I usually associate these nutty, round, powdered-sugar dusted cookies with Christmas because my grandmother made them every year of my childhood. We called them Mexican Wedding Cakes, but they're also known by many names like Russian Tea Cakes and Snowballs. Why Mexican? The story goes that they were originally brought by Arabs occupying Spain, and then by the Spaniards to Mexico.
Traditionally a light, buttery shortbread, formed into a ball and rolled in confectioners' sugar, my version of the Mexican Wedding Cookie is spicier, rolled and sliced into a two-inch disks, and just dusted across the top.
I served these recently at a Mexican-themed dinner topped with a scoop of homemade lemon ice cream. You could also serve them with some rum-spiked whipped cream and berries, or a cup of Mexican hot chocolate.
Spiced Mexican Wedding Cookies
Makes 121/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup ground almonds, pecans or walnuts
Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the butter and 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Gradually add the flour, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and salt. Add the ground nuts and stir until well-blended. Form dough into a 2"-wide log, wrap tightly with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.
In a small bowl combine remaining 2 tablespoons powdered sugar and remaining 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon. Set aside.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and slice into twelve equal disks, smoothing out edges into an even circle if needed before placing on parchment, 2 inches apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until just beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set on cooling rack until cool enough to handle, but still warm. Using a small sieve, dust the tops with the cinnamon sugar mixture.
Cookies will keep in an air-tight container for 2-3 days.
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Oh! This idea would save me HOURS of rolling smoking hot cookies in powdered sugar. I'll have to see if my mom'll go for it. They're traditional Christmas cookies for us so changes aren't always welcome.
We call this "international wedding cookies" in our family, because everyone seems to claim them as their own, for weddings. And yet, we only make them at Christmas.
Yum. My mom makes these at Xmas too, only in crescent shapes. Yours look so pretty.
I love eating this cookie so much, but think I kinda like the idea of only getting to eat them once a year. (Although I did make some speeculaas the other day and those are certainly Xmasy too...)
ooh baby, these are my favorite cookies! Lark cake shop in silverlake makes a tasty one. I was sad the last time i went and there weren't any.
I used this recipe and I suspect there is a mistake in the amount of flour listed.
@mrmolis,
I'm sorry you had trouble. I wonder what happened? This is the correct amount - it is almost like having two cups flour since you have an additional cup of ground nuts.
It's a half cup of ground nuts. Maybe that's the problem?
Cookies will keep in an air-tight container for 2-3 days. Oh how funny.
Agree on International Wedding Cookies.
thank you! these were SO good!
@mrmolis, my apologies - it's 1/2 cup ground nuts. I promise the recipe works as written (no as commented by me!) - I've just made it again to make double sure for you.
@Joan A. thanks for catching that!
Thanks, I'll have to give them another try.
I was excited about the Mexican Wedding Cookies, especially with the spices, but I, too, suspect the amount of flour is incorrect. When I rolled the dough, or tried to roll the dough, before refrigeration, the dough was too sticky. I tried to roll the dough in parchment paper, and it is currently refrigerating. Help!
@abcdefghijklmia did it work? I've made these cookies so many times. They are not cookie-batter consistency, they are definitely stickier, but the bake up beautifully. Tell us how yours turned out!
Mine were crumbly and sandy in texture. When baked they kind of blobbed ou in an odd looking way... Where did I go wrong?
They were also caramelized on the bottom...
This is a traditional Mexican Cookie that we normally would use Shortening or Lard instead of butter or both can also be used...it gives you a crumblier texture cookie if used with Vegetable Shortening or Lard. Either way we do have lots of names for this type cookie depends on which part of Mexico your in they are also known as: Polvorones, Hojarascas, Orascas and so on. My Grandmother would ground fresh Cinnamon sticks and I can remember the smell of the cinnamon as it was being ground. These Galletas are so Delicious when we would make some Mexican Hot Chocolate' (Abuelita Brand) is my favorite or there is are two other brands One called Popular and the other is Ibarra...these are Mexican Hot Chocolate' Bars that came in a huge bar and you would snap off whatever you need to make a pot of frothy goodness! Sometimes, we would also drink Champurrado along with our Galletas (Cookies). I'm craving these already can't wait for the Holidays to make these and put them in Tins and give out as gifts.
There is something wrong with the recipe. My batch came out flat like pancakes and the very soft. The proportion of flour to butter is too little.