Mexican Wedding Cookies (recipe) | NoBiggie.net | These cookies are great for a cookie exchange.
Every year my sweet friend Jen of Tatertots and Jello hosts a cookie exchange. I love that she does this. It’s such a fun tradition. This was it’s third year.
This year I brought Mexican Wedding cookies.
I love these cookies. They really do melt in your mouth. They definitely are not the prettiest cookies to look at, but they make up for it in taste.
Here’s a great recipe for them:
- 2 sticks of butter (at room temperature - 16 tablespoons)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups flour
- ¾ cups pecans, toasted and finely chopped
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- Toast the pecans. Place them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Toast them at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, until they smell nutty. Allow to cool before using them in this recipe.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking sheets.
- With an electric mixer on medium high speed, cream together butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt in a large bowl until very light and fluffy (about three minutes). Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour, mixing until just combined. Add pecans and mix until evenly distributed. Form the dough into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days).
- Roll dough into small 1 inch balls and place about an inch and a half apart on the lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the edges are light and golden. Turn the baking sheet around in the oven half way through. Cool the cookies about 5 minutes.
- Place half of the powdered sugar in a bowl. Roll the warm cookies in the sugar to coat. Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar a second time.
*recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Holiday Cookies
The funnest part about a Christmas cookie exchange is seeing (and eating) all the different cookies together. It reminds me of my childhood with my Grandma’s cookie plate. So pretty.
Jen hosted this year’s exchange at her new studio near her home. She had it decorated so pretty. She had printed these big chalkboard printable posters from the Caravan Shoppe. Everything looked so festive, I loved it!
These prints are so fun. I’m printing some up for a family Christmas party this weekend.
I loved Jen’s tree all dressed in white,
with the little North Pole crate on wheels.
It’s always fun to see old friends and new. It was a snowy day, and we still had a good turn out.
Thanks Jen! It was a fun morning.
*If you see your cookies in this picture, share a link to the recipe in the comments. (I forgot to pick up the recipe cards for most of them.) We would all love to come see!
Do you host a Christmas cookie exchange? Any tips you have found to make it go well?
Those cherry cookies with the kisses look delicious. I would love to get the recipe for those!!
I know!
Me too! If I can find out, I’ll send you a link.
What a fun party and beautiful decorations! Mexican wedding cookies are a family favorite; my mom made them every Christmas:)
What a fun memory! I want to make them every year too.
How fun! Looks delicious and I love her decorations! So neat you guys get together! : )
You should come next time! Are you in Utah?
The gingerbread boys with pants are cute and look delish.
They are so fun!
Kami!! It was so nice of you to come out for the party. I adore you. What a fun post. Thanks for sharing all of our pictures. Your cookies were so good!!
xoxoxox
Thanks again Jen for having me! I adore YOU!
I love that you host this every year, it’s such a fun tradition.
Merry Christmas sweet friend!
Kami, try adding colored sugar – green or red – to the powdered sugar when you make your Mexican wedding cookies – they look so festive!
good idea! Thanks for the tip!