The beginning of December isn’t quite the start to the holidays without Mexican Wedding Cakes. Or, at least for me. I think my mom would agree with this statement. She makes them almost every year. Oh, and my friends Katherine, Michelle and Kesha, they all agreed too as I handed them warm-from-the-oven samples. My husband, Mike, would affirm this too I’m sure, but he’s traveling for work so he missed out, and isn’t happy about it. Still unconvinced? Maybe you know them as Russian Tea Cakes or Snowflakes instead. I just call them Christmas goodness. They have a magical power of making me get all sentimental, thinking about my mom, grandma and Christmas time in general.
The only problem with these little balls is that they can come out pretty dry if you over bake them. Once that happens, you should use them as golf balls instead. Believe me, it’s an easy recipe to make, but it’s taken me a couple years to patiently watch the oven. I’ve made a few that would knock a tooth out. But, if you’re attentive, they’re light and crumbly and melt in your mouth. They are meant to be a little more like a shortbread, but I went ahead and reduced the flour just a bit to ensure I didn’t get golf balls this time. It worked and December holiday baking has officially begun for me.
Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies
- adapted from Bon Appétit and the recipe my mom always uses from Betty Crocker
makes about 4 dozen cookies
-
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup finely chopped/coarsely ground pecans
-
Directions
Toast pecans in oven at 400 degrees for 5-7 minutes. Or, if lazy (like me) or always in a hurry (like me), take the easy route and toast them in the toaster oven for 2-3 minutes. Using an electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed in large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until well blended. In a separate bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon and salt. Slowly add dry mixture to wet mixture, beating until well blended. Mix in pecans with a wooden spoon.
Divide dough in half; form each half into ball. Wrap separately in plastic; chill until cold, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Working with half of chilled dough, roll dough with palms into 1-inch balls. Arrange balls on large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies until light golden brown on bottom and just pale golden on top, about 16-18 minutes. Check cookies throughout baking to be sure not to over bake. If baked too long, bottoms will burn and cookies will be very dry.
Pour 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar in pie dish. Cool cookies 5 minutes on baking sheet. Gently toss warm cookies in powdered sugar to coat completely. Transfer coated cookies to rack and cool completely. Roll cookies in powdered sugar again once cooled. Repeat procedure with remaining half of dough, or reserve remaining powdered sugar and freeze dough for later use. Cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature. For extra powdered sugar on your cookies, save leftover powdered sugar and sift over cookies just before serving.
22 Comments
I make a similar holiday powder-sugar-covered ball, only I use ground almonds. They are soo good, and nice and buttery. I usually only make them once a year, so they’re definitely a treat. Maybe this year I’ll try the pecans!
I’ve had them with almonds too and they’re good. Really, you could use hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios, and I’d probably still love them.
This post took me back! My Mom used to make Mexican Wedding cookies at Christmastime too. I usually don’t like to bake, but have been doing so recently. These are next on the list – thanks!
What a beautiful site, ladies! I’m completely in love with your site design, photography and recipe selections. I’m so glad to have found you!
Wow! Your site is absolutely beautiful! I’m in love…these cookies look fantastic!
These cookies were always a favorite in my family especially during the holidays. My mom would always make double or triple batches for they were well-loved. However my family always called the cookies Sandies. Later I found out that they’re traditionally called Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies but I’ve never heard them as Russian Tea Cakes or Snowflakes. It’s been a while since I’ve made these cookies with my family and we never toasted the pecans – we just always made sure to get them as fine as possible – and of course I always had to sneak a few pecans to taste during this process. I never knew a cookie could make me so sentimental! Thanks for sharing – it’s a delicious recipe – and they really do melt in your mouth!
Oh, these are one of my favorites! Yours look terrific.
I just wanted to share that I make these every holiday, love them, but I roll mine in some edible glitter. They are so pretty and sparkly.
We make these every year, probably my favourite of our traditional christmas cookies.
I remember my shock as a little kid when I first discovered that not everyone called them Mexican Wedding Cakes, how could they be both Mexican and Russian?
I was just looking for a recipe for these, and I found your picture on tastespotting – perfect! Beautiful pictures, and I can’t wait to make these.
i would gladly fling powdered sugar all over my kitchen if a batch of these came through in the end. they’re lovely!
thank you all for your kind comments!
I love how every culture seems to have its buttery cookie with powdered sugar. I think they are just good celebration foods. In Greece they’re called kourabiedes!
My mom passed away before sharing this recipe… thanks so much for posting it… should have known Betty Crocker had something to do with it!
Deana, I’m so sorry to hear that, but glad we could help in a tiny way.
Those look amazing! I like them as is or with pistachios as another commenter suggested.
I’m so delighted to find out that there is actually a little good content left out there. I’m so used to google sending me garbage.
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your post seem to be running off the screen in Ie.
I’m not sure if this is a formatting issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I figured I’d post to let you know.
The design and style look great though! Hope you get the problem resolved soon.
Many thanks
It’s an awesome piece of writing for all the internet viewers; they will take advantage from it I am sure.
Also visit my web page; kate dircksen
It’s going to be ending of mine day, except before end I am reading this fantastic piece of writing to improve my know-how.
I don’t know whether it’s just me or if everyone else encountering problems with your website.
It seems like some of the text in your content are running off the screen.
Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this
is happening to them too? This may be a problem with my web browser because
I’ve had this happen before. Many thanks
Hey there, I think your blog might be having browser compatibility
issues. When I look at your blog in Firefox, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping.
I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, superb blog!
3 Trackbacks
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Kevin Kavanagh, Sunnie and GOOD FOOD Billy, frieda. frieda said: Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies: The beginning of December isn't quite the start to the holidays without Mexic.. http://bit.ly/5tLYST [...]
[...] Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies from Shared Sugar [...]
[...] are only two things that I find necessary to bake (and/or consume) each holiday season: 1. Mexican wedding cake cookies and 2. some sort of combination of chocolate and [...]