This weekend, our nephew Nickolas and his fiancee, Renalin are getting married. In honor of their nuptials, I made Italian Wedding Cookies.

I love Italian desserts and these little bites of goodness come together quickly and are easily transported. My mother used to make a similar cookie at Christmas. They were one of my favorites during my formative years. These are a bit different from the ones my mother made. There was no almond flour in her Russian Tea Cakes, she used chopped walnuts instead of almonds, and there were no mini chocolate chips in her cookies.

These slightly crumbly traditional Italian cookies are simple and delicate, subtly sweet with a hint of almond flavor. They are tender, buttery, and delicious bite-sized treats that are great for special occasions. The chopped nuts and mini chocolate chips are both optional additions to the dough, but being a fan of both almonds and chocolate, I make them with both ingredients.

Italian Wedding Cookies (adapted from thisitaliankitchen.com) Total Time Required: 30 minutes + cooling time, Prep Time:10 minutes, Cook Time: 12 minutes, Servings: About 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped almonds, optional
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about a minute.

Add the vanilla extract and almond extract to the butter mixture and continue to beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a dough forms. It should come together when pressed.

Add the chopped nuts and mini chips to the dough (if using) and mix thoroughly.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each cookie.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 11-13 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn golden around the edges.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, dust them generously with powdered sugar, either with a shaker container or by placing some powdered sugar in a fine-mesh sieve and tapping it over the cookies.

Italian wedding cookies can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. They can also be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to a month.

Congratulations Nickolas & Renalin!!  ~Linda

Italian Wedding Cookies (adapted from thisitaliankitchen.com) Total Time Required: 30 minutes + cooling time, Prep Time:10 minutes, Cook Time: 12 minutes, Servings: About 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped almonds, optional
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, optional

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, beat the softened butter and powdered sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about a minute. Add the vanilla extract and almond extract to the butter mixture and continue to beat until well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.

Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a dough forms. It should come together when pressed.

Add the chopped nuts and mini chips to the dough (if using) and mix thoroughly.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a little space between each cookie.

Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 11-13 minutes or until they are just beginning to turn golden around the edges.

Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Once the cookies are completely cooled, dust them generously with powdered sugar, either with a shaker container or by placing some powdered sugar in a fine-mesh sieve and tapping it over the cookies.

Italian wedding cookies can be made ahead and kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. They can also be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to a month.