Mexican Wedding Cookies

Am I Just A Party Girl?    

Retro Recipe from 2011--Still the same party animal.

Mr. Darcey (the husband) has taken to reading my blog every once in a while. As I might have mentioned previously,  he is bulking up the hits so that he doesn't have to buy the t-shirt that says, "More people have read my t-shirt than have read my wife's blog."

Anyway.

I sat and watched him click, and read and click and read and his only comment when he finished was, "Does it seem that you attend an inordinately large number of parties?" (He's an analyst.)

Okay, Yes I Do. I admit it. Parties mean food and g-f food means advocacy, so with this holier purpose, I PARTY. I take great food and I win over even more friends to the probability of gluten-free deliciousness.

The party is latin-themed this evening so I'm taking the Thai quinoa (hey, quinoa is South American so it counts!) Brazilian Pao de Queijo and Mexican Wedding Cookies.

Mom made these when we were small and the recipe was so simple that it wasn't long before I could even make and bake these myself. I did have to be reminded, "Roll them once in the sugar while hot and again when they are cold."

Like there were any left "when cold" with nine kids in the house.

Mexican Wedding Cookies     
Ingredients1 cup butter1/2 cup white sugar2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups g-f flour (I use my healthier grain mix.)1/2 teaspoon guar/xanthan gum1/2 cup chopped sliced almonds1/2 cup confectioner's sugar (to roll in after baking)

1. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla. Stir in the flour, the gum and almonds, mix until blended. Cover and chill for 3 hours--or less if you are hungry.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
3. Shape dough into balls.  Place on a clean cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes in a preheated oven--just until the edges brown.  Remove from pan to col on wire racks.  When cookies are warm, sprinkle on confectioner's sugar--wait to cool and sprinkle on the sugar again.  
4. Store at room temperature in an airtight container.  

I baked these and predictably Mr. Darcey (the husband) ate them after the first rolling in the sugar and made the profound statement, "We called these Russian Tea Cakes when I was a kid."

So, that's what I do! Bringing cultures together-- what better purpose (excuse) for a party?