Mexican Wedding Cookies
intro
Buttery, crumbly pecan-studded shortbread cookies rolled in snowy powdered sugar, a beloved celebratory treat ideal for gifting and holiday spreads.
Ingredients
Steps
Toast the pecans
Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Spread 113g (1 cup) of finely ground pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast for 6-8 minutes, stirring once at the 4-minute mark, until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from oven and let cool completely for 15 minutes before use to avoid melting butter in the dough.
Cream butter and sugar
In a large glass mixing bowl, combine 226g (1 cup) of softened room-temperature unsalted butter and 60g (½ cup) of powdered sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed (setting 4) for 3 minutes, stopping once to scrape down the bowl sides, until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy with no visible butter lumps.
Mix the cookie dough
Add 5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract, 1g (¼ tsp) fine sea salt, and 2g (½ tsp) ground cinnamon to the creamed butter, beating on low speed for 30 seconds to combine. Gradually add 240g (2 cups) of spooned-and-leveled all-purpose flour, mixing on low for 1 minute just until no dry flour streaks remain. Fold in fully cooled toasted pecans with a rubber spatula, taking care not to overmix (overmixing develops gluten and creates tough cookies).
Chill the formed dough
Turn dough out onto a clean work surface, divide into two equal portions, and roll each into a 5cm (2-inch) diameter smooth log. Wrap logs tightly in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 30 minutes (up to 3 days) until firm to the touch; chilled dough prevents cookies from spreading excessively during baking.
Slice and bake cookies
Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F) and line two rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper. Unwrap chilled dough logs and slice into 1.25cm (½-inch) thick rounds, placing rounds 5cm (2 inches) apart on prepared sheets. Bake for 12-14 minutes, until edges are just pale golden and tops are set (centers will look slightly soft). Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving, as they are extremely fragile when hot.
Coat in powdered sugar
Add the remaining 120g (1 cup) of powdered sugar to a wide, shallow ceramic bowl. When cookies have cooled on the sheet for 5 minutes (warm, not piping hot), roll each gently in the sugar to fully coat all sides. Transfer coated cookies to a wire rack to cool completely for 20 minutes, then roll a second time in powdered sugar to create a thick, even, signature snowy white coating.
Tips
2.Always let toasted pecans cool fully before adding to dough; warm nuts will melt the butter in the dough, leading to greasy, misshapen cookies.
3.Skip the single sugar coat! The second roll after cookies cool creates the iconic thick, powdery white exterior that does not dissolve into the cookie surface.
OMG these taste exactly like the ones my abuela used to make for our Christmas Eve dinner! I was so worried I’d never get the recipe right after she passed, but the texture is perfect—melt in your mouth, not too sweet, just the right amount of pecan crunch. Brought them to my office potluck yesterday and everyone begged for the recipe! 10/10 no notes.
Super easy recipe even for someone who burns toast half the time! I messed up and used walnuts instead of pecans because that’s all I had in the pantry, and they still came out SO good. My kids devoured half the batch before they even cooled all the way.
Game changer for my annual cookie platter! I’ve tried at least 4 other Mexican wedding cookie recipes over the years and none of them have that perfect crumbly, buttery texture this one delivers. Already added it to my permanent holiday baking rotation.
Wait, has anyone made these gluten free? My sister has celiac and I want to bring something she can eat to our family dinner next weekend, but I don’t want to mess up the texture.
Made these for my daughter’s end-of-season team party and they were a total hit. Even the coach who swears he ‘doesn’t like sweets’ had three of them. Only thing I did wrong was not make a double batch—they were gone in 10 minutes flat.
I’ve been craving these since I had them at a local Mexican restaurant last month and this recipe hit the spot! So simple, no fancy ingredients, and they taste way better than the store bought version I tried last week. 100% recommend.
These are perfect for my weekly bridge club meetup! I love that they’re not overly sweet, which is great for our group that doesn’t care for super sugary desserts. Rolled them in a little cinnamon-sugar mix half the batch for fun and it was a great twist.
Wait, how long do these stay fresh for? I want to make them ahead for a wedding shower next weekend but I don’t want them to go stale before the event.
I brought these to my neighborhood block party last weekend and I swear people were following me around asking for the recipe. The crumbly, buttery texture is unreal, and the powdered sugar coating makes them look so festive for any occasion. Will be making these again and again.
Made these in my tiny dorm kitchen with just a bowl and a baking sheet, no fancy equipment needed! Super cheap to make too, perfect for a broke college student who wants to bring a nice treat to study group. Everyone thought I bought them from a bakery lmao.
I packed these for a day hike last weekend and they were the perfect trail snack! They’re sturdy enough to toss in a backpack without turning to crumbs, and the nutty, buttery flavor gives such a good energy boost. 10/10 for both baking and hiking snacks.
Help! I followed the recipe exactly but my cookies spread out way too much and turned flat instead of being little round balls. What did I do wrong? 😭
I swapped the butter for vegan butter and used dairy free powdered sugar, and these came out incredible! You literally can’t tell they’re vegan at all. My whole non-vegan family loved them at our Sunday dinner.
These won first place at my local cookie swap last week! I’ve taken home the trophy three years in a row now, and this recipe is definitely going to be my secret weapon next year too. The nutty, melt-in-your-mouth texture is unbeatable.
These are now my kids’ most requested cookie! I make a batch every Sunday for their school lunches and they never come home with leftovers. Only thing is, the powdered sugar gets everywhere when they eat them in the car, but it’s totally worth it for how happy they make them.
I added a tiny splash of vanilla extract and a pinch of orange zest to my batch after seeing someone suggest it on TikTok, and it took these cookies to a whole new level! Still totally authentic tasting, just a little extra brightness that pairs so well with the pecans.
Tried this recipe last night for my partner’s birthday dinner and they said it was the best dessert I’ve ever made. We’re both second gen Mexican and we’ve had so many versions of these cookies over the years, and this one is spot on. So happy I found this recipe!
I’ve been baking for over 40 years and this is hands down the best Mexican wedding cookie recipe I’ve ever come across. The ratios are perfect, no weird extra ingredients, and the instructions are clear enough for even a total beginner to follow. Great work on this one!
I made these as a little favor for a client’s Mexican-themed wedding last weekend and the guests went crazy for them! I packaged them in little cellophane bags with a ribbon and they looked so cute, and everyone kept saying how much they loved the classic, nostalgic flavor. Will be adding these to my permanent dessert menu for clients.