Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Mexican Wedding Cookies recipe from Pati's Mexican Table Season 2, Episode 1 “Classic Mexican Food Battles”
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, or double the butter
- 1/2 cup pecans, ground or finely chopped
- 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
- 1 egg
To Prepare
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large cookie sheet.
- In a food processor fitted with the steel blade, pulse the pecans until they are finely chopped. Add the powdered sugar, flour and salt, and pulse again. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
- Drop in the butter and shortening chunks, and pulse a couple of times. Add the egg and pulse again, just until the mixture starts to come together. Roll the dough into 1- to 1 1/2″ balls with your hands.
- Place the balls on the baking sheet, spacing them 1″ apart; give them a light pat on the top. Bake until the cookies are golden brown, about 15 minutes. You may need to bake two batches.
- Generously, really super generously, dust extra confectioners’ sugar over the top of the cookies.
Hola Pati! Greetings from Tokyo!
I was craving “polvorones” (my favorite childhood cookies) and found your recipe online. Baked them over this past Christmas holidays and they helped bring the holiday spirit home. The kids had fun helping prepare the ingredients, and friends and family loved the cookies!
El sabor de la pastelería mexicana a llegado Japon! Mil gracias!
Oh I’m so glad they helped you bring home the holiday spirit, Carlos!
I had never heard of Mexican Wedding Cookies either until I moved to California. But my mother made the exact same recipe and rolled them into little “cocoons” and that’s what they were called. She was from the southern part of the United States.
Love that name. Thanks for sharing, Diane.
¡Hola Pati! So, do I measure 1/2 cup whole pecans and then chop; or chop the pecans up and measure a 1/2 cup?
Thank you,
Mike
Hi Mike! You chope the pecans first and then measure 1/2 cup. You will want 1/2 a cup of grounded or finely chopped pecans.
do I really need the shortening, or can i use all butter?
You can use all butter as well, Yvonne. Enjoy!
Hola!!! Me encanta como cocinas pero me gustaría que tus recetas también las escribieras en español. La verdad no entiendo muy bien el inglés! ☹️ Gracias! Y Felicidades por todas tus creaciones!
Todas las recetas en español están aquí, Josefina 🙂 https://patijinich.com/es/programa/ https://patijinich.com/es/recipe/polvorones/
Pati thank you for your recipe! I’m making these especially for my mom. These are her favorite cookies! I finished baking 25 dozen last night now one more batch just for my mom! Thanks again!
Say hi to your mom for me Natalie!
Hi Pati… This will be the first time i bake cookies..:) i ve have a question . i have read other recipes and they add vanilla to the batter. Im just wondering if i should add vanilla or not?:-/
I like to make mine without vanilla…but you can always adapt the recipe to your taste, Lourdes. Enjoy!
I use to make them at Christmas for many years to give to family. But I stopped for a few years to make my rice krispie teddy bears ( a crowd pleaser) I made the cookies last year but they never made it out of the house! They were eaten up.😊💕
Hahaha…yes there aren’t too many leftovers ever in my house either, Yolanda.
My daughters favorite cookie! Im going to try your version! 💞
Say hi to your daughter for me, Kathy…and I hope you both love the cookies.
They’re better if you just use butter. Love you Pati! I’ve been making these every Christmas for 40 years or more. We started calling them Russian tea cakes because my family was from Russia/Poland area. They made them there. Now that I have a grandson, to make it easy, I just call them Snow Balls. There’s nothing better at least to me and my family. Now my Grandson William helps me roll them out. He’s 7.
Oh say hi to William for me, Donna! And thanks for sharing all of your names for them.
I have a question. Do you weigh your flour? If not then I won’t weigh it.
Oh I just use a measuring cup.
I am so happy to find this recipe for these wedding cakes. When I was in high school we made them in our home economics class. I love them and lost my original recipe. Going to the store tomorrow to get the ingredient that I don’t already have so I can make some.
That’s awesome that you made them in high school. I hope you enjoy this recipe, Annette!
My favorite cookie. The sweetness is just right. Love your show, glad l found it.
I’m so happy you found the show too!
I followed this recipe exactly. I thought the amount of sugar to two cups flour seemed like a mic match and it was. Recipe needs adjusting
I’m sorry you didn’t like it Rosa Maria.
I had to use a hand mixer and made a mess, but the turned out wonderfully! I’m so glad I found this recipe!
I’m so glad you found it too, Sami!
Always delicious! These are powdery and don’t harden like the recipe I use to have. Me encantan! Se los mandó a mis suegros .
Super!
Deverias de hacer un video
Ok!
Can you leave out the nuts my granddaughter is allergic to nuts
You can! Also I have an orange Mexican wedding cookie recipe in my first cookbook…https://www.amazon.com/Patis-Mexican-Table-Secrets-Cooking/dp/0547636474
Hi Patty, can I make the dough ahead of time and refrigerate for later.? Love your show!
The cookies will actually keep for a couple weeks covered in your kitchen…and they will keep even longer if you store them tightly in plastic bags (with no air inside) in the freezer, just thaw them a day ahead. So you can just make the cookies all the way through ahead of time.
Que es vegetable shortening?
Es un sustituto de la grasa vegetal para la manteca de cerdo, pero puedes usar mantequilla o manteca de cerdo.
I love those cookies, we call them las galletas de tata chema. Me hiciste recordar a mi abuelito (tata) he used to bake those cookies for us all the time, I will make them for this Xmas to remember him and those magical times together.
What a beautiful memory, Susana, thank you for sharing!
I don’t have shortening, I have lard. Can I substitute or should I double the butter?
I would double the butter 🙂
Hello Pati, what’s the difference between confectioners sugar and powdered sugar?
They are the same 🙂
All of your recipes are AMAZING! Can’t wait to try this one! Thanks for making cooking mexican food fun again!
Oh thank YOU Marisela!
Recipe says drop in butter and shortening chunks, is it 1/2 cup each or did that mean butter OR shortening chunks?
It is 1/2 cup of shortening and 1/2 cup of butter. Or if you don’t have shortening, you can use 1 cup of butter.
Sometimes we put lime zest in them. The kids at my girls school love them!
Oh that is a delicious addition to them!
Sarai, if you don’t have a food processor, put the nuts in a bag and pound with a rolling pin. Works perfectly.
Oh yes, that will absolutely work! (and it’s so much fun, especially for kids 🙂 )
I love that you posted this! I grew up calling these bischochos or bischochitos, but yes… we had them at every wedding.
Thank YOU Veronica!
I love you show!! Come to LA!! 💕🙌🏾
Oh I will be on Jan. 18th! https://patijinich.com/category/upcoming/
What if I don’t have a food processor? What can I use?
You can use a blender…or you can chop and mix by hand.
I also call them polvorones.
Love polvorones. Will try this tonight. Gracias Pati!!
Yay!