Mexican Wedding Cookies

Lavishly dusted in powdered sugar, buttery pecan-packed Mexican wedding cookies are synonymous with celebration. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are equally beloved in regions around Mexico and the U.S., a staple at weddings, holiday parties and virtually any festive gathering. Texture-wise, the cookies are a lot like shortbread—crumbly rather than chewy, thanks to the fact these tasty treats are baked without eggs.

With their resemblance to snowballs, Mexican wedding cookies are just begging to be included in your Christmas cookie swap, but are delicious any time of year, boxed up as edible gifts or dunked into a cup of milky tea.

Why are they called Mexican wedding cookies?

Also called Mexican wedding cakes, these nutty, buttery delights are sometimes called Russian tea cakes and polvorones. Look across the world, and you’ll encounter similar cookie recipes: Pecan sandies, Italian wedding cookies, Greek kourabiedes and qurabiya, to name a few. Ingredients vary (more than anything, it’s the nuts used), and sometimes they’re round, while other versions, like this Mexican wedding cake cookie recipe, are crescent-shaped.

The precise origins of this sweet treat are lost to the mists of time. Many food historians believe these cookies have medieval Middle Eastern roots, with recipes spreading to new regions via trade routes across the centuries. They also think the recipe traveled to Mexico with the Spanish in the 16th century. There’s speculation that the name Mexican wedding cakes replaced Russian tea cakes around the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War. Whatever you call them, they’re delicious!

Mexican Wedding Cookie Ingredients

• Butter: I like using salted butter to balance out the sweetness in these cookies. Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe if you opt for unsalted.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Creaming the confectioners’ sugar with butter helps give Mexican wedding cookies their wonderfully delicate texture. You also roll the still-warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar when they come out of the oven.
• Vanilla extract: Along with pecans, vanilla is the main flavor that floods your taste buds when biting into a Mexican wedding cookie. Since it’s so prominent, use the best vanilla extract you can. Almond extract is a lovely substitution, or combine half of each.
• Flour: Regular all-purpose flour yields the perfect crumbly Mexican wedding cake cookies.
• Pecans: Both regular and toasted pecans are phenomenal in this recipe. Lightly toasting the pecans for a few minutes in the oven will give them a deeper, richer flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Make the dough

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream the butter and sugar until light and airy. Add the vanilla, then slowly beat in the flour. Fold in the pecans.

Editor’s Tip: Creaming butter and sugar together aerates the dough and gives it some lift, which results in a light and tender crumb.

Step 2: Shape

Take a heaping tablespoon of dough and shape it into a 2-inch crescent. Repeat with the remaining dough. Arrange the cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased baking trays.

Step 3: Bake

Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes until lightly browned.

Step 4: Roll in confectioners’ sugar

When cool enough to handle but still warm, roll the cookies through the confectioners’ sugar to coat them. Set the sugar-coated cookies on wire racks to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: If you want an extra-white sugar-coated cookie, roll the still-warm cookies in confectioners’ sugar once, and then once cooled, roll them in the sugar again.

Mexican Wedding Cookie Variations

• Mix in cocoa powder: Chocolate Mexican wedding cakes are one of the most popular variations of this classic cookie recipe. Add chocolate chips for extra goodness. Add a pinch of chili or cayenne powder to give it that Mexican hot chocolate taste.
• Add spices: Speaking of spices, warming spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice and clove make lovely additions to these cookies.
• Use different nuts: Peanuts are the most popular nutty variation on Mexican wedding cookies, but you can try almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts and walnuts.

How to Store Mexican Wedding Cookies

Avoid common cookie storage mistakes, such as storing cookies while they’re still warm and not separating them with layers of parchment paper. Pop the cooled cookies into an airtight container and leave them on your countertop.

How long do Mexican wedding cookies last?

These buttery cookies should stay fresh for about one week at room temperature.

Can you freeze Mexican wedding cookies?

I love keeping freezer cookies, and this recipe is perfect for freezing—both the dough and the baked cookies. Frozen Mexican wedding cookie dough lasts about one month, while the baked cookies should last up to three months. Be sure to layer parchment paper between the cookies so they don’t touch.

To use the dough, allow it to thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then shape and bake according to the directions. To eat frozen baked cookies, simply allow them to come to room temperature and enjoy. Roll them in confectioners’ sugar again to get an even coating.

Mexican Wedding Cookie Tips

Why are my Mexican wedding cookies dry and crumbly?

While these cookies should be a bit crumbly, naturally, we don’t want them to be dry. Adding too much flour is the main culprit behind dry Mexican wedding cakes, but it’s an easy mistake to avoid. Brush up on how to measure flour the right way for flawless baking. The other main offender is baking the cookies too long. Smaller cookies take less time in the oven, so keep an eye on them as the timer winds down.

How do you know when Mexican wedding cookies are done baking?

When they’re ready to take out of the oven, the cookies will turn a light golden brown and be just firm to the touch.

What else can you serve with Mexican wedding cookies?

Our favorite way to serve Mexican wedding cookies is as part of a dessert table piled high with the best cookie recipes: chocolate chip, sugar cookies, snickerdoodles, ginger snaps. The more, the merrier. Or serve the cookies with Mexican desserts like buñuelos and chocolate-dipped homemade churros. Serve with a mug of tea, hot chocolate or coffee. Better still, enjoy them with a cup of café de olla. Flavored with cinnamon and piloncillo, a type of raw cane sugar, this traditional Mexican coffee is outrageously good with these sweet treats.