Italian Wedding Cookies

Buttery, nutty Italian cookies rolled in powdered sugar that melt in your mouth.

Prep Time20

Cook Time15

Total Time35

Servings: 40 servings

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups finely ground pistachios or almonds (see directions: pulse in food processor)
2 cups powdered sugar divided (1 cup in dough, 1 cup for coating)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter softened

Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Place 2 cups shelled pistachios or almonds in a food processor and pulse until finely ground into a crumb; avoid overprocessing into nut butter.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the 3 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups ground nuts, 1 cup powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt; mix on low to combine.
Add the softened unsalted butter and beat until the dough is smooth and evenly combined.
Use a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop or a spoon to portion the dough into balls. Roll each portion between your palms to form smooth balls and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 15–18 minutes, until the cookies are lightly golden at the edges.
While baking, place the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar in a shallow bowl.
Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2–3 minutes until warm but cool enough to handle, then roll each cookie in the powdered sugar to coat. Return to the baking sheet.
Cool completely on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container.

Cookies keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week.
You can freeze unbaked dough balls for up to 6 months.
Flash-freeze dough balls on a sheet for 1 hour before transferring to a freezer bag.
Bake frozen dough balls from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to the bake time.
Fully cooled baked cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.