Mexican Wedding Cookies

They go by many names - Mexican Wedding Cookies, Snowballs, Russian Tea Cakes, and even Butterballs. You and I can debate their origin till we are blue in the face, but this much remains true: they are dang delicious. 

A Christmas staple, Mexican wedding cookies are a perfect addition to holiday gift packages or your cookie platters. They have a generous shelf life (read: last all season) and are loaded with tender, crumbly, almost shortbread like texture. 

And because they are dusted with a blizzard of icing sugar (hence the name snowballs), they are pretty as a picture of a round, white cumulus cloud. 

How to make Mexican wedding cookies?

The cookies don’t use eggs to bind the dough. Hence butter comes in as a binding factor. I added a small splash of milk too. That’s what gives them the melt-in-your-mouth and delicate consistency, and not a chewy feel.

Traditionally, the recipe has pecans, but I didn’t have access to them, so I added a Tasha Twist and used walnuts. But no matter which nuts you choose; the cookies are still easy to make.

• Begin by grinding walnuts and icing sugar into a fine powder in your processor. 
• Separately, beat butter till it’s fluffy. 
• To the butter, add vanilla extract and the walnut-sugar powder.
• In the end, mix in the flour and combine to form the dough. Add a tablespoon or two of milk if the dough seems too dry.

Another Tasha Twist to the recipe was going half and half – part all-purpose flour and part quinoa flour. But if you rather stick to 100% all-purpose flour, that’s fine too.

Baking the Mexican wedding cookies

If your dough feels too soft or sticky because the butter is almost melting, please refrigerate it. 

• Once the dough is firm enough to handle, form balls.
• Bake them for 17 to 18 minutes until they are golden brown. 
• Let them cool for a few minutes, and then roll them in icing sugar.

Quick note:

The cookies may absorb the icing sugar. If that’s the case, give them another roll in the powdered sugar. 

The good thing is the dough is barely sweetened, so the double dusting of icing sugar balances the taste.  

Tips for cookie recipe:

These cookies are light and don’t sit heavy because of their buttery texture. The trick to achieving it is keeping the butter slightly softened. It can’t be melted or absolutely chilled. 

Room temperature butter also prevents the cookies from spreading while they bake. It helps the cookies hold the shape. 

If you’re baking where the weather is still hot, pop the butter, the dough, and if needed, the shaped balls in the fridge for a few minutes. 

Variations of wedding cookies

Something that has so many different names is bound to have endless versions. I (almost) stuck to the original recipe and didn’t add any spices, but you can. 

Nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom all bring warmth to the cookies that’s much needed and appreciated in December.

Add a pinch of cinnamon, and you have Danish wedding cookies. Or you can go completely festive and use all the gingerbread spices.

Can I use other nuts for Mexican wedding cookies?

As I said, pecans were used for the real deal. But walnuts and almonds work equally well. 

How to make gluten-free wedding cookies?

I haven’t tried them with buckwheat flour, but it hasn’t failed me in terms of texture and shape till now. Go ahead and try the cookies with it to make them gluten-free. 

Just make sure you increase the amount of butter used, as buckwheat flour absorbs more moisture. You can even add a couple of teaspoons of milk to get the right consistency. 

Can I make vegan snowball cookies?

I’m not sure if coconut oil will do the trick here, but you can use plant-based butter to make vegan Mexican wedding cookies. 

Storing the Mexican wedding cookies

Who says you have to go fancy to feel Christmassy?

The Mexican wedding cookies are the simplest of all. Flour, butter, sugar, and nuts are all it takes to make these buttery snowballs. And even with such few ingredients, they’re utterly addictive.

Enjoy them with tea, milk, or a mug of hot cocoa!

They keep very well, so you can store them in an airtight container for a long time. Even on day 12 (if your cookies last that long), the nuttiness will come through as much as on day 1.

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