Christmas Cookies: Mexican Wedding Cookies
Whether you call them Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies, these buttery, sugary treats are sure to please.
Photo: Buff Strickland
Today blogger Camille Styles, of her eponymous blog, is sharing her delicious recipe for Mexicanwedding cookies!
Mexican wedding cookies have many names: Russian teacakes, snowdrops, and pecan butterballs to name a few. My grandmother called them "sand tarts," and growing up our Christmas Eve was never complete without a big batch of her pecan-studded version.
Their buttery flavor recalls traditional shortbread, but these cookies have the added fun of getting whoever eats them covered in powdered sugar. Probably the closest we'll get to a "white Christmas" here in Austin!
Photo: Buff Strickland
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Makes 48 cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted (divided)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
With the mixer on low, gradually add flour, pecans, and salt until the dough comes together.
Scoop dough out by the tablespoon and use hands to roll into balls. Place balls 1 inch apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Photo: Buff Strickland
Bake 13 to 17 minutes until cookies are set but before they begin to turn brown. Watch closely.
Remove from oven and immediately transfer to wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes.
Place remaining powdered sugar in a shallow dish. Roll warm cookies in sugar to coat, then place back on wire racks to cool completely. Once cool, roll the cookies in powdered sugar again. Store in an airtight container.
