Name: Mexican Wedding Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 22 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, softened; 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 cup (125 grams) flour; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup (~40 grams) chopped pecans; 1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar (for dusting)

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An unassuming fluffy little cookie that is a mandatory addition to a holiday cookie platter. Mexican Wedding Cookies are tender, crumbly little shortbread cookies studded with nuts and coated in powdered sugar while they’re still warm. It’s one of my favorite cookie box recipes!

Stack of Mexican wedding cookies (also called Russian tea cakes) on a plate.

You might not know the exact name of these cookies, but everyone knows they love them when they see them on a cookie plate or in a cookie box. They’re super tender–almost to the point of being crumbly. Perfectly buttery, sweet and with a satisfying crunch from a few pecans or walnuts stirred in.

Other names I’ve heard for Mexican Wedding Cookies:

Russian Tea Cakes or Swedish Tea Cakes, not to be confused with my Tea Cakes that are a Southern cookie with nutmeg not rolled in powdered sugar.
Polvorones is the other name I commonly call these, which is Spanish for powder, which I assume refers to the powdered sugar coating on these (the best part of the cookie!)
Snowball cookies, because they look like perfectly round little snowballs!
Pecan Sandies is something other people might say, but in my book, Pecan Sandies do not have a powdered sugar coating! Also, pecan sandies are made with crushed pecans in the dough, not just chopped pecans stirred in. My Pecan Shortbread recipe is more similar to a Pecan Sandie than these cookies!
Viennese crescents are really similar to these cookies, but they’re rolled into a moon shape and often contain hazelnuts instead of pecans or walnuts.

Ingredients

White bowls filled with flour, diced butter, vanilla, and chopped pecans.

Butter. One stick (8 tablespoons/ 113 grams) of unsalted butter, softened to room temperature. We will be adding salt to this dough so it’s best to use unsalted butter. The best way to soften butter to room temperature is to open the stick of butter, dice it up and leave it out on the counter for 30-60 minutes (timing depends on the air temperature in your house).
Sugar. One-third cup of granulated sugar. This Mexican Wedding Cookies recipe isn’t too sweet because we’ll be rolling the cookies in powdered sugar after baking for more sweetness.
Vanilla. It’s really important to use a high-quality vanilla extract here, because the dough is very simple and each individual component really shines. If you can find a Mexican vanilla with its slightly spicy flavor notes, it’s the best here!
Flour. One cup of flour. This recipe makes just 1 dozen cookies, so you can double it easily if you need to.
Salt. One-quarter teaspoon of fine sea salt.
Pecans. One-third cup of chopped pecans weighs about 40 grams. Be sure to toast them first, if they aren’t already!
Powdered Sugar. One-half cup of powdered sugar is enough for rolling one dozen cookies.

How to Make Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe

Brown bowl with two butter cubes, sugar and vanilla in it, before beating.

White flour sprinkled over bowl of pale yellow cookie dough in brown bowl on marble counter.

In a medium bowl, beat with an electric mixer until fluffy the softened butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla. Beat for about 2 minutes.

Next, sprinkle flour and salt evenly over the bowl, and then beat again, just to combine.

Finely chopped pecans over a clump of cookie dough in bowl.

Twelve pale yellow raw cookie dough balls with pecans on baking sheet.

Finally, stir in the chopped pecans.

Divide the mixture in half by eye, and form 6 cookies out of each half. Roll in your hands to form perfect balls and evenly space them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Twelve Mexican wedding cookies on a baking sheet before being rolled in sugar.

Mexican wedding cookies being rolled in powdered sugar on plate.

Bake the cookies for 11-14 minutes. You’re looking for golden brown edges and light color on the tops of the cookies.

Remove the cookies from the pan after 5 minutes of cooling, and then roll each one in the powdered sugar.

Pile of Mexican wedding cookies with bite missing from top one.

These Mexican wedding cookies keep well at room temperature in an air-tight container for up 3 days. The powdered sugar protective layer keeps them fresh. You can move them to the cookie tin anytime in the 3 days. You can freeze this dough before baking, or after baking. However, do not roll in powdered sugar if you plan on freezing them–save that step until you’re ready to pack them up or serve them.

Yield: 12