Polvorones – Mexican Wedding Cookies

Polvorones or Mexican Wedding cookies are one of those food’s that know no boundaries or country borders, making this just one of those many dishes where the border between borders, cultures or languages is blurred when it comes to food.

For example, New Zealand and Australia have had an ongoing argument for decades over who first invented the pavlova. Or the pastry more commonly and widely known as French palmiers is called schweine ohren in Germany – I grew up thinking they were German. With the world becoming multicultural, where dishes originate and how they become loved in other lands gives them new life and often create a comfort for people in the places these dishes find themselves, like these buttery polvorones.

I’d never heard of Mexican wedding cookies, though they aren’t found as far south as New Zealand and then I did a little research. That name in fact stems from America and you can buy them readily at the supermarket. However, Mexican’s don’t eat these cookies at weddings, no, in fact they aren’t even considered a specialty and more of an everyday baked good.

To Mexican’s these cookies are named Polvorones instead of the American named Mexican Wedding Cookies and in their homeland they come in a variety of flavors and are eaten on a daily basis. These are extremely addictive and my father who visited while these were on the bench managed to eat six in quick succession while I consumed three before making myself walk away. Good luck trying to only eat one of these, you’ll find yourself returning to them.

If you were to visit a Mexican grocer in America these would be stored unassumingly with the Tres Leches Cake and other desserts, and those who haven’t tried these would bypass them with their plain exterior and small size, but these are moreish with it almost impossible to only eat one.

These have their origins in Spain and can also be found in the Philippines with ‘polvo’ portion of polvorones meaning powder or dust and are a type of shortbread, though are very different from the Scottish type of traditional shortbread you will likely have tried before with finely chopped nuts necessary to make these traditional, with walnuts or almonds being found in these.

How to prepare Polvorones – Mexican Wedding Cookies

• Cream the butter and sugar: Place the butter and sugar in a bowl and cream until light and fluffy.
• Add the dry ingredients and walnuts: Sift in the flour, add the salt and finely chopped walnuts, combining until smooth and no dry portions remain.
• Refrigerate: Place in the fridge for 5 minutes.
• Roll it up: Take a tablespoon amount and roll in your palm into a small ball.
• Bake: Place a tray of cookies into the oven and bake until lightly golden on the edges.
• Coat: Whilst still warm roll and coat each cookie in 3 separate layers of confectioner’s sugar.
• Serve: These little melt-in-your-mouth morsels are great with a hot beverage of your choice.

Tips for the best Polvorones – Mexican Wedding Cookies

Size of cookies: These are very buttery and melt in your mouth and are best if they are no larger than 2 inches in size to make them easier to coat but also to consume.

Coating in sugar: Each cookie needs 3 coats of confectioner’s/icing sugar whilst still warm which will also coat your fingers which is the best way to coat them evenly. Its best to place them base down into the powdered sugar and either with a spoon or your fingers scoop up sugar to coat the sides and then flip to coat the top, this will help you handle the cookies less and ensure the sugar coating doesn’t come off the cookies onto your fingers.

Multiple coats: It’s easiest to have a shallow bowl evenly coated on the bottom with the sugar and placing several cookies into the plate at a time with an inch or so between them and coating this way because they need to be warm for the 3 coats of sugar, once cooled the sugar will no longer stick.

More cookies you’ll enjoy

Chocolate Chip Coconut Cookies

Afghan Biscuits

Pistachio Shortbread with Black Tahini Filling

Polvorones – Mexican Wedding Cookies
Adapted from A Second Helping, More from Ladies A Plate book
Makes 25

Ingredients:
225 grams / 7.9 ounces butter, softened
50 grams / 1/2 cup confectioner’s/icing sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
267 grams / 1 2/3 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
170-240 grams / 1 1/2 – 2 cups confectioner’s/icing sugar

Directions:
Line a baking tray with greaseproof paper and preheat the oven to 200°C/400F.

Place the softened butter, sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl and beat on medium until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute with a hand beater.

Sift in the flour, add the salt and walnuts to the mixture.

Mix until combined, no dry portions remain in the bowl and the dough is smooth.

Place in the refrigerator for 5 minutes to lightly chill.

Remove and take a tablespoon amount, placing into your hand and rolling into a smooth ball, approximately 1 1/2 inches in size. If the mixture sticks, return to the refrigerator for a further 5 minutes.

Place the rolled cookie onto the prepared baking tray and flatten just lightly to hold in place. Repeat with the remaining dough.

Place in the oven and bake for approximately 10 minutes or slightly brown on the edges.

Remove and allow to cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to the cooling tray.

For the sugar coating, sift the confectioner’s sugar into a shallow dish and roll each cookie in the confectioner’s sugar carefully while still warm (the buttery sugar will stick to your fingers so it’s easiest to place the cookie on the flat side down and rolling the top last, carefully picking up from the base).

Return the cookie to the cooling rack and repeat the confectioner’s sugar process twice more while allowing each to cool to room temperature.

Serve and enjoy.

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