:23-04:00April 2nd, 2015|

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