Galletas De Nuez (Mexican Wedding Cookies) are crunchy little cookies that melt in your mouth. The recipe is quick, simple and great for any occasion!

Galletitas De Nuez placed on a pile.

***This post was originally published on Dec 2015. It has been updated to be more helpful.

Mexican Wedding Cookies

I love Mexican Wedding Cookies! I love the crunchy texture when you bite into them and then melt in your mouth afterwards. I love the taste of pecans, and of course, the taste of butter.

Whether they’re for Christmas, an afterschool snack, or a summer treat, galletitas de nuez are always a good idea. But why should you make this recipe?

Why you’ll love them!

  • Easy to freeze
  • Sweet & salty: Is there a better combination?!
  • Crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside.
Baked Mexican Wedding Cookies on a cooling rack.

So many names!!!

I call them Galletas De Nuez (Pecan cookies), you call them Mexican Wedding Cookies. They’re pretty much the same thing. They’re also known as Polvorones, Besitos de Nuez, Russian Tea Cookies, Snowball Cookies, Kurabia (In Ukraine) plus others I’m sure!

The Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup pecans
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter softened
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract preferably Mexican
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
Ingredients placed on a gray board.
A branch graphic for posts.

How to Make Galletas De Nuez

  • In a food processor, combine the pecans and ¼ cup sugar, and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds.
  • Add remaining sugar along with flour, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse until evenly incorporated.
  • Add butter and vanilla, and process until dough just comes together and you can form the balls. If the dough is too dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water (1 at the time), and process again until you reach a more solid consistency. 
Making cookie dough in a food processor.
  • Shape dough into ½” thick balls (I use a small cookie dough scoop for sizing purposes) and place on a tray/plate that you can fit in the fridge. Chill cookies for 30 minutes.
  • While the cookies chill in the fridge, preheat oven to 350°.
  • Transfer balls to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing them 2″ apart. 
Making cookie dough balls by hand.
  • Bake the cookies, rotating baking sheet front to back halfway through baking, until lightly browned and set, about 14 to 17 minutes.
  • Cool cookies for 5 minutes, and then place in bowl of confectioners’ sugar; toss to coat evenly in sugar.

Chef's Hat Icon.

Chef’s Tips and Notes

What’s not to love about these addictive tasty sweet treats! Follow these tips for successful cookies

  • Do Not Overcook! The cookies are ready until they begin to set. Do not bake until they’re completely firm. Otherwise, the cookies will be very hard once they cool off. Then I gently rolled them in powdered sugar again to freshen them up. Cookies will keep up to 4 weeks.
  • These cookies are only 136 calories each! Easy to control the portions as they are small and rich in flavor. You only need a couple of them to satisfy your sweet tooth.
  • The secret to keeping the powdered sugar on is to dredge the cookies while they’re still slightly warm, so the powdered sugar gets melted and is a bit “tacky.” Then allow them to cool fully. If needed, roll them again in powdered sugar. They will cover completely, they will look beautiful, and the sugar will stay on!
Mexican Wedding Cookies placed on a small cake stand with a hand sprinkling sugar.

How to Store and Freeze:

Once you’ve rolled the dough into balls, you can freeze them to bake later. First freeze them in a single layer, to keep them from sticking together. Once they’re firm, place them in a zip top bag for up to 3 months.

When you’re ready to bake the cookies, let the dough thaw on a baking sheet while the oven preheats.

Storing baked cookies:

To freeze galletas de nuez, place in an airtight container separating the layers with sheets of wax or confectioners paper. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bring them to room temperature when ready to eat.

Baked Galletitas De Nuez will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a few days.

Baked Mexican Wedding Cookies on a cooling rack.

? If you enjoyed this recipe I’d love it if you take 5 seconds to rate and review it below on the blog. It’s also super helpful to me and other readers if you share any changes you made to the recipe. I’m so grateful you’re here! ??

Print Recipe:

Galletitas De Nuez placed on a pile.

Galletitas De Nuez (Mexican Wedding Cookies)

Servings 20 cookies
Ana Frias
5 from 6 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Galletitas De Nuez (Mexican Wedding Cookies) are crunchy little cookies that melt in your mouth. The recipe is quick, simple and great for any occasion! 
20 cookies

Ingredients  

  • ¾ cup pecans
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 ½ cups flour
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp. unsalted butter softened
  • 1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract preferably Mexican
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Instructions 

  • In a food processor, combine the pecans and ¼ cup sugar, and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds.
  • Add remaining sugar along with flour, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse until evenly incorporated.
  • Add butter and vanilla, and process until dough just comes together and you can form the balls. If the dough is too dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water (1 at the time), and process again until you reach a more solid consistency. 
  • Shape dough into ½” thick balls (I use a small cookie dough scoop for sizing purposes) and place on a tray/plate that you can fit in the fridge. Chill cookies for 30 minutes.
  • While the cookies chill in the fridge, preheat oven to 350°.
  • Transfer balls to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing them 2″ apart. 
  • Bake the cookies, rotating baking sheet front to back halfway through baking, until lightly browned and set, about 14 to 17 minutes.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes, and then place in bowl of confectioners’ sugar; toss to coat evenly in sugar.

Video

Muy Delish Notes:

  • Do Not Overcook! The cookies are ready until they begin to set. Do not bake until they’re completely firm. Otherwise, the cookies will be very hard once they cool off.
  • Freezing Mexican Wedding Cookies: To freeze, place in an airtight container separating the layers with sheets of wax or confectioners paper. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then bring them to room temperature.
    Then I gently rolled them in powdered sugar again to freshen them up. Cookies will keep up to 4 weeks.
  • These cookies are only 136 calories each! Easy to control the portions as they are small and rich in flavor. You only need a couple of them to satisfy your sweet tooth.
  • The secret to keeping the powdered sugar on is to dredge the cookies while they’re still slightly warm, so the powdered sugar gets melted and is a bit “tacky.” Then allow them to cool fully. If needed, roll them again in powdered sugar. They will cover completely, they will look beautiful, and the sugar will stay on!

Add Your Own Private Notes

Whenever you come back to this recipe, you’ll be able to see your notes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g

The nutritional information and US conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favourite nutrition calculator and/or unit conversion tool.

Origin

According to USA Today, the origin is not from Mexico. In their article they say “Food historians believe that it has its origins in medieval Arab cookery; the Middle East has a long tradition of rich special-occasion pastries using butter, honey, sugar, spices and nuts.”

Like everyone else, I thought these cookies originated in my country. Their article is very interesting and I totally recommend you give it a read!

Baked Mexican Wedding Cookies on a cooling rack.

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Recipe Rating




10 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    These sound yummy and I will try and make some soon, with and without nuts (I have a grandson allergic to nuts).

  2. My recipe for Kipferle, Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea
    Cookies, etc. call for 10X sugar in place of the sugar in your recipe. I’ve also seen some recipes call for roasting the pecans before grinding them, although the Kipferle recipe I grew up with did not call for this this. Whatever these cookies are called, they are “melt-in-your-mouth” deliciousness. My family made about 40 kinds of cookies for Xmas gifts to family friends, and this cookie has always been my favorite.

    I also use the base recipe, without the pecans, and add miniature chocolate chips, to make a gourmet chocolate chip cookie. I use them on Venetian Tables I do for weddings, when I’m also making the wedding cake. After they are baked, instead of rolling them in 10X sugar, I drizzle them with melted chocolate chips. They are my second favorite cookie, and I’m not a great fan of chocolate. But, they also get rave reviews.