Wedding Cookies
intro
Tender, melt-in-your-mouth buttery pecan cookies rolled in snowy powdered sugar, a beloved holiday and celebration staple with a rich, crumbly texture.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F). Spread 113g (1 cup) finely chopped pecans in a single even layer on a small rimmed baking sheet, and toast for 6-8 minutes on the middle oven rack until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely for 10 minutes before use.
In a large mixing bowl, combine 226g (1 cup) softened room-temperature unsalted butter and 60g (½ cup) of the powdered sugar. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed for 3 full minutes, until the mixture is pale, light, and fluffy with no lumps, then stir in 5ml (1 tsp) pure vanilla extract until fully incorporated.
In a separate medium bowl, whisk together 240g (2 cups) spooned-and-leveled all-purpose flour and 1g (¼ tsp) fine table salt until evenly mixed. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed butter, mixing on low speed only until no dry flour streaks remain, then fold in the fully cooled toasted pecans with a silicone spatula, taking care not to overmix the dough as overmixing creates tough cookies.
Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes to firm up, which prevents excessive spreading during baking. Once chilled, use a 1-tablespoon (15ml) cookie scoop to portion the dough into 24 equal pieces, rolling each piece between your palms into a smooth, round ball, and placing them 5cm (2 inches) apart on parchment-paper-lined baking sheets.
Bake one sheet at a time on the middle oven rack at 175°C (350°F) for 10-12 minutes. The cookies are done when their bottoms are light golden brown and their tops are set but still very pale; browned tops mean they are overbaked. Remove from the oven and let cookies rest on the hot baking sheet for 5 full minutes, as they are extremely fragile when fresh out of the oven.
Place the remaining 60g (½ cup) powdered sugar in a small, shallow bowl. Once the cookies have rested for 5 minutes and are warm (not piping hot), roll each cookie gently in the powdered sugar to coat fully, then transfer to a wire cooling rack. Once the cookies are completely cool, roll them a second time in the powdered sugar to create a thick, snowy white, even coating.
Tips
2.Use room-temperature softened butter (not melted, not cold straight from the fridge) for creaming: melted butter causes cookies to spread flat, while cold butter will not cream properly for a light texture.
3.For a flavor twist, you can swap pecans for finely chopped walnuts, blanched almonds, or even pistachios, but always toast the nuts first to bring out their rich, nutty depth.
Game changer! I’ve been trying to nail wedding cookies for years since my grandma used to make them, and this recipe is exactly what I was missing. That extra hit of butter? *Chef’s kiss* My kids devoured half the batch before I even got them dusted with powdered sugar!
Made these for my office holiday potluck and people were fighting over the last one. Super easy, even for a guy who usually burns toast. 10/10 will make again for our next family dinner.
These are delicious but mine came out a little crumbly? I followed the recipe exactly, measured everything with cups, not sure what happened. Still tasted amazing, just didn’t hold their shape super well.
SO buttery, so perfect. I added a tiny bit of almond extract like my abuela used to and it took them to the next level. Great base recipe to tweak to your taste!
OMG, 45 minutes total time is no joke! I whipped these up after work on a whim and they were done before my pizza delivery even showed up. Perfect last-minute dessert for when friends drop by unannounced.
Making these for my wedding reception dessert table next month! Did a test run last night and they’re perfect. Quick question: how long do these stay fresh if I store them in an airtight container?
Wait, has anyone tried making these with a 1:1 gluten free flour blend? I’m hosting a friend with celiac next weekend and would love to serve these if they work!
My teen daughter asked for these for her birthday treat to bring to school. She said all her friends kept asking who made them because they were the best cookies they’d ever had. Win for dad points!
Okay don’t come for me, but I hate powdered sugar. Is there a different coating I can use for these instead? They sound so good but I can’t do the dusty sugar mess.
These are perfect for meal prep! I make a batch every Sunday and toss a couple in my kids’ lunch boxes all week. My kids loved them so much they started asking for them as an after-school snack too. They hold up great and don’t get soggy at all.
I’ve been making wedding cookies for 50 years and this recipe is right up there with my old stand-by. The butter ratio is perfect, not too dry, not too greasy. Well done!
Brought these to our college football tailgate last weekend and even the guys who only eat savory food were grabbing seconds. Who knew a little buttery cookie would be the hit of the tailgate? 10/10
I added extra chopped pecans to the dough because I’m obsessed with nuts, and wow. Best decision ever. These taste like Christmas at my grandma’s house, I could eat the whole batch in one sitting.
I’ve literally never baked anything from scratch before and these turned out perfect! The steps are so simple, no fancy techniques or equipment needed. I feel like a real baker now, lol.
These are now a permanent part of my annual Christmas cookie box lineup. I made 6 dozen last year to give out to neighbors and every single person asked for the recipe. So good!
I cut the powdered sugar coating by about half because I don’t love super sweet desserts, and they were perfect. The buttery dough is flavorful enough on its own that you don’t need a ton of extra sugar!
Served these at my bridal brunch last weekend alongside mimosas and fruit, and they were the perfect bite-sized sweet treat. Not too heavy, so people didn’t fill up before the main quiche spread.
Help! I baked these for 12 minutes like the recipe says but the bottoms were totally burnt. What did I do wrong? I used a dark baking sheet, does that matter?
These are so easy to transport! I brought them to a work potluck an hour away and they didn’t crumble or get messy in the container. No sticky frosting to melt in the car, which is a huge win for summer events.