Mexican Wedding Cakes -- granulated vs. confectioners' sugar
I've been comparing recipes for Mexican wedding cakes (aka Russian tea cakes, almond crescents, etc.). Some use granulated sugar while others use confectioners' sugar. How does the type of sugar affect the texture of the cookie?
Also, I've tasted Mexican wedding cakes that had a strong floury taste to them. I prefer a nuttier overtone. Can I replace some of the flour with more nut flour or will that affect the texture too much?
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16 Comments:
Toast the nuts. Use the confectioners sugar, when you toss the warm cookies it makes a nice coating. Light and tender.
JerzeeTomato at 9:17AM on 12/06/08
And what do you think about buttter vs. margerine for them? The last time I tried them with margerine, I actually think they tasted better!
floridayaya at 9:29AM on 12/06/08
Oh floridaayaya ~ margarine better than butter? Not in my world. I've never liked the taste of margarine. Mom thought she could fool me. Never! If you prefer it, then go for it!
I actually prefer superfine sugar to 10X sugar. And it doesn't make such a mess when eating.
PerkyMac at 10:32AM on 12/06/08
Oh, maybe I should clarify my question about the sugar. I was referring to the sugar in the dough itself, not the coating. I haven't eaten a Mexican wedding cake rolled in granulated sugar although I have seen some versions made that way. Sorry for the confusion.
Esmeralda at 10:41AM on 12/06/08
Granulated sugar in the dough, rolled while still warm in confectioner's. We call them Russian Tea Cakes in my family, and they're my favorite holiday cookie!
producestories at 11:19AM on 12/06/08
Confectioner's sugar is rarely used as a substitute for regular granulated sugar in recipes for a number of reasons. The ratio of confectioner's sugar to granulated sugar would make most recipes cost-prohibitive, for one thing. Confectioner's sugar also does not tolerate long periods of heat, which makes it much more suitable for cold icings and glazes, not heated sauces or custards. Confectioner's sugar also contains up to 3% cornstarch as an anti-caking agent. Some specialty stores do carry confectioner's sugar without such additives, but these are intended primarily for commercial candy companies and bakeries.
Pavlov at 11:24AM on 12/06/08
Pavlov beat me to it, regarding cooking with confectioner's sugar. I've never seen it as an ingredient, just as a coating or a sprinkle. Regarding the flour taste - I make a similar cookie and it has very little flour, and is mostly butter and ground almonds. I know the confectioner's is the traditional coating and most wouldn't recognize the cookie without it. I just hate wearing my food.
PerkyMac at 11:31AM on 12/06/08
I beat PerkyMac, I beat PerkyMac...... nah, nah nah, nah nah... nah!
Pavlov at 11:35AM on 12/06/08
Perky wins by a cookie!
JerzeeTomato at 11:39AM on 12/06/08
Pavlov beat me! I wondered why I started to swell and turn black and blue. Must give my favorite attorney a call. LOL
I wish I had my almond crescent cookie recipe. I've made them with ground pecans, too. They are so bad for you and taste so good. Isn't that always the way? I guess I could just roll a stick of butter in ground nuts and sugar and eat that!
Are you baking today Esmeralda?
PerkyMac at 12:13PM on 12/06/08
@PerkyMac -- No baking today, just planning for Christmas.
By the way, most of the Mexican wedding cake cookie recipes I've seen call for 1/4 cup - 1 cup confectioners' sugar OR 1/2 cup -3/4 cup granulated sugar in the dough with approx 2 cups flour and 1 - 1 1/2 cups nut flour. Some don't use nut flour at all, just finely chopped nuts. I haven't made them with chopped nuts though. I wouldn't mind a recipe that had a higher nut flour to flour ratio but that wouldn't be a Mexican wedding cake then, would it?
Esmeralda at 2:03PM on 12/06/08
I've used the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook since I was a kid, and it always turns out. Those have ALWAYS been one of my favorite cookies for eating.
First time I had anything like them, and aunt bought them from a bakery, and I was enthralled by them. Mom didn't bake, so it was up to me to find the recipe and deal with it. And the BH&G cookbook was one that she had that had the recipe.
The one downside is that since they don't expand much in cooking, if you're baking them for gifts they don't seem to go as far. But people love them.
And while the crescent shape is what I think of as traditional for Christmas, that adds even more work to the process. And the crecents tend to break more often than the round ones, and somebody had to eat up that mess (yum). Round ones are easier.
I've seen almost the same recipe in a number of places, using different types of nuts. I think the ones I usually make are pecan, but it also depends on what I've got on hand. I wonder how they'd be with pistachios?
dbcurrie at 4:38PM on 12/06/08
Mexican Wedding Hats - Russian Tea Cakes - Snowballs - they go by so many names. I always use confectioner's sugar in the dough and also as the coating.
I toss them in the confectioner's sugar while they're warm - then go back for a second coat. They are more thoroughly coated after the second trip to the confectioner's sugar.
therealchiffonade at 6:07PM on 12/06/08
My girlfriend and I had a Russian Tea Cake bake-off many years ago. Her recipe called for granulated sugar, and mine called for confectioner's sugar (in the dough). My recipe won! It's a more tender, less crunchy cookie.
Although the cookies is traditionally made with walnuts, I now use pecans, because I like the flavor better. I lightly toast the nuts in the oven first - that really enhances the flavor and removes some of the oil.
Here's the recipe:
Mix together thoroughly:
1 cup butter
1/2 c SIFTED confectioner's sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Sift together & stir in:
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Mix in:
3/4 cup finely chopped toasted nuts
Chill dough. Roll into 1" balls (a rounded teaspoon). Place on ungreased baking sheet. (You can put them closely together, because they do not spread -- they just swell a bit.)
Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes until set, but not brown.
Remove from oven and cool slightly. While still warm, roll in additional sifted confectioner's sugar. Cool completely & roll in confectioner's sugar again.
Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies
kegan at 10:24AM on 12/08/08
The cornstarch in the confectioners' sugar may add to the tenderness - but it may also contribute to what someone called "tasting flour-y". Cook's choice, I'd say.
lemons at 10:33AM on 12/08/08
Esmeralda - I'm reading thru the comments and it doesn't seem your original question was ever question as to the difference between using granulated vs. confectioners sugar in the dough. I've been making these cookies since I was a kid, using my Mexican grandmothers recipe. Using the confectioners sugar gives you a flaky, crumbly cookie. It does hold up to the tossing in sugar afterward, but you have to handle them delicately (think almond cookies). I prefer to use this kind of sugar because they do, literally, melt in your mouth. Using granulated sugar will give you a harder cookie - not tough, just harder. These hold up better for mailing and it's a texture that most people are used to in cookies. My father prefers the harder ones to dip in milk so I make a few batches of the granulated sugar ones for him and the rest I make with confectioners sugar. Also, instead of the 1 cup of butter I use 1/2 butter, 1/2 lard - no salt since I use salted butter and I add a 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the dough. I literally can't stand the smell of almonds for a few weeks after baking 20 batches of these but they're always a hit!
lucycakes at 5:20PM on 12/09/08