These nutty, buttery, Mexican wedding cookies are always a guaranteed crowd pleaser. They are extra tender with a melt-in-
I have the house all to myself this week and that means I’ll be baking like crazy. Every time Erez travels for work, I make plans 2 weeks in advance to keep my evenings and weekends full. It’s actually nice to see all of my friends in one week, and it reminds me of how lucky I am to have them. They know that if I get bored or need company, I can visit them without notice, and they’re ok with that because they know I bring cookies with me everywhere I go.
My parents are also on vacation this week so my friend Rene invited me to dinner last weekend and I love going there because her family is hilarious. I brought these Mexican wedding cookies and they were all gone in 10 minutes.
These Mexican wedding cookies recipe might look similar to my melting moments cookies recipe, but the main difference is the addition of pecans which give an amazing texture and flavor to the cookies. The other recipe also calls for cornstarch for a melt-in-your-mouth texture, but these are tender enough without it. If you love nuts, especially pecans, then you won’t be able to stop eating these cookies. If you start with one, you’ll easily end up with five. They’re addictive!
Pecans are my personal favorite in these, but you can use other nuts such as walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts.
Chill the dough
Since the dough will be very soft once done, you should chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, until firm enough to handle and roll into balls. This step will also cause the cookies to spread less while baking and keep their round shape.
Toasting the nuts
Although toasting the nuts is optional, it brings a nice aroma and taste to these treats, so I highly recommend it if you have an extra few minutes. If you’re feeling lazy (I can completely relate), then skip this step. Either way, you’ll end up with the most perfect tea cookies ever.
More Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies:
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Soft Sugar Cookies
- Tahini Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- White Chocolate Macadamia Cookies
- 2 cups (270 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks/227 g) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans or other nuts, preferably toasted and either chopped into small pieces or finely ground in a food processor*
- 1/2 cup (60 g) powdered sugar, sifted, for rolling
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds until creamy. Add powdered sugar and beat for about 2 minutes until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract. Add flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in nuts. Do not over mix.
- If dough is soft (and it probably is), chill in the refrigerator, covered, for 1-2 hours until firm.
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line 2 pans with parchment paper.
- If cookie dough is hard to handle after refrigerating, leave on counter to soften for a few minutes.
Using an ice cream scoop or level tablespoon, drop rounded balls of dough, 3cm/1.25-inch in diameter, onto prepared baking sheets, spacing them 5cm/2-inch apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies just begin to brown at the edges. Leave to cool for 10 minutes. While they're still warm, gently roll them in powdered sugar, careful not to cause them to crumble. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, roll them in powdered sugar once more.
- Cookies will keep well for a few days at room temperature in an airtight container. They can also be frozen for up to a month.
* For evenly chopped nuts, it’s best to pulse them in a food processor until finely ground, but not to the point that they become a paste. Alternatively, if you want a bit more crunch, you can coarsely chop them.
* To toast the nuts, place them in an even layer on a pan lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated 350F/180C oven for 8 minutes.
20 Comments
Nicole ~ Cooking for Keeps
October 21, 2014 at 2:30 pmLOVE Mexican wedding cookies! They remind me of a version of Greek kourabiedes!
Kate Emery
December 21, 2019 at 2:49 pmHi Nicole,
Made dough yesterday following your recipe. Dough was very very dry. Rechecked recipe. OK. Refrigerated overnight. Today dough has been on counter for 1 hr +. Still rock hard. I’ve made mx wed cookies many times. Your recipe looked better than mine! Pls advise? Kate
Darlene
December 23, 2019 at 6:26 pmDo I have to use real butter or can I use margarine
Shiran
December 26, 2019 at 8:47 amYou can, but butter gives the best flavor 🙂
Kathi @ Deliciously Yum!
October 21, 2014 at 2:31 pmI never used to like any type of nuts in baking, but I have recently discovered how wonderful pecans are! These lovely little cookies look incredible and I bet they taste amazing too!!
mahsa
October 27, 2014 at 2:45 ami made it an it seems good! i want to attach the photo but it’s not possible.
Shiran
October 27, 2014 at 9:28 amThat’s sweet of you! I would love if you share it on my facebook page . Thank you!
Victoria
July 5, 2016 at 9:37 pmI love them! I made them today and they were delicious! My great aunt makes these cookies and everyone loves them! But I’m afraid to say that I think these cookies are just a little better! Thank you so much for all your recipes!!!
Shiran
July 6, 2016 at 5:04 amI’m glad you like them that much 🙂 They are a favorite in my family!
Maria
January 25, 2018 at 5:24 amHi,
I don’t own a weight scale, what’s the best method to measure flour: is it fluff and level or fluff and dip.
Also, for powdered sugar, how do i measure it? Do i pack the 1/ 2 cup and then sift it, is there a method you recommend?
Thanks
Shiran
January 26, 2018 at 6:01 pmHi Maria, for both the flour and sugar, just spoon them into the measuring cup and level off the top of the measuring cup using the back of a knife. Don’t pack and don’t tap the measuring cup. Also, if the recipe says ‘flour, sifted’ (the sifted comes after the flour) then you first measure, then sift.
Aizhan
June 27, 2018 at 11:35 amYou said that they keep for a few days, but I and my family ate them all in one! It is a good recipe they are similar to vanillekipferl.
Sivan
March 17, 2019 at 10:44 amHi. I made these with a cup of coconut oil( one that does not have a distinct taste or flavor) in order to make these non dairy and they came out amazing. Any way you know how to substitute potatoe starch or matza cake meal to be kosher for Passover?
Jan
July 28, 2019 at 7:04 pmDo you use salted or unsalted butter?
Shiran
July 30, 2019 at 2:44 amUnsalted butter.
Pauline Ritchey
November 13, 2019 at 6:15 pmcan you mke these flat instead of balls i seen mexian weeding cookies at my grocery store that are round and flat but i prefer to make them instead of buy
Shiran
November 17, 2019 at 2:19 amYou can make them any shape you like 🙂
Shari DeFreese
December 8, 2020 at 5:03 pmHow do Mexican wedding cookies keep un refrigerated
Shiran
December 16, 2020 at 3:57 amHi Shari. You can store them in the fridge for up to a week.
Rochelle Hamby
December 12, 2021 at 7:18 pmI made these today. I put the dough in the refrigerator overnight and let it sit out for about 45 minutes. I then scooped it onto a silpat. Worked like a charm. These cookies are wonderful! I used almond extract in them. They tasted like the Mexican Wedding cookies that I grew up eating. I made them as gifts for my neighbors and they loved them too.