Last updated on April 10th, 2025
Table of contents
Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies are tender, butter cookies with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and rich, nutty crunch. These popular cookies are made around the world which is why they’re also known as Russian Tea Cakes or Snowballs.
My vintage inspiration for this easy cookie was in my grandmothers, my mothers, and mother-in-laws recipe files. Needless to say it is a popular favorite holiday cookie recipe enjoyed over the years. All of their recipes have the same recipe with the exception of the title name and type of nuts that were used. I’ve made a few modern revisions.
- I added Instant ClearJel for a light, more tender texture. The ClearJel will help with structure and moisture retention, while the slight flour reduction will allow for more spread and a chewier texture.
- Added more vanilla extract for more depth of flavor.
Wet Ingredients
- butter: American butter is made from churned cream that contains 80% butterfat. European butter is churned longer and has a higher fat content (82%-85%), which is why it yields more flavor.
- vanilla extract: Vanilla provides hints of caramel and spice, enhancing the depth of flavor to baked goods. Always use a high-quality, all-natural brand that is made from real vanilla beans containing at least 35% alcohol. MAKE YOUR OWN! Purchase Grade B vanilla beans (also called extract-grade), which have less moisture and a more concentrated flavor. Place 8 oz. of bourbon (or vodka) in glass bottle or jar. Split 5-7 vanilla beans down the middle and add to bottle. Let it sit for 3-6 months in a cool, dark place. As you use it, continue to replace the bourbon and add more beans as it keeps for many years.
Dry Ingredients
- all-purpose flour: All-purpose unbleached flour is made by grinding the seeds of the wheat plant and removing the bran and germ. It has a moderate protein content of 10-12%, making it a versatile option for baking cookies, cakes, and pastries.
- salt: Use a fine-ground pink salt which adds essential minerals and nutrients to baked goods.
- ClearJel: Instant ClearJel is a modified food starch used as a thickener, stabilizer, and gelling agent, used for pie fillings creating a clear, smooth texture rather than cloudy. In baked goods it helps retain moisture and produces a light, tender texture. Use cornstarch as a substitution if ClearJel is hard to find. For every 1 T. of cornstarch, use 1 1/2 T. ClearJel. For every 2 T. flour or tapioca, use 1 T. ClearJel. You can find it online here.
- pecans: are a tree nut that grown on pecan trees in the United States and Mexico. They add texture and sweet nuttiness flavor to baked goods.
Baker’s Tips
- For thick cookies: chill the batter and bake on Silpat baking mat and bake on Silpat baking mat to ensure less spread.
- For thin and crispy cookies: scoop out cookie dough and put straight into the oven and use parchment paper and scoop cookie dough and put them right into the oven as it will create more spread.
- Toast the nuts before adding to the cookies to incorporate more flavor. Rough chop them in mini food chopper. Place chopped nuts on a baking sheet and bake at 350° for 5 minutes.
- Use light-colored, aluminum cookie sheets to reflect even heat during the baking process. Dark cookie sheets conduct more heat off the surface, which may burn or darken on the edges before they are fully cooked through.
- For even browning, place only 2 cookie sheets in the oven at the same time. Place the cookie sheet horizontally and rotate them halfway through the baking process. To rotate, spin the cookie sheets around 180° and swap the cookie sheets from top to bottom and vice versa.
How to make Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies
Step #1: Gather equipment and prep ingredients
Cut 2 sheets of parchment paper for baking sheets.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
Step #2: Make cookie dough
Mix together wet ingredients until light and fluffy.
Add dry ingredients.
Step #3: Chill cookie dough
Scoop dough onto a silpat non-stick baking mat or parchment paper.
Chill the dough balls for 5-10 minutes before placing in the oven.
Step #4: Bake & Enjoy
Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes.
Roll in powdered sugar while they are still warm. Let cookies cool then roll them again in powdered sugar.
Equipment
Recommended tools: (affiliate links)
Silpat baking mat OR parchment paper
Storage
Pre-baked cookies:
- You can make the batter and store until ready to bake.
- Short-term, scoop the batter into cookie pucks/balls and place in storage container until use.
- Long-term, place all of the mixed batter into a ziploc bag or storage container and let the batter come to room temperature before scooping into cookie pucks/balls.
Baked cookies:
Store the cookies between parchment paper in sealed container or holiday tins. For a simple holiday gift, put some pretzels into a cello bag and tie with a cute bow. To keep during the holiday season, place container in cool part of the house or garage.
Another option is to individually bag each cookie in a translucent cello bag using a heat-sealer. Heat-sealers are simple to use and can really extend the shelf-life of a cookie.
To thaw frozen cookies, allow them to come to room temperature before opening the container.
Store baked cookies in airtight container on counter 1-2 days.
Seal in in freezer safe container for up to 6 months. Place cookies in layers lined with parchment paper. You can also individually heat seal cookies and place them in a larger container.
Dietary Substitutions
For the past 12+ years, I have owned an all-natural specialty bakery converting conventional recipes to gluten free, vegan, wholesome, etc. Read more about it here.
TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE
Here are some tips for gluten free baking
- Use a premium gluten-free flour blend.
- Be sure to let the batter rest to help eliminate grittiness. Even letting the batter sit 15 minutes will yield a light and tender baked good. You can let batter sit in the fridge overnight, and up to 3 days.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons additional buttermilk to help hydrate the flour.
- Reduce the oven temperature by at least 25° to bake low and slow, since gluten-free flour is delicate and tend to burn before the center is cooked through.
- Gluten-free baked goods have a shorter shelf-life than conventional baked goods and dry out faster. Store in airtight container on counter 1-2 days, refrigerate 3-5 days, or seal in plastic and place in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. After pulling the container from the freezer, bring to room temperature before opening the lid.
TO MAKE VEGAN/DAIRY FREE
- Swap out the butter with unsalted vegan butter sticks.
- To replace the egg, place 1 tsp. of baking soda into your baked good and pour 1 T. white vinegar on top of the baking soda.
Related Recipes
Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies
Ingredients
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 c. unbleached flour
- 1 T. instant ClearJel or cornstarch
- ½ c. confectioner sugar
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 c. nuts (pecans, walnuts) finely chopped
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1 c. unsalted butter room temp
- 1 T. vanilla
Equipment
Instructions
PREP
- Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk together dry ingredients.
MAKE BATTER
- Mix together butter, and confectioner sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla and mix.
- Add in dry ingredients and nuts and mix together.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes or overnight.
- Use a small cookie scoop and roll into 1 " balls.
BAKE
- Bake cookies at 350° for 12-15 minutes.
- Roll in powdered sugar while they are still warm. Let cookies cool then roll them again in powdered sugar. Let cookies cool and store in a container.
Christmas Cookie Recipes
Leave a comment below and let me know how it turned out for you!
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL! Stay connected with us for more vintage recipes baked modern!
This post may contain affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see our full disclosure for further information.
