These Mexican wedding cookies are melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, and rich cookies that are truly irresistible! The dough itself is loaded with finely chopped nuts and uses no eggs for a texture that is both soft and crumbly. As a perfect finishing touch, the cookies are also rolled in powdered sugar!
Traditional Mexican Wedding Cookies Recipe
These bite-sized cookies are almost too good to be true! Mexican wedding cookies (or Mexican wedding cakes) are crumbly and filled with a nutty flavor from the chopped walnuts and almond extract that is super tasty!
I really think these cookies are a perfect addition to any cookie platter or tray you may be serving! They have a unique flavor that can be enjoyed right alongside some classic chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter cookies.
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Take a look at more of these delicious Mexican dessert recipes to satisfy your sweet tooth!
🥘 Mexican Wedding Cookies Ingredients
Mexican wedding cookies only use a few ingredients and are totally egg-free! I used walnuts in my cookies, but you can easily swap them out for any nut you may like!
- Butter - 1 cup of room temperature butter (16 tablespoons or 2 sticks).
- Confectioners' Sugar - ½ cup of confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling.
- Vanilla - 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract.
- Almond Extract - 1 teaspoon of pure almond extract.
- Salt - ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Flour - 2 cups of all-purpose flour, sifted. Make sure to measure your flour using the spoon and level method rather than scooping it out of the container with your measuring cup.
- Walnuts - ¾ cup of finely chopped walnuts or pecans. If desired, you can use a food processor to chop the nuts finely.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Mexican Wedding Cookies
These cookies are quick and easy to make; there's nothing difficult about them! To get started, you'll need a baking sheet, a stand mixer or hand mixer, your measuring utensils, and a silicone spatula.
This recipe will make 36 sweet Mexican wedding cakes!
Mix The Mexican Wedding Cookie Dough
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick cooking mat.
- Cream. Use your stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl to cream 1 cup of butter and ½ cup of confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Then, mix in 1 teaspoon of both vanilla and almond extract as well as the salt.
- Add flour. Gradually add 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour to the creamed ingredients, mixing until combined in between each addition.
- Fold. Add ¾ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans and use a silicone spatula to fold them into the dough. *If your dough seems very soft, you can place the whole bowl into the fridge for 15-30 minutes to chill it.
Portion & Bake The Cookies
- Roll the dough. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls about 1¼ inches in size, then place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each cookie.
- Bake. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until they have just begun turning a light golden color. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool slightly until you can handle them with your hands.
- Roll in sugar. Roll the still-warm cookies in confectioners' sugar until fully coated, and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
For a Mexican-inspired dessert table, serve these cookies alongside some Tres Leches cake, Mexican pralines, Sopapilla cheesecake bars, and churros! Then, watch them all disappear! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Notes
- I recommend using high-quality European butter for the richest and best flavor! Kerrygold and Plugra are some of my favorites!
- If desired, you can roll your Mexican wedding cookies in a second coat of powdered sugar after they have completely cooled. It isn't necessary, but will make the cookies extra pretty!
- For an extra layer of flavor, toast your walnuts! Just preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), and place your chopped walnuts onto a parchment paper line baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the nuts are golden in color. They can burn easily, so make sure to keep an eye on them!
- You can pulse your pecans or walnuts in the food processor if you want a finer consistency.
- If your dough is dry or crumbly, you can add in tiny amounts of water (no more than 2 teaspoons in total) until you've reached a good consistency.
🥡 Storing
Keep your Mexican wedding cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
The actual origin of these cookies is pretty unclear. In fact, these cookies are enjoyed pretty much worldwide under various names. However, some historians theorize that the name "Mexican wedding cookies" was used to replace the term "Russian tea cakes," as these cookies are already incredibly similar, and the relationship between Russia and the US was tense.
Mexican wedding cakes don't include eggs, which typically act as a binder in many cookie recipes. As a result, these cookies have a more crumbly texture than other varieties of cookies.
However, the dough should still come together. If needed, you can add tiny amounts of water (up to 1 teaspoon) to the dough.
First, make sure you use room-temperature butter, not butter that is too cold or soft. If the butter is already too soft, it will melt quicker in the oven and cause your cookies to spread.
Additionally, ensure your ingredients are properly measured to have the correct ratio of dry to wet ingredients. Take a look at my guide on how to prevent cookies from flattening here.
🍪 More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Pistachio Pudding Cookies - Tender and incredibly delicious cookies that use pistachio pudding mix!
- Snickerdoodles Without Cream of Tartar - Enjoy some sweet cinnamon sugar cookies even without this key ingredient!
- Gingerdoodles - A tasty cookie that combines snickerdoodles and gingersnaps!
- Soft Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies - Fluffy and soft chocolate chip cookies that everyone can enjoy!
- Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies - Chewy cookies that combine three beloved flavors!
- Dark Chocolate Cookies - Rich and decadent cookies that are made for chocolate lovers!
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📖 Recipe Card
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup confectioners sugar (plus more for rolling)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled, sifted)
- ¾ cup walnuts (finely chopped, or pecans)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a nonstick cooking mat.
- Use your stand mixer or a medium-sized mixing bowl to cream together the butter and confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Then, mix in the vanilla and almond extract as well as the salt.
- Gradually add the sifted all-purpose flour to the creamed ingredients, mixing until combined in between each addition.
- Add the chopped walnuts or pecans and use a silicone spatula to fold them into the dough. *If your dough seems very soft, you can place the whole bowl into the fridge for 15-30 minutes to chill it.
- Use your hands to roll the dough into balls that are about 1¼ inches in size then place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches in between each cookie.
- Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they have just begun turning a light golden color. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool slightly until you can handle them with your hands.
- Roll the still-warm cookies in confectioners' sugar until fully coated and then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- I recommend using high-quality European butter for the richest and best flavor! Kerrygold and Plugra are some of my favorites!
- If desired, you can roll your Mexican wedding cookies in a second coat of powdered sugar after they have completely cooled. It isn't necessary, but will make the cookies extra pretty!
- For an extra layer of flavor, toast your walnuts! Just preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C), and place your chopped walnuts onto a parchment paper line baking sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, or until the nuts are golden in color. They can burn easily, so make sure to keep an eye on them!
- You can pulse your pecans or walnuts in the food processor if you want a finer consistency.
- If your dough is dry or crumbly, you can add in tiny amounts of water (no more than 2 teaspoons in total) until you've reached a good consistency.
- To store: Keep your Mexican wedding cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
John says
Thank you for including metric measurements. Baking is much more foolproof when weighing ingredients.
Linda says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Rocio Cruz says
Can you freeze the dough?
Angela Latimer says
Yes, definitely! Freeze the dough shaped as balls on a baking sheet then transfer into bags or containers. Or, roll the dough into a log shape and bake later as a slice and bake cookie.
Sandy R. says
Hi, Angela - can you use Gluten Free flour in this recipe instead of wheat flour?
Angela Latimer says
Yes, I like King Arthur and Bob's Red Mill GF flours for an easy 1:1 swap. Thanks for asking!
Caroline Dazalla says
The recipe seems to be exactly l I ke my mother in laws recipe she passed down to family. Thou hers only asks for vanilla bean extract. From experience, I bake these cookies for all my 7 siblings, nieces and nephews for Christmas and as Christmas gifts.. becausethat is all they want lol. I double up the recipe and refrigerate it. I take then out and use a spoon or cookie scooper. One time they were all crumbled when I did not put enough flour thou that did not stop my family from eating it lol. I have not tried your version thou will do so this month will let you know .. I will refrugerate the dough so as to not handle the dough too much and control the consistence. Thank you for recipe.