These Mexican Wedding Cookies are soft, buttery pecan cookies that melt-in-your-mouth! Don’t be fooled by the name, these little snowballs make a great addition to your favorite holiday cookie collection. They’ll be gone in seconds!
These cookies go by many different names! You may know them as something different, but I’ve always known them as Mexican Wedding Cookies or snowballs. Regardless of the name, these cookies are super easy to make, with a short list of simple pantry staple ingredients. They’re delicious and the perfect Christmas cookie!
Why Make These Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Easy To Make
- Simple, Short Ingredient List
- Can Be Made In Advance
- Perfect For The Holidays!
- They’re Delicious!
If you are a fan of pecans, you will love these Mexican wedding cookies. They totally melt in your mouth! Ground pecans, butter, powdered sugar, yum! Together it’s the perfect combination, they work together very well and create magic in your mouth. Whether you call them Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, or snowballs, they really are one of my favorite cookies during the holidays and not a Christmas goes by where I don’t make them!
Ingredient Notes
- Pecans – The pecans really make this cookie! If you’re not a fan of pecans, you can use walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts. I usually use a food processor to grind them up.
- Powdered Sugar – Same as icing sugar or confectioners sugar! This is what gives us the “snowball” look.
- Butter – I used unsalted to control the sodium, make sure it’s at room temperature!
- Vanilla Extract – Without vanilla, our cookie will taste a little flat. You could also try almond extract if you like that almond flavor!
- Flour – All-purpose flour works best.
- Salt – Salt is imperative for baking! Don’t skip it.
How to Make Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
- Pulse the Pecans: Place the pecans and powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse the pecans and powdered sugar, until the nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute.
- Mix: In the bowl of your mixer, add the pecan mixture, the butter and vanilla. Mix it until everything is well combined.
- Combine: In another bowl mix the flour and salt together. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until everything is well incorporated.
- Form: Scoop up tablespoonfuls of the dough and roll the dough between the palms of your hands into a ball or use a small cookie scoop to scoop out cookie dough. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for about 18 to 20 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Finish: In a bowl sift about a cup of powdered sugar then roll each cooled cookie in the sugar to coat it completely.
FAQs & Expert Tips
FAQs
These cookies are super nutty and buttery! Made with crunchy pecans, formed into balls and rolled in powdered sugar.
Now, there is many speculations at how these cookies obtained their name. One finding that intrigued me was that many historians speculate the term Mexican wedding cookie was used to replace the term Russian teacake due to the strained U.S. relationship with Russia at the time because of the cold war! Call them what you want, they’re delicious either way!
Absolutely! I love making my Christmas cookies ahead of time, it’s so much easier. You can make your Mexican wedding cookies and freeze them (see “freezing” section below for full instructions). When you’re ready to serve, just roll them in more powdered sugar, no one will know the difference!
There isn’t a Christmas that goes by without these cookies on my holiday table! I eat them for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. I have to make extra because they disappear that fast! They also make an excellent gift, especially if you’re an avid baker like me around the holidays.
Tips
- The key to these cookies is keeping them round and rolling them in powdered sugar to finish them off, it will ensure we get that snowball look and a sweet melty mouth feel.
- Not a pecan fan? You can always use chopped walnuts, almonds, or even hazelnuts! Whatever kind you prefer will work just fine.
- To bring out the flavor of the pecans even more, toast them in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350 F degrees or until you start to smell them.
- Don’t grease your cookie sheets. I always line them with parchment paper or a silpat, this way there’s no cleaning required afterwards.
Storing Mexican Wedding Cookies
You can store your Mexican wedding cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, if they’ll last that long. If you notice that the powdered sugar on them melts into the cookie, don’t worry. Just sprinkle them with more, or simply roll them through a bit more powdered sugar. Nobody will notice or mind!
Freezing
If you want to keep your cookies for longer, or save some time around the holidays by making them in advance – this recipe is perfect for that! Simply transfer your cooled cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Let cookies thaw completely before serving. If you find they’ve lost some of their “snowball” appeal, just roll them in a little more powdered sugar! No one will be the wiser.
More Related Recipes
- Classic Shortbread Cookies
- Chocolate Pecan Snowballs
- Candied Walnuts
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Rumballs
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Mexican Wedding Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups pecans
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar same as icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar
- 1 cup butter unsalted, at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup powdered sugar same as icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat.
- Pulse the Pecans: Place the pecans and powdered sugar in a food processor. Pulse the pecans and powdered sugar, until the nuts are finely ground, about 1 minute.
- Mix: In the bowl of your mixer, add the pecan mixture, the butter and vanilla. Mix it until everything is well combined.
- Combine: In another bowl mix the flour and salt together. Slowly add the flour mixture to the mixer bowl and mix on low speed until everything is well incorporated.
- Form: Scoop up tablespoonfuls of the dough and roll the dough between the palms of your hands into a ball or use a small cookie scoop to scoop out cookie dough. Place the balls on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake: Bake the cookies for about 18 to 20 minutes and then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely on a cooling rack.
- Finish: In a bowl sift about a cup of powdered sugar then roll each cooled cookie in the sugar to coat it completely.
Recipe Notes
- The key to these cookies is keeping them round and rolling them in powdered sugar to finish them off, it will ensure we get that snowball look and a sweet melty mouth feel.
- Not a pecan fan? You can always use chopped walnuts, almonds, or even hazelnuts! Whatever kind you prefer will work just fine.
- To bring out the flavor of the pecans even more, toast them in the oven for about 5 minutes at 350°F or until you start to smell them.
- Don’t grease your cookie sheets. I always line them with parchment paper or a silpat, this way there’s no cleaning required afterwards.
- You can store your Mexican wedding cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days, if they’ll last that long. If you notice that the powdered sugar on them melts into the cookie, don’t worry. Just sprinkle them with more, or simply roll them through a bit more powdered sugar.
- To freeze, simply transfer your cooled cookies to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
These are SO incredibly delicious AND easy!! Thank you for sharing your recipe 🥰
My pleasure! Glad you enjoyed them!