Mexican Wedding Cookies

Name: Mexican Wedding Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 14 min
Total time: 34 min
Yield: 46
Ingredients: 1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped; 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3/4 cup (85g) powdered sugar; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour; 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt; Powdered sugar, for rolling

by Elle | SimpletoScratch

46 cookies

34 min

These Mexican wedding cookies just scream Christmas to me. When I sift the powdered sugar over them it looks like snow and really gets me in the Christmas spirit. They are so simple to make, and I love the buttery taste combined with the toasted nuts. I’m not Christian and technically don’t “celebrate” Christmas. But I love everything that comes with Christmas: the holiday decorations, the beautiful lights, and the FOOD. More specifically, the baking. It’s the time for heaps of cookies and lots of chocolate. I think I’m half cookie the whole month of December.

Tips for making the best Mexican wedding cookies

Toast your nuts! Don’t skip this step. The toasted nuts will bring out their nuttiness and make the flavor much more strong. The nuts don’t toast once they’re in the dough.

Be sure to fully cream your butter and sugar. Creaming creates air pockets in the dough will also prevent your cookies from spreading. Cream for about two minutes using an electric mixer on medium speed.

And finally, make sure you chill your dough. Chilling does two things: it allows the flour to full evenly absorb the moisture in the dough and it will prevent your cookies from spreading.

Happy baking! And if you need more Christmas cookie recipes:

Hazelnut sandwich cookies
Ginger spice cookies
Mandel bread
Pistachio slice and bake
Jam thumbprints
Chocolate hazelnut mandel bread

Mexican Wedding Cookies

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Recipe details

Yield 46 cookies
Time spent: Prep time: 20 Minutes Cook time: 14 Minutes Total time: 34 min

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% Daily value

Instructions

Heat a dry skillet on medium heat. Toast the nuts for about 5-8 minutes, or until they smell nutty. Remove nuts from pan so they don’t burn. Finely chop the nuts.
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla and beat until combined.
Switching the mixer to low, add the flour and salt until just combined. Stir in the crushed nuts.
Chill the dough for two hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. You may need to leave the dough on the counter for 15 minutes if it’s to stiff. Scoop dough into tablespoon sized balls. Place on lined baking sheet and bake for 14 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on a baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, coat in powdered sugar.

Tips

Freezing: Raw dough will freeze well. You can also freeze the baked cookies. Skip the coating in powdered sugar step until you’re ready to serve. Thaw the cookies in the fridge. Once fully thawed, leave at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Then you can roll them in powdered sugar. The reason I say to thaw in the fridge first and not go straight to room temperature is to avoid condensation.

Comments

Helena Brus on Jan 18, 2022

Tips, paragraph #, what does this mean: ...to full evenly absorb ... Did you mean fully or evenly. I love these cookies and since the mid 70s have always roasted the nuts per my new mother-in-law who was a great baker. Yummy!

1 Reply
- See 1 previous
- Dvd34235466 on Jan 19, 2022
  
  Just means the whole cookie will evenly chill for even baking
  
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- Elle | SimpletoScratch on Jan 21, 2022
  
  Hi Helena, I got a little wordy there but essentially as the cookies chill the flour will absorb the wet ingredients. Hope you enjoy the cookies!
  
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Anna Y on Jan 20, 2022

This recipe sounds great. Do you think it would work to add malted milk to it for additional flavor?

Like Reply
- Elle | SimpletoScratch on Jan 21, 2022
  
  Hi Anna! I've never tried it so couldn't tell you. But let me know how it goes!
  
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