These Mexican wedding cookies are delicate and double-coated in powdered sugar! Orange zest and orange blossom water add bright flavour.
Photography by Kelly Neil
We’ve lightly adapted this recipe for Mexican wedding cookies from one of our most fabulous former contributors, photographer and creative, Gabriel Cabrera. Mexican-born, Gab says though these sweet treats have gained popularity in the last few years, they are never actually served at Mexican weddings!
Mexican wedding cookies are sometimes also called Russian tea cakes, or snowball cookies. We double-coated this version in powdered sugar — rolling the cookies in sugar while still warm creates a light melted glaze. Once cool, the cookies are dusted with more sugar like a fresh sprinkling of snow.
Mexican wedding cookies are buttery and rich, with a sandy melt-in-your-mouth texture reminiscent of shortbread. Keep reading to learn how to make this special treat!
Use the JUMP TO RECIPE button at the top, or scroll to the bottom of the post to see the printable recipe card with full ingredient measurements and complete instructions.
Recommended Tools
- Two baking sheets
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk and electric or stand mixer
- Fine sieve
- Parchment paper
- Wire rack
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
Ingredients
- Almond Flour: fine ground, not almond meal. Use blanched (lighter) for the best colour in the cookies.
- Powdered Sugar: the same thing as icing sugar. Don’t use granulated as it won’t dissolve correctly.
- Orange Blossom Water: this adds a sweet floral flavour but if you can’t find it, simply omit.
- Almond Extract: see below for substitutions.
- Butter: salted, at room temperature.
- Cardamom: if you want to use freshly ground, only use half the amount.
- Orange Zest: from unwaxed organic oranges if possible.
- White Flour: all-purpose white flour. Don’t use self-rising for this recipe.
Keep scrolling to see clear and detailed process shots, as well as tips and notes to help you make Mexican Wedding Cookies perfectly the first time!
Method
TOP TIPS
1. Double dip. For the classic snowy appearance, the cookies must be rolled in sugar once when warm, and then again when cooled.
2. Don’t increase flavourings. Both orange blossom water and almond extract have strong flavours and shouldn’t be increased unless you want soap cookies.
3. Sift icing sugar. While this isn’t really mandatory, it’s an easy step to take and will make for much better cookies.
Recipe Notes
- We used fine ground almond flour in this recipe and haven’t tested it with coarser ground almond meal.
- Powdered sugar is also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar.
- Make sure to use soft butter as it will be easier to cream with the powdered sugar.
- Orange blossom water can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores, the international aisles of well-stocked grocery stores, or online. Used sparingly in cooking and baking, it has a fruity, floral aroma not easy to replicate. If you’re unable to get it, simply omit.
How to Store and Freeze Wedding Cookies
- To Store: keep in an airtight container on the counter for several days, but note that the sugar might start to melt into the cookies.
- To Freeze: place in an airtight container and freeze for up to a month. The icing sugar on the outside of the cookies will melt slightly when thawing, but they can be re-rolled to look fresh.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make this recipe vegan-friendly by replacing the butter with a good quality dairy-free butter.
- Replace cardamom with cinnamon or any other baking spice you like.
- Use lemon zest instead of orange if you like.
- Ground walnuts or pecans are often used instead of almond flour.
- The almond extract can be replaced with any other extract you like or have on hand.
FAQ
This isn’t really clear, and as Gab says, they’re not served at weddings in Mexico. The cookies probably came to Mexico with colonizers and became part of the local cuisine over time.
Not quite, mostly due to different flavours added. There are many of these crumbly sugar-coated cookies in different places – think vanillekipferl in Germany, for example, which are virtually the same recipe but with a different shape.
If you have a strong enough food processor or blender to make really fine almond flour at home, it will work. Use blanched almonds if possible for the best colour.
More Recipes With Almond Flour
Almond Flour Biscuits
Chocolate Chunk Cookies (vegan & gluten-free)
Almond Flour Banana Muffin
Chocolate Raspberry Almond Cake
Recipe
Mexican Wedding Cookies With Orange & Almond
Description
Equipment
- 2 baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Hand or stand mixer
- Wire racks
- Measuring cups and spoons or a digital kitchen scale
- Fine mesh sieve
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-¼ cups almond flour
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Zest of one orange
- 1 cup butter, soft
- 2 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180ºC) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, cardamom, salt, and orange zest. Set aside.
- Add the softened butter to a mixing bowl. Sift in 1 cup (120 grams) of powdered sugar.
- Using a hand or stand mixer, mix the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Add the orange blossom water and almond extract and mix to combine.
- Add half of the flour mixture to the butter. Mix on low until all of the flour is mixed in.
- Add the rest of the flour and continue to mix until no bits of dry flour remain. The dough will look very crumbly, but should be soft and stick together when squeezed between your hands.
- Roll the dough into small balls, approximately 2 tablespoons (28 grams) each, and arrange them on the baking sheets about 1-inch (3-mm) apart.
- Bake the cookies for 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, or until the bottoms of the cookies are golden.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and cool them on wire racks for 5 minutes.
- While the cookies are cooling sift the remaining cup (120 grams) of powdered sugar onto a baking sheet or into a bowl.
- Roll the still-warm cookies in the powdered sugar. This first coating will melt into a light glaze on the cookies.
- Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack, then sprinkle or roll with a second coating of powdered sugar.
Notes
- We used fine ground almond flour in this recipe and haven’t tested it with coarser ground almond meal.
- Powdered sugar is also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar.
- Make sure to use soft butter as it will be easier to cream with the powdered sugar.
- Orange blossom water can be found in Middle Eastern grocery stores, the international aisles of well-stocked grocery stores, or online. Used sparingly in cooking and baking, it has a fruity, floral aroma not easy to replicate. If you’re unable to get it, simply omit.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make this recipe vegan-friendly by replacing the butter with a good quality dairy-free butter.
- Replace cardamom with cinnamon or any other baking spice you like.
- Use lemon zest instead of orange if you like.
- Ground walnuts or pecans are often used instead of almond flour.
- The almond extract can be replaced with any other extract you like or have on hand.
Nutrition
This post first appeared January 2015, and was last updated May 2022.
Jessica | A Happy Food Dance says
I must’ve missed the whole Mexican wedding cookie resurgence – love these and love the strip on top! I also am intrigued about the orange water twist.
kristie {birch and wild} says
My mom always made Mexican wedding cookies for me while I was growing up, but honestly, these look so much better (don’t tell my mom). I love the white stripe!
lynsey | lynseylovesfood says
these are beautiful!!! love the modern-mexico-saveur twist vs. less all-inclusive-buffet..lol!! xo
Deborah Flowers says
Sounds heavenly!
Is there a recipe for orange blossom water? Or is it jus t weak orange juice?
Thanks!