Authentic Mexican Wedding Cookies: A Traditional Recipe

Mexican wedding cookies are a traditional, buttery treat, perfect for weddings and Christmas celebrations. These melt-in-the-mouth cookies are crumbly, nutty, and coated in a layer of powdered sugar. While the exact origin of the recipe is unknown, it likely travelled to Mexico through Spanish migrants in the 16th century.

Rolling the dough into balls

Firstly, ensure your dough is the right consistency. If it's too sticky, chill it in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up before rolling. If the dough is crumbly and dry, try adding a small amount of water and gently work it into the dough with your hands. You can also try letting the dough come to room temperature and beating it a little longer with a mixer.

Now, for the rolling! Use a cookie scoop or your hands to form the dough into balls. Aim for a smooth and round shape, and make sure they are all a consistent size. For smaller cookies, form the dough into 1-inch balls. For larger cookies, go for 1 1/4" or 1 1/2" balls. Place the shaped dough balls onto a parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheet, spaced slightly apart.

If you want a more elegant presentation, you can try rolling the balls of dough between your palms to get an even smoother and rounder shape. This technique was used by the author of this recipe's grandmother, who called these cookies "Sugar Butter Balls."

Once you've rolled all your dough into balls, they're ready to be baked!

Baking the cookies

Once you've prepared your Mexican wedding cookie dough, it's time to start baking!

First, preheat your oven to somewhere between 325°F and 400°F, depending on your recipe. While the oven heats up, you can shape your dough into balls. Most recipes recommend making them between 1 and 1.25 inches in diameter, but you can make them slightly bigger if you prefer. Place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet, leaving a couple of inches between each one.

Next, bake your cookies for 10-20 minutes. The exact time will depend on the size of your cookies and the temperature of your oven, but you're looking for them to be just set, or a light golden-brown colour. Remove them from the oven and let them cool for a couple of minutes so that they're still warm but not hot.

Now it's time to coat your cookies in powdered sugar. Place some powdered sugar in a bowl and roll the warm cookies in it, a few at a time, until they're evenly coated. Place them on a wire rack to cool completely. Once they're at room temperature, you can roll them in the sugar again if you like.

And that's it—your Mexican wedding cookies are ready to serve!

Coating the cookies in sugar

Preparing the Sugar Coating:

• Place about a cup of powdered sugar in a shallow bowl. You can also use a plastic storage bag if you prefer, but a bowl will make it easier to coat the cookies evenly.
• Have the bowl of sugar ready before you start baking the cookies, so you can coat them while they are still warm.

Coating the Warm Cookies:

• Once the cookies are baked, remove them from the oven and let them cool slightly. The cookies should still be warm when you coat them in sugar.
• Take a few cookies at a time and gently roll them in the powdered sugar, ensuring they are evenly coated. You can use your hands or a spoon to roll them in the sugar.
• Alternatively, you can place the warm cookies in the plastic storage bag with the sugar and gently shake the bag to coat them. However, this method may increase the chances of the cookies breaking apart.
• If you prefer a thicker coating, you can roll the cookies in the sugar twice. Let them cool to room temperature after the first coating, then roll them in the sugar again.

Cooling and Storing the Coated Cookies:

• After coating the cookies, let them cool completely on wire racks. This will allow the cookies to firm up and the sugar coating to set.
• Once the cookies are cooled, you can store them in an airtight container. They will stay fresh for about a week at room temperature.
• If you need to store the cookies for longer, you can freeze them. Place the cookies in a freezer-safe bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months.

Chilling the dough

Before chilling the dough, ensure that you have combined all the ingredients properly. This includes mixing softened butter with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and gradually adding flour to form a dough. You can also add chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough for a nutty flavour. The dough should be soft and sticky at this stage.

If the dough seems too soft to work with, it's time to chill it. Place the dough in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to an hour to firm it up. This will make it easier to handle and shape into balls. You can also chill the dough if you plan to bake the cookies later. However, if you chill it for an extended period, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes to soften slightly before shaping it.

While the dough is chilling, you can prepare your baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper. This will make it easier to place the shaped dough onto the sheets once they are ready.

Once the dough is chilled, you can start forming it into balls. Use a cookie scoop or your hands to create uniform, smooth balls of dough. The size of the balls will determine the final size of your cookies. Typically, 1-inch balls are recommended.

Place the shaped dough balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading during baking. If the dough becomes too soft or sticky to work with again, return it to the refrigerator for a few minutes to firm up.

After shaping all the dough, it's time to preheat your oven. Most recipes suggest baking Mexican wedding cookies at temperatures between 325-400°F (165-200°C).

By chilling the dough, you ensure that the cookies hold their shape better during baking and don't spread too much. This helps create a more uniform and aesthetically pleasing cookie. Chilling also helps the cookies bake more evenly, reducing the likelihood of overbrowning or burning.

Remember, the dough for Mexican wedding cookies is quite delicate, and chilling it is a crucial step in achieving the desired texture and appearance. Don't skip this step, and your patience will be rewarded with delicious, melt-in-your-mouth cookies!

Adding nuts

Nuts are a key ingredient in Mexican wedding cookies, adding a rich, nutty flavour to the simple dough. You can use a variety of nuts, including pecans, walnuts, almonds, and pistachios. Toasting the nuts before adding them to the dough can enhance their flavour and give the cookies a deeper nutty taste.

When preparing the nuts for Mexican wedding cookies, it is important to chop them finely. This ensures that they incorporate evenly into the dough and provide a consistent texture throughout the cookies. The nuts should be chopped into small pieces, but be careful not to turn them into a paste or nut butter.

The amount of nuts added to the dough can be adjusted to personal preference. The standard ratio is typically around 3/4 cup of nuts to 2 cups of flour. However, if you want a more pronounced nut flavour or a denser cookie, you can increase the amount of nuts. Similarly, if you prefer a milder nut flavour or a lighter cookie, you can reduce the amount of nuts used.

When mixing the nuts into the dough, it is important to do so gradually and thoroughly. This ensures that the nuts are evenly distributed throughout the dough. You can use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold the nuts into the dough, being careful not to overmix.

In addition to the type and amount of nuts, the way you chop or grind them can also affect the final texture and flavour of the cookies. For a more rustic texture, you can chop the nuts by hand, aiming for a coarse chop. For a finer texture, you can use a food processor to grind the nuts into a meal or flour. Just be careful not to overprocess them, as this can release their oils and turn them into nut butter.

Frequently asked questions