Julie Clark
Updated:
Mexican Wedding Cookies
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Soft, buttery pecan Mexican Wedding Cookies are a traditional cookie recipe idea for the holidays or for special occasions. The powdered sugar coating makes them look like snowball cookies!
We thought it was about time we shared the recipe to one of our traditional Christmas cookie recipes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, AKA the popular snowball cookies!. These shortbread-style cookies taste just like a pecan sandie, but instead of being hard and crunchy they are soft and melt-in-your-mouth cookies.
I’m a sucker for their simple not-too-sweet flavor. These festive Christmas snowball cookies make a great addition to your holiday cookie plate, especially right beside our pecan tassies. They are perfect for a Christmas cookie exchange.
A Classic Cookie Known by Many Names
This cookie with a nutty flavor has many names. Most times of the year they are called Mexican Wedding Cookies. At Christmas? They’re known as snowballs and bring such a pretty, bright white addition to holiday dessert tables.
In my old recipe book, they were actually called butterball cookies. And then don’t forget Russian tea cakes. What does your family traditionally them?
What are Mexican Wedding Cookies?
This snowball cookie recipe has only 6 ingredients, most of which you probably have in your pantry.
- butter
- powdered sugar
- flour
- vanilla
- salt
- pecans
There is only ½ cup powdered sugar in the cookie dough itself, making it more buttery than sweet. Most of the sweetness comes after baking when you roll the cookie balls in powdered sugar.
Snowball Cookies with Pecans
These cookies traditionally are made with finely chopped pecans. I like to chop the pecans really finely so that the dough inside is smooth. You can keep the pecans in bigger chunks if you’d like. Feel free to also test this recipe with almonds (and almond extract), pistachios, hazelnuts or walnuts if you have them, too!
And yes, you can make these cookies without nuts. Simply leave them out and you’ll end up with a cookie that almost tastes like you’re eating sugar cookie dough. Mmmm…it’s that good!
How to Make Mexican Wedding Cookies
This Mexican wedding cookies recipe can be made in 5 steps:
- Mix the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with a hand electric mixer), cream the butter and powdered sugar for 1-2 minutes. Add the flour, vanilla, salt and chopped pecans to the mixture. Mix well again.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
- Roll the dough. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. These cookies will not rise or flatten, so they can be placed relatively close together.
- Bake the cookies. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Don’t allow the balls to brown. This will ensure they cookies are buttery soft!
- Roll the cookies in sugar. Immediately roll the cookie balls in powdered sugar and place on wire racks to cool. Allow the cookies to cool completely and then roll them in powdered sugar again.
How to Store Mexican Wedding Cookies?
Store these cookies at room temperature in an airtight container. They can be frozen, but you may need to re-roll the cookies in powdered sugar before serving as sometimes the powdered sugar “melts” into the cookie. A third rolling of sugar? No one minds that. 🙂
Store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Soft, buttery pecan Mexican Wedding Cookies are a traditional cookie recipe idea for the holidays or for special occasions. The powdered sugar coating makes them look like snowballs!
Servings 36
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 19 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature, 8 ounces
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar 65 grams
- 2 cups all-purpose flour 260 grams
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 10 grams
- 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 gram
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans 98 grams
For rolling the cookies:
- 1 cup powdered sugar for rolling, 130 grams
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and powdered sugar for 1-2 minutes. 1 cup salted butter, ½ cup powdered sugar
- Add the flour, vanilla, salt and chopped pecans. Mix well again. 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¾ cup finely chopped pecans
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. These cookies will not rise or flatten, so they can be placed relatively close together.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes. Don't allow the balls to brown. This will ensure they cookies are buttery soft!
- Immediately roll the cookie balls in powdered sugar and place on wire racks to cool. 1 cup powdered sugar
- Allow the cookies to cool completely and then roll them in powdered sugar again.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
- You can freeze these cookies, but you may need to re-roll them in powdered sugar once they defrost if most of the powdered sugar has “soaked in”.
- Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks. The calories shown are based on the recipe making 36 cookies, with 1 serving being 1 cookie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **
Nutrition
Calories: 110kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 19mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 160IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.5mg
This recipe is perfect. The only thing I did differently was add a tsp of almond extract but I have made the recipe without almond as well and it’s just as good. I take it out of the oven right at 10 minutes and they have come out the same every time. I will say that after I roll them I’ll throw them in the freezer for 15-20 just so get cold again before I put them in the oven. Simple and delicious!
I put cookies in for 8 minutes was too long. I’m guessing it needs to bake for 5 minutes. Bakers Beware.
I’m having an issue my cookies keep going flat, I’m following the recipe. Not sure what to do
Hi, can I chill the dough for about 24h or is it too long?
My cookies didn’t turn out as round as on your pictures but they tasted amazing. The pecans add a nice flavor and texture to the cookies. My husband is mexican and also loved them, he said that they were melting in his mouth. The bottom of my cookies got a bit brown (it was probably the setting of my oven) and I actually liked that part the most 🙂 I will definitely make them again!
Simple Perfection! This just became our Christmas Favorite! Thank you for sharing!
I am going to include this awesome cookie in my Christmas gift tins and was wondering if parchment paper can be used on the cookie sheets? Didn’t know if it would affect cooking time. Thank you in advance and Merry Christmas 2020 to you and your family!
Can I use almond flour in this recipe?
Granny made these every Christmas. Sadly, she passed in 2013. I’ve been searching for a recipe since I lost my other one. These were excellent!! Soft, melt in your mouth and a guy with the family. Thank you for bringing back a wonderful memory
Could I use self rising flour if that’s all I have on hand or only all purpose flour?
Growing up my best friends mom used to bake these all the time during the Holidays. Now baking these on my own, bring back those memories. They just melt in your mouth, almost like eating a piece of a cloud. These were fun to make. Thank you
I’ve eaten these my whole life, since the 60’s. We called them sandies. Maybe because my mom always made them and her name was Sandy?? I don’t know. I lost her recipe and this is it. This is perfect and delicious. Thank you.