Valentine’s Day Cookies by Callye from Sweet Sugarbelle

Can  you guess what’s happening today? Yes it true! Amazingly talented Callye from the reknowned  The Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle is on a sweet adventure here at Haniela’s. Yes, you’ve heard right, she is here!!! Today.
Callye and I met on Flickr several years ago, and since then I have grown to admire Callye for many reasons, not only  is she incredibly creative and makes cookies like no other, she is funny and has a big big heart, and your photos are fantastic! Thank you so much for everything you do my dear, you are one of a kind and I Love You.
Don’t forget to join Callye’s fan base on Facebook.

Now Let’s Meet Callye…

Hi everyone, my name is Callye and I am really excited and honored to be guest posting for my friend Haniela today.

It seems like only yesterday, but I’ve known Hani {as I affectionately call her} for almost three years now. In that time she has amazed me time after time with her wide range of talents that include cake decorating, cooking, gardening, photography and of course, cookies! And in case you weren’t already impressed, she also does charity work all while maintaining this wonderful blog.

I could write a small novel on how many times she’s impressed me with her knowledge, and I am proud to call her a friend.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about sharing today. My recipe is tried and true, but I wasn’t quite sure I could take Haniela worthy photos. Of course, I tried, but I’m now even more determined to work on my photography. I love having creative friends that are supportive and encourage me to become better myself.

These cookies are actually wedding cookies. Where I live, they are often called Mexican Wedding Cookies. However, you may know them as Danish wedding cookies or Italian wedding cookies. Regardless of the name, they’re all pretty much the same thing.

Some variations are made with almonds, but Texans are pecan people through and through, so that’s what I use.

After my decorated cookies, this is my #1 most requested treat. Since the day of LOVE is on its way, I thought it would be fun to give this traditional favorite a Valentine’s Day twist.

I just love red!

The recipe is simple and very forgiving. Don’t be afraid to experiment with it a little bit.

Mexican Wedding Cookies
1 cup {2 sticks} butter, softened

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tsp vanilla

6-8 drops tulip or no-taste red gel color

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ tsp salt

2 cups finely chopped pecans {you can substitute almonds or walnuts}

1 ½ to 2 cups of powdered sugar {for rolling}

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cream together the butter and confectioner’s sugar. Add vanilla and food color and mix well. Sift together flour and salt then toss with the nuts. Add one cupful at a time to the wet ingredients until well incorporated. Roll the cookies into one-inch balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for 15 minutes until slightly brown on the bottom. While hot, roll in powdered sugar, then remove to a cookie rack to cool. After they are cool, roll them in powdered sugar once more to evenly coat. Makes about 40-50 cookies.

Here are a few tips that I’ve learned:

Using a cookie scoop helps to create perfectly even cookies.
I bake these cookies on Silpat. I highly recommend them if you have them.
These can be colored to match any theme such as pink or blue for baby showers, or left plain.
These keep well and can be made up to 2 or 3 weeks ahead of time and stored in an airtight container
If you don’t like them so nutty, cut the amount down to 1 ½ cups or throw in some mini-chocolate chips for a little variety
Rather than throwing it out, I actually store these in the excess powdered sugar and give them a gentle shake before serving to make sure they stay coated.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

I also make decorated sugar cookies. You can check out my creations by visiting my blog, The Sweet Adventures of SugarBelle. I would love to see you there!

Thank you, Hani, for having me, you are very dear to me. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.