Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones): A Delicious Latin Tradition for Christmas [Recipe]

Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones) make una deliciosa navidad blanca.

This year, before I flew home to Ohio to be with my whole family at Thanksgiving, I made sure to remind my mom to bring her recipe and the ingredients to make Mexican Wedding Cookies (Polvorones) while we were all there together. Well, my mom followed through on that part, but after a busy Thanksgiving Day, she declared she was officially “done” cooking and cleaning for the day, which left my sister and me to take on the cookie making task after dinner.

So happy to get the whole family together and have Mom share her recipe for Polvorones

What better way to enjoy the job than by turning on the television to watch some predictably silly rom-com Christmas movies, pouring some red wine and rolling up our sleeves to dive into the process. Making these adorably cute and delicious cookies has been a tradition in our house since we were kids and continuing the tradition as adults was a fun way to hang out with my sister.

Just like two little elves baking cookies late at night, my sister and I enjoyed our time together making these decadent cookies

Though the name may imply differently, Mexican Wedding Cookies (also knows as Polvorones) are made for occasions other than celebrating a wedding. During the holidays, you’ll likely find these melt-in-your-mouth, sugar-dusted, pecan-filled cookies instead of gingerbread or fruit bread on the tables of many Latin families.

I’m quite certain that the history of how Polvorones became such a staple in my culture is not the story I share, but I always believed as a child that it was because they looked like little snowballs during the winter season. Who could argue with that version of the introduction of this cookie to our holiday feast?

Here’s the recipe for making these relatively easy, decadent, and delicious cookies. From my family to yours, I hope you enjoy!

Mexican Wedding Cookies/Polvorones

(Makes 5 dozen)

1/2 lb. of oleo or butter, softened

2 cup flour

2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. sugar

2 cups confectioners sugar

2 cups pecans, chopped (optional)

Cream together the oleo or butter with the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Add the flour and pecans and mix well.

Grab a tablespoon of the mix and form into a walnut sized ball. Lay onto an un-greased cookie sheet and bake at 275 degrees for about 1 hour until cookies start to turn a light golden brown.

While cookies are baking, add the confectioners sugar to a bowl as you will need this to finish off the cookies.

Once cookies are finished baking, remove them from baking sheets onto a wire rack to cool for a few minutes. Drop the cookies into the confectioners sugar and roll them until they are completely and evenly coated and look like little snowballs.

A dusting of confectioners sugar creates the finished snowball effect!

All you need to do now is enjoy them with a cup of Mexican Hot Cocoa!

Related content:

Taste of Puerto Rico at Christmas Time

How Will You Celebrate Your Latin Heritage This Thanksgiving?

Give a Latin Twist to Thanksgiving Leftovers with Arepas [Recipe and Video]