Florentine Wedding Cakes
From Sunset magazine, November 2003

To toast the hazelnuts, place whole nuts in an 8- or 9-inch-wide pan and bake in a 350° oven, shaking pan occasionally, until golden brown under skins, 10 to 12 minutes. Pour nuts onto a clean kitchen towel and rub to remove loose skins; lift nuts from towel, leaving skins behind.

These cookies are similar to Russian Tea Cakes except they use more confectioner's sugar in the cookie batter and are also dusted with cocoa powder after being rolled in confectioner's sugar. Also, hazelnuts are used instead of walnuts.

1 cup (1/2 lb.) butter, at room temperature
1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup minced toasted hazelnuts (see notes)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

In a bowl, with an electric mixer on medium speed, or in a food processor, beat or whirl butter, 1/3 cup powdered sugar, and the vanilla, almond extract, and flour until smooth and well blended. Stir in hazelnuts.

Shape dough into 3/4-inch balls and place about 1 inch apart on buttered or cooking parchment-lined 12- by 15-inch baking sheets.

Bake in a 300° oven until cookies are pale golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes; if baking more than one pan at a time, switch pan positions halfway through baking. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes.

Place remaining 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. Gently turn warm cookies in sugar, a few at a time, then set on racks to cool. When cool, coat cookies again with sugar. Arrange in a single layer and dust evenly with cocoa powder.

Yield: Makes about 120 cookies