They only need 7 ingredients and are so easy to make! These powdered sugar-dusted cookies are sure to make a festive addition to your Christmas cookie tray! Mexican wedding cookies are always a hit in my family and one that I love to include in my Christmas sweet platter! Though Mexican wedding cookies are a classic Holiday treat, I do not have any memories associated with them. It is not something that I grew up eating around the Holidays! But thanks to the time I’ve spent in the US, I’ve come to learn of other cultures and a variety of treats that are associated with Christmas. I’m creating new memories for my children and I hope they will remember them in the years to come!
How To Make Mexican Wedding Cookies – Step-By-Step Process
Step 1: Cookie dough
Add 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature) to a large mixing bowl. Place a fine mesh sieve and sift 1/4 cup of confectioners’ (powdered) sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl in between. (Photos 1 to 5) There are quite a few variations of these cookies, like snowballs, Italian wedding cookies, pecan sandies, Greek kourabiedes, and almond crescents depending on the type of nuts used in the recipe. Contrary to its name, I see no reason why they should only be reserved for serving as favors for weddings. These are great all year round or just to satisfy those sweet cravings! These sweet butter balls speckled with pecans have a soft, flaky, and crumbly interior and they simply fall apart and melt in the mouth. These are absolutely moreish and I bet you won’t be able to stop at one. ☑ So addictive ☑ One-bowl recipe ☑ Egg-free ☑ Looks so dreamy and festive making it a lovely addition to your Christmas cookie platter ☑ They make great edible gifts ☑ Great with a hot cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or a beverage of your choice
All-purpose flour Butter: I’ve used unsalted butter. You may use salted butter too, simply skip the salt. Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar. Sugar is used in the dough as well as to coat the cookies. Pecans: This adds a nuttiness and elevates the overall flavor of the cookies. I toasted whole pecans and ground them coarsely in a blender. Flavoring: I’ve used vanilla and almond extract in this recipe. Almond extract enhances the nuttiness of the pecans, and a little goes a long way! Salt: Enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness in these cookies.
Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon of almond extract and beat on medium speed until well combined. (Photos 6 to 9) Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl, and sift 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt. Add 1/2 cup coarsely ground toasted pecans. (Photos 10 to 12) Beat on low speed or mix using a spatula, just until combined. Do not overmix! (Photos 13 and 14) Cover with cling wrap and chill the dough for 30 minutes. (Photo 15) Note: You can either refrigerate the dough at this stage or shape it into balls and refrigerate the baking tray with dough balls (whatever works for you!)
Step 2: Shape dough and bake
Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C), and position a rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking sheet with Silpat or parchment paper. Form dough into 1-inch balls (I used a tablespoon to form uniform-sized cookies) and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. (Photos 16 and 17) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until they turn golden brown around the edges. Every oven is different, so please keep an eye out! (Photo 18) Allow the cookies to cool down for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. (Photos 19) The bottom of the cookies are a beautiful golden brown color! (Photo 20)
Step 3: Roll in powdered sugar
Place sifted powdered sugar in a small bowl. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar and place them on a cooling rack to cool down completely. (Photos 21 to 23) Once cooled to room temperature, roll the cookies a second time in powdered sugar. (Photos 24 to 26)
You may also enjoy these Holiday cookies
Eggless thumbprint cookies Store cookies at room temperature for up to 1 week, though I really doubt if it’ll last that long. 😀 Freezing Mexican cookie dough: There are two ways you can go about freezing the dough;
Freeze the dough as such: Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe zip-top bag, freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator, form 1-inch balls, and bake as instructed above. Freeze cookie dough balls: Place the dough balls on a baking sheet, and freeze for 2-3 hours or until solid. Then transfer in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bake as directed.
Freezing baked cookies: Freeze them in a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag for up to 3 months. Avoid rolling them in powdered sugar as it will melt on thawing. Pecans: Please make sure the pecans are not rancid. They tend to turn rancid if not stored in proper conditions. Taste one before proceeding with the recipe. Toasting pecans: I toasted the pecans on low heat in a skillet for 5 to 7 minutes. Do not burn them or they will make the cookies taste bitter. You can also toast them in a 350° F oven for 7 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Once cool, transfer to a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground. Butter: Do not let the butter soften completely. The best way to test it is by pressing down the butter with your finger, it should leave a dent and not slide down into the butter. This helps if you want to bake the cookies right away without refrigerating the dough if you are in a hurry. The cookies will not spread on baking. Chilling the dough is optional: If you follow the above tip on softened butter, you will not need to chill the dough. But I do suggest chilling if you have time to spare so that the cookies maintain their ball shape. Let cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet: The cookies are very fragile when they are out of the oven. Leave undisturbed for a minimum of 5 to 6 minutes to set before rolling in powdered sugar or they will crumble and fall apart. Sugar coating for the cookies: I prefer to use a small bowl filled with powdered sugar to coat the warm cookies. Some people prefer using a zip-top bag to coat the cookies with sugar. This can be a hit-or-miss situation since the cookies are delicate when freshly baked, they can crumble and fall apart when you shake the bag. Coat with powdered sugar twice: For a nice and even coating, roll the cookies twice in powdered sugar. Coating it the first time when the cookies are warm will help the sugar to adhere better and melt ever so slightly creating a sticky coating for the final coat. If you can’t get a nice coating, brush the cookies with a little melted butter and then try rolling them or dusting them with powdered sugar. Vegan: Swap the butter with vegan butter. Another reason could be that the amount of flour in the cookie dough may have been less. For accurate results, I strongly suggest using a weighing scale. The quantity of flour can alter the outcome of these cookies. Too much flour will cause them to turn dense and dry and little flour will lead to flat cookies. If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the spoon & level method of measuring flour.
You added too much flour Or you most likely overbaked them and hence they turned out dry. Once they start to turn golden brown around the edges, they are done!
To test, pinch a portion of the dough and squeeze it tightly in your fists, if it holds shape, it is good. If it is too dry and falling apart, add 1 teaspoon of milk or water at a time, and mix until it holds shape. A reason for the common name “Russian Tea Cake” or any connection to Russian cuisine is unknown. Some have speculated the recipes either derived from other Eastern European shortbread cookies, may have migrated to Mexico with European nuns, or may have been associated with cookies served beside Russian samovars (tea urns). By the 20th century, they were a part of wedding and Christmas, and Easter traditions in the U.S., known by their popular “Russian tea cake” or “Mexican wedding cookie” name. Shortbread cookies Eggless Linzer cookies ★ Have you made this recipe? I would love to hear from you! Please be sure to rate this recipe along with your feedback in the comment section below. Do subscribe to our free weekly newsletters and follow us on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for the latest recipes. If you make this recipe, do share a photo and tag @aromatic_essence77 on Instagram!
