Mexican Wedding Cookies

Buttery, nutty, melt-in-your-mouth, and topped with pillow-y soft icing sugar.

Because these cookies lack structural ingredients like eggs (and most importantly gluten!), you cannot handle them the same way you would ‘normal’ (wheat) Wedding Cookies. In the traditional recipe you would gently roll/toss the warm cookies in the powdered sugar to coat them.

This gluten free dough is extremely fragile and the cookie will crumble apart if you try that method while it’s warm. To eliminate that problem, we’ve done two things – chill the dough (at 2 different stages) and sprinkling the powdered sugar in a sieve over the warm freshly baked cookies.

Once they have cooled completely (on the pan), they will be firm enough to handle….and devour!

Toasting the nuts brings out their rich flavor and aroma, it’s really worth it to do this extra step! Heat nuts in a dry skillet over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes, shaking pan often until nuts start to get golden. Remove from skillet and allow to cool completely. Place nuts in mini food processor along with a tablespoon of the flour and process until finely chopped.

Cream butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, then add vanilla. Add flour in three parts, blending well after each addition. Gluten free flours take longer to absorb moisture than wheat flour, so by adding the dry ingredients in this way they are better incorporated.

Stir in the nuts then shape dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes until dough is cold. Take a teaspoon of dough (the small cookie scoop is the perfect size) and with floured hands roll into a ball. Then roll into a 3″ log then bend into a cresent shape and place on lined baking pan.

Place baking pan in fridge and chill shaped dough for 15 minutes – this will help them keep their shape as they bake. Because gluten free flours lack the structure (gluten) that makes these cookies hold together, unless they get some help from being chilled, the dough will ‘melt’ too quickly in the oven and the cookies will turn out flat.

Once chilled, place pan into a preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Once done, sprinkle each cookie with a bit of icing sugar then let sit for  5 minutes. This first layer of icing sugar will melt onto the cookie. After 5 minutes sprinkle on more icing sugar, this coat will better adhere to the melted sugar already on the cookie. Allow to cool completely before removing from pan (they are very fragile while they are still warm).

Mexican Wedding Cookies

Marla Hingley

A buttery, nutty rich cookie.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 12 mins

Total Time 32 mins

Servings 24

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup pecans or walnuts/ hazelnuts/almonds, toasted & finely ground
• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 3/4 cups GFC Flour Blend for Baking divided
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• Pinch salt

Topping

• 1/4 cup icing sugar

Instructions

 

• Heat nuts in a dry skillet over medium high heat for 5-8 minutes, shaking pan often until nuts start to turn golden. Remove from skillet and allow to cool completely. Place nuts in mini food processor along with 1 tablespoon of the flour and process until finely chopped. Set aside.
• Cream butter and sugar together until smooth and creamy, then add vanilla.
• Combine remaining flour, xanthan gum and salt, mixing well. Add into butter mixture in three parts, blending well after each addition.
• Stir in the ground nuts then shape dough into a disc and wrap in plastic. Chill for 30 minutes until dough is cold.
• Take a teaspoon of dough (the small cookie scoop is the perfect size) and with floured hands roll into a ball. Roll into a 3" log then bend into a crescent shape and place on lined baking pan.
• Place baking pan in fridge and chill shaped dough for 15 minutes - this will help them keep their shape as they bake.
• Bake at 325°F for 12-15 minutes.
• Once done, sprinkle each cookie with a bit of icing sugar (in a small sieve/shaker) then let sit for 5 minutes. This first layer of icing sugar will melt onto the cookie. After 5 minutes liberally sprinkle on more icing sugar as desired.
• Allow to cool completely before removing from pan (they will firm up as they cool), then store in a an airtight container.

Notes

If your cookies are spreading out too much in the oven, use an ungreased baking sheet.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!