Attack of the Mexican Wedding Cakes!

My workplace is having a cookie exchange this Monday and I, against all common sense and logic, chose to participate! We each have to make roughly SEVEN DOZEN cookies to split up amongst 17 people. I didn't really realize how much seven dozen was until I was knee deep in cookie dough and sneezing powdered sugar left and right.

I wanted to make something super cool and delicious and my first thought was to make some rum balls. I could get a big bottle of rum and make the cookies and still have leftovers....of rum, that is. I think the real reason I wanted to make them was because I always think back to one time in highschool when my neighbor brought over Christmas cookies for us and my mom wouldn't let me have any of the rum balls. I kept thinking what's the big deal? The alcohol gets baked out of them anyways. Well as it turns out, I was not aware that rum balls are a no-bake recipe. Thank god my mom didn't give me any rum balls.

So I was not aware that I'm actually retarded. Somehow I managed to screw up my rum balls by misreading the ingredients. I added 1/2 cup of rum as opposed to 1/4 cup. I tried to salvage them, but no. Eat one ball and you're drunk. And they're really doughy/gummy. Probably from all of the liquid in them. My roommate says they burn. Haha, that's alcohol for ya. I guess I'll keep them around for when I feel like doing shots.... ick.

Disappointing indeed. I could've re-done them, but I decided I wanted to make a cookie I have to bake. Staying in the "ball" family I made ten million mexican wedding cakes. Yes, you read right....ten million. Give or take a few.

I almost messed this recipe up too! From the website I got the recipe from there was a conversion chart to change the amount made. I doubled the ingredient list but it didn't double the actual recipe. Which I didn't realize until I tried to bake them and started to wonder where the four cups of flour was supposed to come into play. And why it called for only 6 tablespoons of that four cups. But I fixed it and look what I made! (this picture doesn't do the mountain justice. that's a HUUUUGE serving platter that they're on, and the cookies tower so high i'm afraid they're going to topple over any second)






Mexican Wedding Cakes
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1 c butter
1 tsp almond extract
6 tbsp confectioner's sugar
2 c flour
1 c chopped walnuts
extra confectioner's for coating cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.