Cooking and Serving: 22 minutes | 24 cookies
Ingredients
How to make gluten free Mexican wedding cookies (step * Expert tips | Ingredient substitutions
Description
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 22 minutes | Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
How to make gluten free Mexican wedding cookies (step * Expert tips
Ingredient substitutions
Instructions
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
Mexican wedding cookies are somewhat fragile, and they tend to crumble, since.
they’re a type of butter cookie, and are meant to be delicate.
That messy top coating of powdered sugar may be all you see. But just beneath is.
a delicate but rich and buttery cookie with its own crackly layer of baked.
sugar. And it’s all thanks to coating the cookies 2 times before you even bake.
It’s best to chill the shaped and coated cookies for about 10 minutes before you.
bake them, which helps them keep their shape in the oven. You’ll need that time.
to heat the oven anyway!
RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make these cookies, plus some.
information on what role each plays in the end result. For full ingredient.
amounts, please see the recipe card.
Bowls and containers of ingredients arranged on a marble surface, including.
chopped pecans, gluten free flour, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, two.
sticks of butter, granulated sugar, and salt.
and containers of ingredients arranged on a marble surface, including chopped.
pecans, gluten free flour, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, two sticks of.
butter, granulated sugar, and salt.
Chopped pecans: Add a buttery, nutty crunch to these cookies. Since raw.
pecans are a very soft nut, I grind them coarsely so they maintain some.
texture. If you don’t have a food processor (a mini one works great here), I.
recommend chopping them hard to stop short of creating nut butter.
Gluten free flour blend: Provides most of the structure of the cookies to.
hold them together and keep them from spreading too much during baking. I.
prefer Better Batter’s classic blend (which already contains xanthan gum) or.
Nicole’s Best multipurpose (with added xanthan gum). Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1.
should also work if you add an extra 1/4 teaspoon more xanthan gum since it.
Cornstarch: Lightens the flour blend for a softer crumb and a less dense.
cookie. You can replace it with more of your gluten free flour blend by.
weight and the cookies will taste great but just turn out a little more.
Confectioners’ sugar: A very finely ground refined sugar mixed with starch to.
lighten and prevent clumping, this adds sweetness and tenderness to the.
cookies when we bake it in. When it coats the raw shaped cookies, it adds a.
crunchy shell after it melts in the oven and then cools. It also adds extra.
powdery sweetness and that white snowball look to the baked cookies.
Salt: Balances sweetness and brightens other flavors. I use kosher salt.
because it’s easiest to avoid overmeasuring.
Butter: Adds buttery taste, moisture, tenderness and richness, and that.
melt-in-your-mouth texture since there’s so much butter compared to other.
ingredients. Be sure yours is at cool room temperature, about 68°F. That’s.
warm enough to mix into the dry ingredients, but cool enough that your.
cookies won’t be greasy and flat.
Vanilla: Adds depth of flavor, and a little moisture since we’re using 2.
Granulated sugar: Coating the cookies first in granulated sugar and then in.
powdered sugar before baking helps the powdered sugar from getting absorbed.
into the raw dough and helps it crystallize on the outside for a crackly.
A close view of powdered-sugar-coated cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet,.
with one cookie in front showing a bite taken out revealing flecks of chopped.
close view of powdered-sugar-coated cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet,.
with one cookie in front showing a bite taken out revealing flecks of chopped.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES (STEP.
I like to use a miniature food processor to chop the raw pecans into a coarse.
grind, but you can use a knife, too. The cookies themselves are made in a single.
Whisk the dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the gluten free flour blend with xanthan.
gum, cornstarch, salt, 2/3 cup of the 1 cup of confectioners’ sugar, and the.
coarsely ground pecans. Make sure everything is whisked together well so there.
are no clumps of any individual ingredient, which can lead to cookies that.
Chop the butter roughly into tablespoons with a knife and scatter it on top of.
the whisked dry ingredients. This makes it easier to combine everything evenly.
Add vanilla extract, and work the butter into the dry ingredients down with the underside of the bowl of the a mixing spoon.
A metal mixing bowl filled with white dry ingredients with a pile of finely.
chopped nuts on top, and a metal whisk resting inside the bowl.
metal mixing bowl filled with white dry ingredients with a pile of finely.
chopped nuts on top, and a metal whisk resting inside the bowl.
A metal mixing bowl with dry ingredients and several cubes of butter scattered.
metal mixing bowl with dry ingredients and several cubes of butter scattered on.
The butter should moisten all of the dry ingredients into a coarse wet sandy.
texture, but there will probably be some dry patches. Drizzle in lukewarm water.
slowly and carefully directly onto dry patches, and mix in just until the cookie.
dough holds together well when you press it into your palm. Avoid wetting the.
dough too much or the cookies will spread more than intended in the oven.
A hand holding a small glass bowl with a metal measuring spoon inside it over a.
larger bowl of clumps of light tan raw cookie dough.
hand holding a small glass bowl with a metal measuring spoon inside it over a.
larger bowl of clumps of light tan raw cookie dough.
A hand holding a small packed piece of light tan dough with brown flecks taken.
from a bowl of mixed clumps of raw dough, with a spoon resting inside the bowl.
hand holding a small packed piece of light tan dough with brown flecks taken.
from a bowl of mixed clumps of raw dough, with a spoon resting inside the bowl.
Shape the cookie dough.
Divide the dough into pieces about 1 tablespoonful (a #60 or #70 cookie scoop.
works great), and then roll into rounds lightly in your palms. Don’t pack down.
the dough or the cookies will be too dense and may not bake in the very center.
Small scoops of raw light tan cookie dough spaced on a parchment-lined baking.
sheet, with a metal cookie scoop with more raw dough placed among them.
scoops of raw light tan cookie dough spaced on a parchment-lined baking sheet,.
with a metal cookie scoop with more raw dough placed among them.
Twelve rounded raw balls of light tan cookie dough arranged evenly on a.
parchment-lined baking sheet.
rounded raw balls of light tan cookie dough arranged evenly on a parchment-lined.
Coat in granulated sugar and chill.
Place the white granulated sugar in a small mixing bowl, and roll each round of.
dough around to coat on all sides. Place the coated dough on a flat surface and.
chill in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes. This will help keep the dough.
from spreading too much in the oven and seal the cookie dough a bit.
Coat in confectioners’ sugar.
Use the remaining 1/3 cup of confectioners’ sugar to coat the chilled pieces of.
dough. Placing this sugar on top of the granulated sugar will help it create a.
crackly texture on the outside rather than seeping into the cookies as they.
A hand holding a metal bowl partially filled with granulated sugar, with one.
dough ball sitting in the sugar and other dough balls on a baking sheet below.
hand holding a metal bowl partially filled with granulated sugar, with one dough.
ball sitting in the sugar and other dough balls on a baking sheet below.
A hand holding a metal bowl partially filled with powdered white sugar, with one.
dough ball coated in the sugar and other coated dough balls on the baking sheet.
hand holding a metal bowl partially filled with powdered white sugar, with one.
dough ball coated in the sugar and other coated dough balls on the baking sheet.
Bake the cookies at a relatively high 375°F for 12 minutes. The sugar on the.
outside of the cookies will seal and crackle and the cookies will spread less.
than 1-inch. Let them cool on the baking sheet completely.
Twelve white appearing raw sugar-coated dough balls arranged evenly on a.
parchment-lined baking sheet.
white appearing raw sugar-coated dough balls arranged evenly on a.
parchment-lined baking sheet.
Twelve baked cookies that lightly crackled on top and pale in color on a.
parchment-lined baking sheet.
baked cookies that lightly crackled on top and pale in color on a.
parchment-lined baking sheet.
The baked and cooled cookies will have a pale coating of sugar on the outside.
Soon before you plan to display and serve the cookies, toss the cooled cookies.
one more time in confectioners’ sugar. This will give them that snowball-white.
appearance. You may need to add more sugar to the final 1/3 cup.
A hand holding a metal bowl filled with powdered sugar, with a baked cookie.
sitting in with more baked cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet below.
hand holding a metal bowl filled with powdered sugar, with a baked cookie.
sitting in with more baked cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet below.
A parchment-lined baking sheet with twelve evenly spaced gluten free Mexican.
wedding cookies fully coated in white confectioners’ sugar.
parchment-lined baking sheet with twelve evenly spaced gluten free Mexican.
wedding cookies fully coated in white confectioners’ sugar.
EXPERT TIPS
CHOOSE THE RIGHT NUTS, PREPARED PROPERLY.
I like raw pecans best in this recipe since they’re tender and soft even when.
raw, so they add a tender crunch that complements the smooth texture of the.
cookies. Raw walnuts have less flavor but a similar texture, so grind them.
similarly. If you’re using almonds, grind them more finely or they’ll have too.
much crunch, which can ruin the overall silky smooth texture.
COAT IN SUGARS 3 TIMES.
I know it may seem excessive, but we coat the cookies 3 times. If you coat the.
raw cookie first in granulated sugar, then in confectioners’ sugar, the baked.
cookies will have a pale, sweet, delicious crackly shell. The final coating of.
confectioners’ sugar is for extra sweetness, of course, but also so they look.
like little snowballs.
A close view of powdered-sugar-coated cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet,.
with the cookies arranged in rows.
close view of powdered-sugar-coated cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet,.
with the cookies arranged in rows.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
These cookies are already gluten free and naturally egg-free. If you are.
avoiding other allergens, here are my suggestions for how you might adapt this.
recipe to suit your needs.
DAIRY FREE
I recommend trying to replace the butter in these cookies with half (8.
tablespoons or 112 grams) block-style vegan butter like Melt or Miyoko’s brand.
and half (112 grams) butter flavored shortening. That should best mimic the.
flavor, moisture content and fat content of butter.
If you can’t have nuts, try our shaping and coating our gluten free butter.
recipe in the same way as these cookies are prepared. They’re very similar in.
taste and texture, but naturally nut-free.
Replace the cornstarch with more of your chosen all purpose gluten free flour,.
corn-free confectioners’ sugar, or whisk 1 tablespoon arrowroot or potato starch.
into powdered sugar, which is the same type of “10x” superfinely ground sugar.
without added starch.
A wider view of powdered-sugar-coated gluten free Mexican wedding cookies piled.
on a plate set inside stacked metal trays, with a beige cloth and part of a.
baking sheet visible in the background.
wider view of powdered-sugar-coated gluten free Mexican wedding cookies piled on.
a plate set inside stacked metal trays, with a beige cloth and part of a baking.
sheet visible in the background.
GLUTEN FREE MEXICAN WEDDING COOKIES RECIPE
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins.
Cook Time: 12 minutes mins.
Chilling time: 10 minutes mins.
Closeup of a plate piled with powdered-sugar-coated cookies, one showing a bite.
taken out showing flecks of chopped nuts, all arranged on stacked round metal.
of a plate piled with powdered-sugar-coated cookies, one showing a bite taken.
out showing flecks of chopped nuts, all arranged on stacked round metal plates.
These gluten free Mexican wedding cookies are velvety smooth nutty buttery.
cookies that really do melt in your mouth. Since they also look like snowballs,.
they’re sometimes called snowball cookies!
Notes
* 1 ½ cups (210 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend
* ¾ teaspoon xanthan gum, omit if your flour blend already contains it
* 1 cup (115 g) confectioners’ sugar, divided, plus more as needed
* ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
* 13 tablespoons (90 g) finely chopped raw pecans, or raw walntuts or almonds
* 16 tablespoons (224 g) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (about
* 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
* Lukewarm water, * ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, for rolling
* Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it
* In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, 2/3 cup
confectioners’ sugar (77 g) and salt, and whisk to combine well. Add the
finely chopped nuts and whisk again to combine.
* Chop the butter into chunks (each about 1 tablespoon) and scatter on top of
the dry ingredients. Add the vanilla, too, and mix until well-combined. I
find that pressing down on the butter with the back of a spoon helps to
distribute it throughout the dough.
* The cookie dough will look somewhat sandy, and will clump in places. Add
water holds together easily when squeezed in your hand. Stop short of adding water
before the dough feels wet or sticky.
* Scoop the dough ideal here, but two spoons work well, too). Roll each piece of dough into a
round gently between the palms of your hands. Don’t pack the dough; just
* Place granulated sugar in a small mixing bowl. Place each ball of cookie
dough in the bowl, and shake it back and forth to coat the dough in sugar.
* Place the shaped dough on a flat surface and place in the refrigerator to
chill for 10 minutes or mostly firm. The granulated sugar should also be less
visible, as the dough will have begun to absorb it.
* While the dough is chilling, preheat your oven to 375°F.
* Place the remaining 1/3 cup (38 g) confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl.
Remove the chilled balls of dough from the freezer, and toss in the sugar a
few at a time to coat completely.
* Place each of the coated pieces of dough on the prepared baking sheet about 1
* Bake in the center of the oven until the cookies are set in the center and
firm to the touch (about 12 minutes). They’ll will be fragile, but shouldn’t
* Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool completely.
* After the cookies have cooled completely, toss again in confectioners’ sugar
(adding more as needed) to coat and provide that snowball appearance. If you
don’t plan to serve the cookies right away, delay this final coating of sugar
until soon before serving.
This recipe works best with Better Batter’s original blend or Nicole’s Best
multipurpose flour (with added xanthan gum). Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 should work,
too, with an extra 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum.
I often replace the cornstarch with more all purpose gluten free flour if I’m in
a rush, and the cookies still turn out just a bit more dense.
Want to make your own blend? Check out my mock all purpose gluten free flour
If you’re using raw pecans or walnuts, grind them coarsely until irregular
pieces of nuts are still visible. If using almonds, grind or chop more finely.
It’s best to prepare the nuts processor as described above. If you don’t have one, chop knife instead of in a blender, which will grind too much.
Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g
| Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an
These gluten free snowball cookies, also known as Russian tea cakes and Mexican
wedding cookies are super tender butter cookies, made with chopped nuts and
always covered in powdered sugar.
gluten free snowball cookies, also known as Russian tea cakes and Mexican
wedding cookies are super tender butter cookies, made with chopped nuts and
always covered in powdered sugar.
If you don’t plan to serve all of the baked cookies right away, don’t coat them
in sugar after they’re baked and cooled. That sugar coating is the most fragile
and can easily be added later, right before serving. Store leftover cookies in a
sealed glass container at room temperature to preserve their texture for up to 5
For longer storage, freeze cookies in a single layer on a lined, rimmed baking
sheet first to make them less fragile. Pile carefully into a freezer-safe
zip-top storage bag, removing as much air as possible, and freeze for up to 3
months. Defrost at room temperature, and toss in confectioners’ sugar again
A white plate full of gluten free Mexican wedding cookies.
white plate full of gluten free Mexican wedding cookies.