Published: Aug 15, 2019 by Kelly Anthony · 53 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe

Name: Mexican Wedding Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt; 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature (do NOT use salted butter)); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 cup ground pecans; 1 1/2 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar

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Mexican Wedding Cookies are a salty-sweet, buttery cookie speckled with finely chopped nuts that come coated in a generous layer of powdered sugar. Yes, please. They take all of 15 minutes to make, require little effort, and an even smaller list of ingredients. Freezer-friendly and completely gorgeous, they are the perfect holiday dessert for sharing and gift-giving!

You might also know Mexican Wedding Cookies as Snowdrop Cookies, Tea Cake Cookies, Butterballs, Russian Tea Cakes, Polvorones…and the list goes on. Whichever name you should choose to call them, the heart of the cookie stays the same -- a snow-like blanket of powdered sugar on the outside and total buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie perfection on the inside.

A side view of a Mexican Wedding Cookie that is missing a bite from it. In front of the cookie are pecan pieces.

Looking for more Christmas cookies to add to this year's lineup? Try our thick and chewy Snickerdoodles, crunchy Almond Biscotti with great big almond flavor, and perfect, little bite-sized Peanut Butter Thumbprint Cookies -- all popular classics everyone loves!

MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIE INGREDIENTS

Leave the baking soda, baking powder, and eggs behind -- there are no rising agents or binders (i.g. baking soda or eggs) in these cookies. This is the reason behind their addictively delicious, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Keeping in line with most standard cookie recipes, you will need to have all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, and salt on hand.

This Mexican Wedding Cookie Recipe calls for pecans, but feel free to sub in almonds or walnuts if preferred. Whichever nut you use, it'll need to be finely chopped before going into your dough.

If you love pecans as much as we do, be sure to give our easy Praline Pecan recipe or Chocoflan a try!

You'll need two types of sugar for this Mexican Wedding Cookie Recipe: Granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Granulated sugar for the dough and powdered sugar for the outer coating, giving them that festive Christmasy, snowball appearance!

Last, but not least, be sure you only use unsalted butter for these cookies. If you were to sub in salted butter, your cookies would be overwhelmingly salty.

HOW-TO VIDEO

@theanthonykitchen
Cookies with a snowy topping?! Doesn’t get cuter or more delicious than that. This cookie has a million different names, but they all lead back to the MOST delicious butter cookie, covered in a blanket of powdered sugar. They are total buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie perfection. You can get the recipe at my food blog, TheAnthonyKitchen.com. Search “Mexican Wedding Cookie” or keep scrolling! Ingredients 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature (do NOT use salted butter) ½ cup granulated sugar 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 cup ground pecans 1 ½ cup confectioners (powdered) sugar Instructions Preheat the oven to 325° and have ready a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour and sea salt. Set aside until ready to use. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well-combined. Add the vanilla and mix once more. Turn the mixer down to low, and slowly incorporate the flour mixture, followed by the ground pecans. Scoop dough a tablespoon at a time, form it into a round, and place dough balls on baking sheet about 1 ½" apart. Bake for 15 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to completely cool. Place the powdered sugar in a gallon-sized zip top bag. Add about a dozen cookies to the bag at a time, and gently toss to coat. Serve and enjoy. #mexicanweddingcookie #snowdropcookies #snowballcookies #holidaycookies #cookierecipes #christmascookies
♬ Stompin At The Savoy - Benny Goodman

HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES

Prep - Preheat the oven to 325° and have ready a baking sheet lined with either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Whisk Dry Ingredients - To kick off your Mexican Wedding Cookie Recipe, in a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together flour and sea salt. Set aside until ready to use.
Mix Butter and Sugar - Add the butter and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until well-combined. Add the vanilla and mix once more.
Add Dry Ingredients - Turn the mixer down to low, and slowly incorporate the flour mixture, followed by the ground pecans.
Scoop Dough and Bake - Scoop the dough a tablespoon at a time, form it into a round, and place the dough balls on baking sheet about 1 ½" apart. Bake for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to completely cool.
Toss in Sugar - Place the powdered sugar in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Add about a dozen cookies to the bag at a time, and gently toss to coat. Serve and enjoy.

Mexican Wedding Cookies sitting around and on top of powdered sugar.

CAN YOU FREEZE COOKIES?

All cookies (and cookie dough for that matter) can be frozen. It's just a matter of how. This practice comes in handy during the holidays as cookies are perfect for budget-friendly, heartfelt gift-giving! Here are a few cookies recipes that are ideal for freezing:

Mexican Wedding Cookies, in particular, are extremely easy to freeze and require little-to-no extra effort on your behalf. You can either freeze them before or after you roll them in the powdered sugar. Freeze the cookies either in an airtight, freezer-safe container or a freezer-safe zip-top bag for up to three months, but make sure the Wedding Cookies have cooled completely before sealing.

Thawing Mexican Wedding Cookies is even easier. Leave them out on the counter at room temperature for 20-30 minutes. You'll notice that if you froze them after rolling them in sugar, the sugar may no longer be a vibrant white once thawed. If you care to, roll them in powdered sugar once more.

An overhead shot of Mexican Wedding Cookies sitting on a round cake stand.

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S'more Cookies are easy to make and loved by all! Topped with a gooey marshmallow and melty chocolate, they are perfect for parties, gift-giving, and everything in between!
Chocolate Coconut Macaroons are gluten-free, chewy cookie paradise. They make for wonderful gifts come the holidays and are a gorgeous centerpiece on any dessert table.

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