Gluten-free Mexican Wedding Cookies, also known as Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies, are classic holiday cookies that will melt in your mouth. Soft buttery shortbread cookie packed chopped with nuts and rolled in powdered sugar. The perfect cookie to serve this holiday season!
Mexican Wedding Cookies are a holiday favorite around Christmas time but truly can be made any time of the year. This classic cookie goes by several different names including snowball cookies, meltaways, Mexican wedding cakes, Italian wedding cookies, Pfeffernusse cookies, and Russian tea cookies. Whatever you decide to call them just know they are delicious. They have a delicate buttery shortbread texture with finely chopped nuts and subtle sweetness compared to most holiday cookies. Perfect for cookie exchanges and holiday gatherings!
For more holiday ideas, check out our other favorite Christmas cookies: Gluten-Free Ginger Molasses Cookies, Gluten-Free Chocolate Mint Cookies, Gluten-Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies, and Gluten-Free Soft Amaretti Cookies.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy to make, with lots of variations
- Minimal ingredients
- Gluten-free with a Vegan and Dairy-Free option
- These tender shortbread cookies are the perfect addition to Christmas cookie exchanges or gifts for your neighbors and friends
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Ingredients
- Butter: Softened unsalted butter gives these cookies that delicious buttery flavor. For a vegan or dairy-free option, I recommend using Earth Balance Butter sticks.
- Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar also known as confectioner’s sugar, will help sweeten the cookie dough and is also used for rolling the cookies in after baking.
- Salt: Helps bring out the sweetness.
- Vanilla Extract + Almond Extract: Pure vanilla extract and almond extract give these shortbread cookies a beautiful flavor. Choose high-quality extracts for the best results.
- Gluten-Free Flour: I recommend using a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. My favorite brand is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free Flour.
- Nuts: Finely chopped nuts give these cookies a great mouth texture and depth of flavor! The most popular choice of nuts are walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, or pecans. We love using walnuts, which naturally have a buttery nutty flavor.
Instructions
Preheat Oven and Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Set out two cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper.
- Cream Butter, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Almond Extract, and Salt. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until creamy and smooth.
- Add Flour and Walnuts. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the gluten-free flour until just combined and the dough starts to come together. Add the chopped nuts to the mixer.
- Fold the Walnuts into the Dough. Mix for a few more seconds incorporating the nuts into the dough, then turn off the mixer. Do not overmix the dough. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula folding in any visible dry areas.
- Scoop, Roll, and Freeze. Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out the dough, measuring 1 Tablespoon-sized balls or (20 grams). You want to make sure the cookie dough balls are not too big. Roll each ball of dough between your hands to smooth and place 12 cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for just 5 minutes.
- Bake Cookies. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the bottoms just turn golden brown and the tops of the cookies have just started to crack. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat this baking process until all cookies are baked and cooled.
- Roll in Powdered Sugar. Once the cookies are cooled, fill a small bowl with powdered sugar and gently roll each cookie in the powdered sugar to coat well.
- Roll the Cookies in Powdered Sugar Again. Repeat once more, rolling the cookies in powdered sugar, to ensure they are evenly coated.
- Serve and Store. You can serve these cookies right away or store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
Substitutions and Variations
Make Them Vegan - For dairy-free or Vegan butter options, try using Earth Balance butter sticks.
Try Different Flavors - Other flavor options include peppermint extract, lemon extract, orange zest, ground cinnamon, or ground cardamom.
Use Different Nuts - Pecans, almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios are all great options to use for snowball cookies.
Add Chocolate Chips - Instead of nuts, try folding in an equal amount of mini chocolate chips.
Tips
- Finely Chop the Nuts: You want to make sure the nuts are finely chopped, otherwise, the cookies will crumble after baking. I find that throwing them in a food processor and pulsing for 5-8 seconds produces the perfect nutty texture. If you do not have a food processor you can finely chop the nuts into smaller pieces with a sharp knife.
- Weigh Your Ingredients: You want to roll out the cookie dough balls no bigger than 1 Tablespoon or 20 grams in weight. If you make them too big, they will crumble.
- Do Not Overbake! Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as the bottoms start to brown, around 10 minutes. You will know they are ready when the tops of the cookies start to crack.
- Roll the Cookies in Powdered Sugar Twice: Once the cookies have cooled to room temperature, roll them in powdered sugar. Roll them for a second time for a final coating. You can also use a sifter or hand-held powdered sugar duster to sprinkle a layer of powdered sugar on top of the cookies.
Storage
To Store: Mexican wedding cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
To Freeze: You can freeze the cooled cookies, before coating them in powdered sugar. Freeze the cooled cookies for up to 2 months, then thaw, and roll them in powdered sugar before serving.
FAQ
Popular nut options for snowball cookies are finely chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds.
1. Make sure the butter is not too warm, you want it around 65-67°F.
2. Over-mixing the dough can cause the cookies to deflate and spread. Mix until just combined.
3. Make sure to measure the flour on a food scale for accuracy. Too much or too little flour will alter the recipe results.
Mexican wedding cookies are a type of shortbread cookie that is supposed to be a bit crumbly, because of the lack of eggs or any binders. Make sure to measure out your flour properly to avoid an over-crumbly cookie.
These holiday nut cookies go by several different names including the classic snowball cookies, meltaways, Mexican wedding cakes, Italian wedding cookies, Pfeffernusse cookies, Russian tea cookies, Russian teacakes, and Danish wedding cookies.
Recipe
Gluten-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies (Snowball Cookies)
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks/226 grams)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups gluten-free flour (272 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts, finely ground (100 grams)
For Rolling The Cookies
- 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prep. Start by preheating the oven to 400°F. Set out two cookie sheets and line them with parchment paper.
- Cream Butter, Powdered Sugar, Vanilla Extract, Almond Extract, and Salt. In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, almond extract, and salt. Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until creamy and smooth.
- Add Flour and Walnuts. With the mixer running on low, slowly add the gluten-free flour until just combined and the dough starts to come together. Add the chopped nuts to the mixer.
- Fold the Walnuts into the Dough. Mix for a few more seconds incorporating the nuts into the dough, then turn off the mixer. Do not overmix the dough. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula folding in any visible dry areas.
- Scoop, Roll, and Freeze. Use a small cookie scoop or spoon to scoop out the dough, measuring 1 Tablespoon-sized balls or (20 grams). You want to make sure the cookie dough balls are not too big. Roll each ball of dough between your hands to smooth and place 12 cookie dough balls onto a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for just 5 minutes.
- Bake Cookies. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer. Place the tray in the oven and bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the bottoms just turn golden brown and the tops of the cookies have just started to crack. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. Repeat this baking process until all cookies are baked and cooled.
- Roll in Powdered Sugar. Once the cookies are cooled, fill a small bowl with powdered sugar and gently roll each cookie in the powdered sugar to coat well.
- Roll the Cookies in Powdered Sugar Again. Repeat once more, rolling the cookies in powdered sugar, to ensure they are evenly coated.
- Serve and Store. You can serve these cookies right away or store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days.
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