Alex and I are back from our vacation to Sayulita, Mexico and it was a seriously amazing trip. We’ve been together for 6 years exactly (today is our anniversary) and this trip was actually our first tropical/beach vacation. We live in Orange County, so we always felt like going to Hawaii or somewhere tropical wasn’t a necessity but I’m so glad that we chose to visit Sayulita. I want to save what I have to say about the trip for an upcoming city guide, but for now, I’ll share that it was a unforgettable trip filled with memories that Alex and I will cherish for the rest of our lives.
During our trip, we stayed one night in San Sebastián, a very old (founded in 1605) mining town nestled in the mountains of western Jalisco, about a 2-hour drive from Sayulita. We stayed at probably one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been to: an ecolodge bed and breakfast with only 3 cabins on the property. Our cabin was surrounded by nature, had a beautiful fireplace in the center of the room, and it felt like we were the only two people in the entire town since it was so secluded. A breathtaking experience. Along with delicious local coffee available in every room, we also received, as a gift, a bag of Polvorones, or Mexican Wedding Cakes.
These cookies, not cakes as the name suggests, are extremely popular in Mexico where they are traditionally served at celebratory events such as weddings or christenings, alongside other cakes and treats. Although you can find them in just about any Mexican bakery, they didn’t originate in Mexico and actually have a rich history of popping up in cultures around the world. This is why some people may refer to them as Russian Tea Cakes, Snowballs, Greek Wedding Cakes or Swedish Tea Cakes. I grew up eating them because my Czech grandma would bake them and I’m fairly certain that there was always a cookie tin of them laying around. Because of this, I always assumed that they were Central European cookies.
Whatever you choose to call these cookies, they are insanely delicious, equally as simple to bake and are a quintessential Christmas cookie to serve or pass out as gifts. As well as being small in size, they have a light and crisp texture and each cookie is packed with flavor thanks to the addition of a healthy amount of butter and nuts. Traditionally, Mexican Wedding Cakes are made with toasted pecans or walnuts, but you can also use almonds or cashews. I’ve tried them with pecans, cashews and almonds, and I personally think pecans yield the best tasting cookies and are most similar to what was given to us in San Sebastián. But, as always, use what you have on hand or whichever nut you prefer. Lastly, and most importantly, these cookies get most of their sweetness by rolling the baked cookies through powdered sugar not once, but twice. It’s a fun, albeit messy, process but it is what sets these cookies apart from any other buttery cookie.
The cookies require only 7 ingredients and I’m confident that you will probably have all of them in your pantry and refrigerator already: butter, flour, one of the nuts listed above, powdered sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt. There’s no eggs or leavening agents, which makes these cookies as basic as possible. So although I’m posting this recipe only a couple of days before Christmas, I believe that you still have ample amount of time to get these done. And the bonus of making a batch of these irresistible cookies? A single batch yields about 40 cookies. But I will warn you: they’re so small and addicting that it’s very easy to eat 5-7 in one sitting. Just sayin’.
The directions for Mexican Wedding Cakes are very straight-forward but there is one important note: read the directions carefully! There are a few instances where you use just a portion of the ingredients at first (the flour and powdered sugar) and then use the rest of the ingredient later on in the recipe. A portion of the flour is at first ground up in the food processor with the pecans (as to prevent making a pecan nut butter) and a portion of the powdered sugar is used for the cookie dough itself, while the rest of it is used for rolling the baked cookies through.
Since I strongly believe that cookies make for excellent Christmas or hostess gifts, I found these “treat bags” that are perfectly adorable to put the cookies in. The bags come with different colored twist ties (red, green, silver. etc.) which only make them more suitable for the holiday. I got the idea for these bags from the eco-lodge in San Sebastián because that’s how they were given to us and I thought the packaging was so sweet. Another cookie bag option that I also use are these paper bag ones that work really well.
P.S. Need other Christmas cookie options? You can make my ginger molasses cookies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, or salted toffee and brown sugar cookies. Lots of options!
Merry Christmas!!
Mexican Wedding Cakes
Yields about 3.5 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1 (heaping) cup raw, whole pecans
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/4 tsp. fine salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened but still cold
2 cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast them for 10 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Allow the nuts to cool completely before proceeding (you can pop them in the freezer).
In a food processor fitted with the S-blade, pulse the pecans and 1/2 cup of the flour (this prevents making a nut butter) until finely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl and add the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour, salt and cinnamon and whisk together.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar (the rest will be used for rolling the baked cookies in) until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract and mix again until incorporated. All at once, pour in the pecan-flour mixture and mix on low for 10 seconds and then increase the speed to medium until a dough forms. Try not to over mix. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
Preheat the oven to 300°F and place the remaining 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar in a small bowl. Using your hands or a small cookie scoop, scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them into balls (it’ll be about 1 inch round). Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet (they’ll barely spread so you can bake about 20 at a time) and bake for 20-25 minutes. The cookies will be dry on the outside and firm to the touch. Another physical cue is checking the bottoms for a golden brown color.
Allow the cookies to cool for a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before rolling them through the powdered sugar using a spoon. After rolling each one once through the sugar, repeat the process - the first layer usually is a bit sticky and wet, so a second layer of sugar will ensure a more dry, even layer.