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Photo by: by Frances Janisch

Never one to say no to too much of a good thing, Chef Daisy Martinez took buttery, nutty Mexican wedding cookies and made them even better with the addition of fragrant cinnamon and teeny chocolate chips in this recipe.

Makes about 60 cookies:

1¾ cups walnut pieces
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup tapioca starch (see Notes)
1 teaspoon good-quality ground cinnamon (see Notes)
¼ teaspoon salt
12 ounces (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Grade A dark amber maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips
2 cups confectioners’ sugar

1. Pulse the walnuts in a food processor until the consistency of coarse cornmeal. Do not overprocess, or they will turn oily and clumpy. (Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer for 5 minutes before processing. Chilling helps make ground walnuts with a soft, fluffy texture.) Sift together the flour, tapioca starch, cinnamon, and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a mixing bowl using a handheld electric mixer) on medium speed, beat the butter and granulated sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Drizzle in the maple syrup and vanilla and beat until blended. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients one third at a time, beating just until each addition is blended in. Raise the mixer speed to medium and beat just until the dough is smooth. Add the ground walnuts and the chocolate chips and mix briefly, just until they’re distributed evenly through the dough. Roll the dough into a ball, flatten it into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes before shaping the cookies. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line one or more baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with 1 tablespoon of the dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms into a 2-inch log, then shape the dough into a crescent. Line up the crescents about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet(s). Bake just until the bottom edges start to turn golden, about 20 minutes.

3. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet(s), then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack and let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

4. Put the confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Dip the cooled cookies one by one in the sugar to coat them completely. Tap off the excess sugar. Pile up the cookies on a serving plate if serving immediately or store them in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Notes:
• Tapioca starch is available in some supermarkets and health food stores. It is also available online from Bob’s Red Mill, where it is called tapioca fl our, at www.bobsredmill.com.

• I remember the econo-size cans and jars of spices that lined the shelves of my grandmother’s spice cabinet. I go for smaller jars of the best-quality spices I can find. For these cookies, I prefer China Tung Hing cassia cinnamon or Vietnamese extra-fancy cassia cinnamon, both available from Penzeys (www.penzeys.com). Whatever type you choose, make sure your cinnamon is fresh and sweet-smelling before you commit to making these cookies.

Variation: Flavor the confectioners’ sugar with 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder, making sure the two are very well mixed before coating the cooled cookies.

Copyright © 2010 by Daisy Martinez from DAISY’S HOLIDAY COOKING published by Atria Books, a Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

See more recipes for a Mexican Thanksgiving feast in Caribbean Travel + Life's collection.