Mexican Wedding Cookies are rich, buttery, and crumbly cookies made from a mixture of nuts, flour, butter, and powdered sugar that melt in your mouth. This traditional Mexican recipe makes for an easy dessert perfect for weddings, Christmas, New Year’s, or any day of the year!
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Say hello to Mexican wedding cookies – one of my favorite cookies! I know that’s quite the statement, but one little bite and you’ll understand exactly why I’m head over heels in love.
What are Mexican Wedding Cookies?
Made with only a handful of simple ingredients like flour, powdered sugar, butter, and nuts, these little shortbread-like cookies are easy to make and have that luscious melt-in-your-mouth quality that will keep you coming back for more.
They’re traditionally served at weddings, during the holidays, and other special occasions.
Other names for Mexican Wedding Cookies
They’re known by many different names including:
- polvorones (in Spanish)
- snowball cookies
- Russian tea cakes
- butterballs
How to make Mexican wedding cookies
Step 1: Start by lightly toasting some pecans in the oven or on the stove until fragrant. Let them cool completely before blending them in a food processor with some all purpose flour until they’re finely ground.
Step 2: Make the cookie dough by beating together butter, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until fluffy. Then mix in the flour and salt until fully combined.
Step 3: Mix in the ground nut mixture and form the dough into a flattened disc shape. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for 1 hour or in the freezer for 40 minutes.
Step 4: Form the chilled dough into 1-inch balls. I was able to make 26 cookies. Arrange them on 2 baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them for 12-15 minutes at 350°F.
Let them cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Once cooled, roll each cookie in remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar to coat all sides.
Serve and enjoy!
Helpful Tips
- Don’t skip the step of chilling the dough. This will help the cookies stay in a little ball shape when baked in the oven instead of spreading and flattening out.
- Don’t rush the cooling process. The warmer the cookies are, the more the powdered sugar turns into a paste when you roll them around in it. Wait at least 30 minutes before you coat them in the confectioners’ sugar.
Make ahead
The cookie dough can be made ahead of time and kept in the freezer for up to 3 months until you’re ready to bake them.
Simply follow all of the instructions except don’t bake them. Place the balls in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze. When you’re ready to bake, place them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake for 15 to 18 minutes at 350°F from frozen.
Variations and Substitutions
- Nuts: All out of pecans? Try using a different nut like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pistachios!
- Spices: Add a little bit of spice (no more than 1/2 teaspoon) to the powdered sugar to give an warmer flavor. Spices like cinnamon or nutmeg would work well.
- Chocolate: Want to make a chocolate version? Replace 1/3 cup of the flour with 1/3 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, then follow the rest of the instructions as written.
- Vegan: You can make this recipe vegan by using your favorite non-dairy butter or margarine.
More Dessert Recipes
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup pecan halves
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ¼ cup powdered sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 6-8 minutes, until fragrant and lightly toasted. (Alternatively, you could toast the pecans in a medium skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.) Let them cool completely before using, about 15 minutes on the counter.
- Place the toasted pecans and 2 tablespoons of the flour into your food processor or blender and process until they are finely ground. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, ¼ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, gradually beat in the remaining all-purpose flour and salt until fully combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the ground nuts, and beat on low speed until combined.
- Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and flatten it into a medium disc. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour until chilled. (Alternatively, you could put the dough in the freezer for 40 minutes to speed up the process.)
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and form it into 1-inch balls. I was able to make about 26 cookies.
- Place them in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove them from the oven and place them on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes.
- Roll each cookie in the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar to coat all sides. (The warmer the cookies, the more the powdered sugar turns into a paste, so don't rush the cooling process.)
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.
Isabel’s Tips:
- Don’t have pecans? Try using a different nut like walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pistachios!
- To make this vegan, use your favorite non-dairy butter or margarine.
- To make these ahead of time, follow all of the instructions and place the formed cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze. When you’re ready to bake them, place them on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in a 350F oven for 15 to 18 minutes.
Nutrition Information
These cookies are to die for but why are the amounts of each ingredient in decimal form?? Why can’t they be in the normal form of teaspoons and cups?? It saves us from doing the math! Thank you!
I made these without reading the comments and only added 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to my dough. I also followed your direction of letting them cool before rolling in powered sugar. They weren’t sweet enough. Didn’t absorb enough sugar after rolling and were blah! A complete waste of my time and money!
Hi Mary, we apologize for the confusion and are sorry you didn’t enjoy them. This recipe has since been updated with clearer instructions and we hope you try them again in the future.
Nosotros pensamos que nosotros hacemos algo mal. Nuestros galletas estaban secas. ¡Gracias por la idea!
Do you use regular or unsalted butter? In the dough, do you use 1/4 cup powdered sugar? Or 1 1/4 cup?
Hi Palmira! We use unsalted butter for this recipe. For the powdered sugar, you use 1/4 cup for the dough, and the remaining 1 cup is used in step 8 when you roll the cookie. I hope this helps!
I was just wondering why there was a cup and a quarter of powdered sugar and then another cup of powdered sugar at the end of the recipe. It seems like you just use a quarter cup in the recipe and one cup for rolling. What is the other cup for?
Hi Gina! We apologize for the confusion. In the recipe you use 1 1/4 cup into the cookie mixture, but you incorporate it 1/4 cup at a time. I hope this helps!
You need to specify 1/4 cup sugar at a time in the written section. I followed your written directions literally and only added a 1/4 cup and not 1 1/4 cup. I caught it at the end when I went back and looked at the list of ingredients. Totally not a big deal, but during busy holiday baking, having clear written instructions is good to have. Thank you for the recipe! Yum!
Hi Jessica! Good catch, thank you for bringing it to our attention!
I’m so confused by the powdered sugar measurements. The answers in some of the comments go back and forth. One says 1 1/4 cup goes into the dough but another says 1/4 in the dough and the cup is for rolling. What is actually correct?
Hi Tanya! I understand for the confusion and do apologize, we’ve fixed the recipe since then. The total recipe uses 1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, 1/4 cup in the cookie dough, and the remaining 1 cup to roll the cookies in as the topping. I hope this helps.
Looked for quite a while for a good Mexican wedding cookie and this is the best! My cookies came out perfect with just the right crumb and sweetness
Can I make without pecans?
Hi Janet! You can substitute other nuts for the pecans.
Question regarding the best temperature of the cookies when you roll them in powered sugar. You want them to be warm, right? I would think the powered sugar sticks better to a warmer cookie.
Hi Michelle! Yes, we recommend letting the cookies cool for about 5 minutes before rolling them in the sugar, so they’re still slightly warm. If the cookie is too hot when rolled, the powdered sugar can form a sort of paste. Hope that helps!
My cookies turned out lovely. 🙂 I made 31 cookies. My own preference, I will included small pecan pieces in the dough for texture.
I love, love, love Mexican Wedding Cookies. Making them for the first time! Going to follow the recipe as is, but for next time, what is your opinion about using Pure Vanilla Extract vs. Mexican Vanilla Blend? Thanks! Mary
Hi Mary! Mexican vanilla is made from a different plant than pure vanilla extract. It also has a more “spiced” and stronger flavor, but they can both be used interchangeably and whatever you have access to will work.
Can’t wait to make these this week! I want make sure I understand the recipe correctly. For the powder sugar you only put 1/4 cup in the dough and the other 1 cup is for rolling the cooked cookies in, correct? Thank you
Hi Lorinda! Thanks for your question. That is correct.
How many cookies does this recipe make?
Oh nevermind, i just saw you said 26!
These are my favorite Christmas cookies.
Not too sweet, they instantly crumble when you bite into them. Each cookie is just a couple of bites, and they keep well in cookie tins too.
Perfect!
Hi Isabel! So we did a test run on your cookies and they were excellent! The idea of roasting the pecans was an excellent idea! It really enhanced the flavor of the cookies ! You could also taste the butter and just the right amount of sweetness with the powdered sugar! What an excellent cookie! For a small price of ingredients! Blessings.. Anna 🙂
I’m so happy you liked them, Anna! Thank you!
Hi Isabel..tomorrow morning we will be trying your recipe for polvorones, to sell at the arts and craft fair in December for the Salesian Sisters. They are a retirement home of religious sisters and have been looking for a fresh recipe. so we thought we would do a test run tomorrow. We will keep you posted on what these Nuns will think..lol..Blessings..Anna
How fun! Yes, let me know how everything goes! I hope you love them!