25 Days of Christmas Cookies: Day 7 Sand Tarts

Sand Tarts, Mexican Wedding Cookies, or Snowballs whatever you want to call them is okay as long as you make them sometime soon.  Growing up we called them sand tarts and sometimes made them in crescent shapes, but when I was trying to find a recipe for them I kept finding them as Mexican Wedding Cookies.  That's fine they are still the cookies I remember from my childhood.  I made these last week for our open house partly because I needed another cookie and something easy and partly because they are my daddy's favorite cookie.  So when you need a little something sweet give these cookies a try.  They are easy and not too sweet.

Aren't they pretty on my red plate?

You probably have everything you need for these cookies in your pantry.  I did try something new this time and I will tell you more about that in a minute.

Start with two sticks softened butter.

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon vanilla.  I bought some vanilla bean vanilla.  Look at that rich dark color.  It is full of the little black specks.  If you have ever bought Beyer's Vanilla Bean Ice Cream you know what I am talking about.  This put those nice black specks all through the dough.  Yum.

Mix those things well, until the butter is fluffy.

Add 2 cups all purpose flour.

1 cup finely chopped pecans.  It said to toast them but I didn't.

The dough is very stiff.  But you want to mix those pecans well.

Roll into small balls and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet.  Place in a preheated 350 oven and bake for 15-18 minutes.

Put some powdered sugar in a zip lock bag.  After the cookies come out of the oven, let them sit for a couple of minutes and then shake them in the powdered sugar.

Then let cool.  Place in a sealed container.

And then serve.  These are great for any occasion or just for a special treat.

Sand Tart Recipe

2 sticks unsalted butter softened
1 cup powder sugar divided
1 Tablespoon vanilla
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 t salt ( oh yea I forgot the salt but it was okay)
1 cup pecans finely chopped
Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 15-18 minutes.  Then coat with 1/2 cup powdered sugar.