Polvorones de Nuez (Vegan Mexican Wedding Cookies)
Polvorones are crumbly, buttery cookies that melt in your mouth. Also known as besitos de nuez or Mexican wedding cookies, they’re easy to make and taste delectable!
What Are Polvorones?
Polvorones are a type of shortbread cookie that’s buttery, crumbly, and very soft.
They are popular in Mexico and across all Latin America countries as well as Spain, where they originated – there’s even a Filipino polvoron though made slightly different.
Polvorones is the plural of polvorón, which comes from the Spanish word “polvo” which means dust or powder.
Traditional polvorones are made with sugar, flour, manteca or pork fat and typically include some sort of nut like pecans or almonds. Nowadays the manteca has been replaced by vegetable shortening or with dairy-based butter.
In Mexico these crumbly delicate cookies are known by different names like polvorones, or polvoron de nuez, or besitos de nuez.
In the US they are known as Mexican wedding cookies or Mexican wedding cakes or Mexican snowball cookies. This is because back in the day they were a special cookie made to celebrate weddings and religious celebrations like baptisms.
Vegan Mexican Wedding Cookies
These cookies require just 6 ingredients, and you can easily transform them from a vegetarian cookie to a vegan cookie. It’s so easy!
When I make vegan Mexican wedding cookies no one can tell the difference in taste or texture.
They are still a buttery, delicate, crumbly cookie that melt in your mouth!
💡Did you know that this cookie is popular all over the World? Other names are Russian tea cookies, Russian tea cakes, vegan snowball cookies, Italian wedding cookies, Danish wedding cookies.
Why You’ll Love These Cookies
• They melt in your mouth!
• The pecans and other ingredients make them taste like maple syrup.
• The sweetness is just right, not too sweet so perfect for everyone.
• No one will know they’re a vegan cookie!
Ingredients
As I mentioned above, this easy cookie recipe requires only 6 simple ingredients!
Pecan Halves: These nuts are what give Mexican wedding cookies their unique taste.
Unsalted Butter: Use your favorite unsalted vegan butter. I like Miyoko’s brand. If you don’t have vegan butter check the margarine’s available locally, many of them don’t contain any animal products so are actually vegan margarine.
Salt: I always add it to my baked goods because it helps bring out the sweetness and other flavors. Omit if using salted butter.
All Purpose Flour: I like to use a fine or 00 all purpose flour for extra delicate cookies. It’s just regular wheat flour.
Powdered Sugar: You’ll also find it called confectioner’s sugar
or confectioners sugar. This helps give the cookies that crumbly texture.
Vanilla Extract: Use a good quality one for best flavor.
Flavor Variations
You could also use ground cinnamon if you’d like. To give them a chocolate spin you can mix in or dust with cocoa powder.
I’ve seen people also use almond extract or pecan extract to give the cookies a stronger taste. Another fun flavor spin would be to add orange zest when you add the dry ingredients.
Some gluten-free variations I’ve seen have used almond flour or coconut flour – or you could use those with a mix of regular flour for a gluten cookie.
How to Make Vegan Mexican Wedding Cookies
Step 1 Prepare The Pecan Halves:
Place the pecans in a food processor and pulse until they have broken down small pieces like in the picture.
If you don’t have a food processor you can use a knife and finely chop them. Or you can also pulse in a regular blender.
Step 2 Cream Butter:
Place the butter in a mixing bowl and use a hand held electric mixer to cream the butter until creamy on low speed. Add the powdered sugar and salt, and mix again until well combined.
Step 3 Add Flour & Pecans:
Next, sift the flour over the butter mixture (use a flour sifter or a fine mesh strainer), then add the finely chopped pecans and vanilla extract. Mix until you have a course mixture.
Step 4 Chill Time:
Use your hands to gather the cookie dough and bring it together without falling apart to form a large cookie dough ball. Wrap in plastic wrap or place inside a re-usable ziploc bag and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 5 Preheat Oven:
Preheat the oven to 350F or 200C and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Step 6 Shape:
Use a 1.5 Tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop out chilled cookie dough and make even-size little balls (you can also measure with your fingers). Roll out the dough to smooth balls and place on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your fingers to press down the balls slightly.
Step 7 Bake:
Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the bottom of the cookies turns golden brown.
Step 8 Dust:
Place the cookies on a cooling rack until they come to room temperature. Roll in powder sugar until evenly dusted on all sides. Place on a cookie sheet or cookie container.
How to Serve
When serving make sure that the cookies have a good dusting of powdered sugar.
Serve with a cup of Mexican hot chocolate, champurrado or during Christmas with some Mexican Christmas punch. They are perfect for Las Posadas too!
You can serve these cookies as a dessert for special occasions and celebrations like weddings, baptisms and first communions, as well as Cinco de Mayo.
They’re also perfect for gifting. Place the festive cookies in tin cookie containers to gift during the holiday season.
Taste
Mexican polvorones cookies or wedding cookies are a perfect treat that taste buttery, just sweet enough, and the pecans give it a nutty flavor that’s reminiscent to maple syrup. They are delectable and truly one of the best cookies around!
How to Store
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and away from hot and humid areas of your kitchen.
They will keep fresh for up to a week.
Gracias
I’m so happy you stopped by. If you have any questions or want to let me know how you liked this recipe, do leave a comment. Muchas gracias, I appreciate you!
More Mexican Desserts to Try
- Day of The Dead Cookies
- Mexican Piggy Cookies
- Mexican Chocolate Cake
- Bionicos Fruit Cups
- Rice Pudding
Polvorones de Nuez (Vegan Mexican Wedding Cookies)
Ingredients
- 3.55 oz pecans halves ground (it’s 1 cup or 100grams)
- 7 oz vegan butter it’s 200grams
- ½ cup powdered sugar loosely measured not packed (it’s 60grams)
- 2 cups fine all purpose flour (it’s 250grams)
- ¼ teaspoon salt it’s a large pinch
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Process the pecan halves in a food processor or blender until they are broken down to crumbs. You can also just chop them.
- Place the butter in a large mixing bowl and use a hand held mixer to cream it.
- Add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar and salt and mix until well combined.
- Add the flour, pecans, and vanilla extract, mix until well combined into you have course crumbs and you can bring the cookie dough together.
- Use your hands to gather the cookie dough into a large ball. Wrap in plastic wrap or place inside a freezer bag.
- Chill the dough for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 200C and line a cookie sheet with baking paper.
- Use a small cookie scoop (or with your fingers) to shape small cookie balls. Place them on the cookie sheet and gently press down on each ball to flatten just a little bit.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or just until the bottom of the cookies turns a golden brown color and the tops should be a lighter golden color.
- Cool on a wire racks and allow to come to room temperature.
- Pour the remaining powdered sugar into a bowl then place a cookie in it and gently roll it around in the sugar to coat it. Place on a serving dish or a cookie tin container until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nancy Lopez is a food blogger and author of the cookbook Mexican Tamales Made Meatless. Born in Mexico, raised in the US, and currently living in Southern Mexico, she has followed a meatless diet for almost 10 years. It is her passion and mission to share all she has learned about vegan Mexican cooking and vegetarian Mexican recipes. Mexican Made Meatless is a blog dedicated to preserving the authentic flavors of Mexican cuisine just without the meat. It’s a place to celebrate Mexican culture and all it’s delightfully delicious traditional foods. Read more…
Absolutely the best!! Widely recommended and whenever you try them recently baked… it is heaven!!. Thank´s a lot Nancy, this cookies are awesome!.
Thank you so much, glad you enjoyed the cookies – and I agree, straight out of the oven are delicious. Feliz Navidad