The Simple Recipe for Cookie Success

Cookies - one of America's favorite snacks. From chocolate chip to oatmeal raisin to iced with sprinkles, everyday, Americans indulge in the delights of cookies.

But when it's time to make a couple dozen cookies for the bake sale, your child's class party, or for the local church event, sometimes you just don't want to deal with all the stress that comes along with baking. Sometimes, you may even result to simply buying pre-packaged cookies from the store. That way, at least, you can avoid all that stress, even if the cookies do taste a bit like year-old plastic.

Many people overlook or are unaware of one simple, easy-to-make, and optionally low in fat recipe for cookie success. Perhaps many just don't realize how effortless a recipe like this actually is, but it still yields the same results as any cookie - just without all the stress and mess.

Mexican Wedding Cakes (don't be fooled by the name, they are still cookies!) require minimal ingredients and minimal time, but still come with a blast of taste and flavor. These shortbread-like sugar-coated cookies melt in your mouth and aren't simply Mexican; in fact, they go by many names including Russian Tea Cakes, Italian Butter Nuts, Southern Pecan Butterballs, Snowdrops, Snowballs, and Viennese Sugar Balls. Whatever you decide to call them, these popular cookies are perfect for holidays, special occasions, or everyday, if you want.

If you find yourself stressing out over difficult cookie recipes or are simply looking for something new, try this simple recipe.

Mexican Wedding Cakes
1 cup butter (can be substituted with lower-in-fat options)
¾ cup powdered sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup chopped/ground pecans or walnuts

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper (or use ungreased cookie sheets).