History of Mexican Wedding Cookies
Who doesn’t love Mexican Wedding cookies? They’re absolutely fantastic, and just decadent enough to satisfy the cravings of your sweet tooth without going overboard. Did you know, however, that the “Mexican Wedding Cookie” isn’t the start of Mexican weddings? It’s true, they put in a regular and reliable appearance at weddings and other special occasions, but just like in the US, the wedding cake is actually the star dessert attraction. Even so, the cookies (called biscochitos in their native land), are widely popular, because flour and sugar are expensive ingredients in Mexico, and as such, desserts made with these items are typically reserved for special occasions. Mexican Wedding Cookies give bakers a lot of bang for their buck, enabling them to serve larger numbers of people on a relatively modest budget.
The term “Mexican Wedding Cookie” didn’t actually put in its first appearance in the United States until the 1950’s. These delicious cookies are virtually identical to Russian Teacakes, but of course, given the state of political affairs in the 1950’s, and the Cold War tensions between the US and Russia running high, it is perhaps unsurprising that Russian Teacakes didn’t get a mention in American cookbooks, but Mexican Wedding Cookies did.
We’ve done some research and gathered a small collection of Mexican Wedding Cookie recipes together, courtesy of the fine folks of allrecipes.com, which is one of the best recipe repositories on the web. These cater to a staggering variety of tastes and preferences, and you’ll find something here for everyone, so read, enjoy, and prepare to work some culinary magic later!
The Best Mexican Wedding Cookies You'll Ever Eat
Here’s an absolutely delicious, mouthwatering Mexican Wedding Cookie recipe for you to try out on family and friends. The best part? It’s super easy to make!
The Best Wedding Cookies You'll Ever Eat
Ingredients
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of chopped almonds
- 1 cup of butter
- ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar
- ½ cup of white sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons of water
Instructions
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Combine butter and sugar in a medium mixing bowl until creamy. Stir in the water and vanilla. Add flour and almonds and mix until well blended. Cover and allow to chill for three hours.
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Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Shape the chilled dough into either crescent shapes or balls and place on an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet and allow to cool on a wire rack. When cookies have cooled, roll them in confectioners’ sugar. Store in an airtight container, at room temperature.
Gluten-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies
If you, or someone you know has a gluten allergy, fear not! Use the recipe below to bake a batch of Mexican Wedding Cookie goodness that won’t be easily forgotten!
Ingredients
- 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar
- 1 cup of chopped hazelnuts
- 1 cup of chopped walnuts or hazelnuts
- ½ cup of butter
- ½ cup of white rice flour
- ¼ cup of cornstarch
- ¼ cup of tapioca flour
- 1 teaspoon of gluten-free vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon of unflavored gelatin
- Confectioners’ sugar as needed for additional dusting
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix butter and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl until creamy. Sift together the rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, gelatin and confectioners’ sugar. Stir these into the butter mixture until all dry ingredients have been fully absorbed.
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Mix in the ground and chopped nuts, then shape the dough into crescents or small balls. Place cookies on an unprepared cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown. For cookies with added crispiness, reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake for slightly longer. When cookies have cooled, dust with additional confectioners’ sugar to taste.
Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cookies
How about some chocolate madness to go with your favorite cookie? Here’s a recipe that will leave your guests begging for seconds.
- 1 ¾ cup of all-purpose flour
- 1 cup of softened butter
- 1 cup of ground pecans
- ½ cup of grated German sweet chocolate
- 1/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch of salt
- Held separately
- ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar
- ¼ cup of grated German sweet chocolate
- Mix 1/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar with butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, ground pecans, and ½ cup of grated chocolate, cinnamon and salt, mixing well. Add the dry ingredients to the creamy mixture in stages, until all ingredients are fully mixed.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2-3 hours.
- Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Shape the dough into crescents or small balls and place on an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cookies are firm to the touch. Cool for 1-minute on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Sift the ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar and the ¼ cup of grated chocolate into a shallow bowl, and roll the cookies in this mixture while still warm.
The Best Nut-Free Mexican Wedding Cookie Recipe
This recipe is a lesson in simplicity, and will see you with a light, delicious treat that will appeal to just about everyone.
- 2 cups of sifted flour
- 1 cup of butter
- ½ cup of powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon of salt
- 2 cups of cake flour
- 2 cups of chopped pecans
- 1 cup of coconut oil
- ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Mix the butter and sugar, until creamy. Blend in the salt, vanilla, and flour. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 3 hours or until firm.
- Shape the dough into crescent or ball shapes, and place on an unprepared cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown. While still warm, roll the cookies in powdered sugar and move to a wire rack to cool.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cake flour, pecans, coconut oil, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract together in a medium mixing bowl until completely combined in a soft dough. Shape into small balls or crescents, and place on an unprepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Roll the cookies in confectioners’ sugar while still warm, and place on a wire rack to cool.
A Delicious Vegan Mexican Wedding Cookie Recipe
Is there a vegan in your life? If so, you’ll be thrilled to be able to bake a batch of delicious Mexican Wedding Cookies they’re sure to love. Here’s the recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cake flour
- 2 cups of chopped pecans
- 1 cup of coconut oil
- ¼ cup of confectioners’ sugar
- ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix the cake flour, pecans, coconut oil, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract together in a medium mixing bowl until completely combined in a soft dough. Shape into small balls or crescents, and place on an unprepared cookie sheet.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown. Roll the cookies in confectioners’ sugar while still warm, and place on a wire rack to cool.
