Spread the almonds evenly on a baking sheet and toast for about 5 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden and aromatic. Be sure to keep an eye on them to avoid burning.
Once toasted, allow the almonds to cool completely.
Once the almonds are cooled add them to a food processor or high powered blender and blend to a coarse flour. It should look uniform in size and color. Stir the mixture often and scrape down the sides as needed. Just don't over blend or you'll start to make almond butter.
In a large mixing bowl, combine ½ cup powdered sugar and 1 cup butter. Use a mixer with the paddle attachment to cream them together until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
Add ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Continue mixing until these ingredients are well incorporated.
Gradually add 1 cup flour to the butter mixture, continue to mix until it’s smoothly blended into a soft dough.
Fold in the coarsely ground toasted almonds, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout the cookie dough.
Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop out portions of dough (a generous tablespoons). Roll them into balls and place them onto a cookie sheet, spaced adequately apart to allow for slight spreading.
Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on them - they should be just starting to show a hint of brown at the bottom.
Allow the cookies to cool slightly, then roll them in sifted powdered sugar until they are well-coated. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Make sure the butter is at room temperature before mixing to achieve a smooth and well-incorporated dough.
Be consistent with the size of each cookie to ensure even baking. Adjust the baking time if you make your cookies larger or smaller.
These Italian Wedding Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. They can also be frozen; just allow them to thaw at room temperature before serving.
If you’d like to experiment with different flavors, try substituting the almonds with other nuts like pecans or hazelnuts, following the same toasting and grinding steps.
If you are making these ahead of time, the cookies kind of absorb the powdered sugar. So I like to reroll them in powdered sugar before I serve them the next day so that they look nice and fresh.