Mexican Wedding Cookies (GF + Vegan)

Last Updated on May 29, 2023 by Heather Reseck

These tender nut-studded cookies are also known as Russian Tea Cakes, or Snowball Cookies. They are a holiday favorite. This recipe is gluten-free, vegan, and has soy-free and sugar-free options. It’s adapted from a wheat recipe developed by America’s Test Kitchen.

This is the one cookie I make every year for Christmas. It’s taken some experimentation to figure out how to adapt the recipe to gluten-free and still have them hold together. But I finally figured it out.

How to Make Mexican Wedding Cookies

It takes just seven ingredients–including salt– to make these delicious shortbread cookies:

• vegan butter
• granulated organic sugar
• pecans
• gluten-free flour: I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Baking Flour (affiliate link)
• vanilla extract
• salt
• confectioner’s sugar

The consistency is best with superfine sugar. But there’s no need to buy a special sugar. Just grind the sugar or sugar alternative, such as monk fruit- erythritol blend, in a food processor or blender until it’s finely ground.

If you don’t need these cookies to be gluten-free, you can use unbleached all-purpose wheat flour. However, you will need to increase the vegan butter when using wheat flour.

Don’t count the number of cookies too closely or you’ll discover that some are missing!

A spring-loaded cookie scoop makes it easy to form the cookies. (affiliate link). Press the dough into the scoop and release it on the baking sheet. Rolling is not needed.

If you don’t have a scoop, roll them into balls. Then bake until lightly browned on the bottom, about 15-18 minutes.

After they cool a bit, dust or roll in powdered sugar. Serve in mini baking cups or arrange on a platter.

Variations:

• Substitute walnuts, almonds, or roasted cashews for the pecans.
• Toast the nuts.
• Substitute pecan meal or fine blanched almond flour for the finely ground nuts.
• Sugar-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies: Substitute monk-fruit-erythritol blend for the sugar. Instead of powdered sugar, process ¾ cup monk-fruit-erythritol blend and ¾ teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot in a blender until finely ground.
• Soy-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies: Use soy-free vegan butter.

Tips:

• To quickly soften the butter, place the butter between two sheets of parchment paper and roll with a rolling pin until 1/8 to ¼ -inch thick.
• If you don’t have a digital scale, measure 2 cups of flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and then leveling it off. Too much flour will make the cookies crumbly.
• If you don’t have a food processor, use a blender to finely grind the sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and salt. Chop 1 cup nuts with a knife. Roll the remaining nuts between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll with a rolling pin until finely ground. Stir in flour and nuts with a spoon and mix well using your hands, if desired.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Mexican Wedding Cookies (GF, Vegan)

These tender nut-studded cookies are also known as Russian Tea Cakes, or Snowball Cookies. Gluten-free, vegan. Soy-free and sugar-free options.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, Italian, Mexican

Keyword: dairy-free, gluten-free, plant-based, soy-free, sugar-free, vegan, vegetarian

Servings: 20

Calories: 130kcal

Author: Heather Reseck, RDN

Ingredients

• ¾ cup vegan butter (1½ cubes)170 grams
• ½ cup granulated organic sugar
• 2 cups pecans
• 284 grams 2 cups gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup confectioner’s sugar

Instructions

• Let butter soften at room temperature. Heat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Process sugar in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a small bowl. Process 1 cup pecans until finely ground and the consistency of fine dried breadcrumbs, about 20-30 seconds. Transfer to a mixing bowl. Pulse remaining pecans until coarsely chopped, about 10 pulses. Transfer to the bowl with the ground pecans.
• Process butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add vanilla and process again. Add flour and salt and process just until mixed.
• Transfer mixture to the mixing bowl and stir in the pecans until thoroughly mixed. Use about a tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Roll each into a ball and place on the baking sheet.
• Bake until the bottoms begin to brown, about 15-18 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Use a spatula to transfer to a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes.
• Use a sifter or fine mesh strainer to sprinkle with powdered sugar. Or place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and roll cookies in it and shake off the excess.
• If desired, before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar. Or roll again in powdered sugar. Makes about 40 cookies.
• Store in a covered container for up to 1 week. Or refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Or freeze up to 3 months. Serve at room temperature. –-Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

Notes

Variations:

•  Substitute walnuts, almonds, or roasted cashews for the pecans.
•  Toast the nuts.
• Substitute pecan meal or fine blanched almond flour for the finely ground nuts.
• Sugar-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies: Substitute monk-fruit-erythritol blend for the sugar. Instead of powdered sugar, process ¾ cup monk-fruit-erythritol blend and ¾ teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot in a blender until finely ground.
• Soy-Free Mexican Wedding Cookies: Use soy-free vegan butter.
• Mexican Wedding Cookies with Wheat: Increase vegan butter to 1 cup (2 cubes.) Substitute 284 grams all-purpose unbleached flour or whole wheat pastry flour for the gluten-free flour. Or measure 2 cups flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and then leveling it off.

Tips:

• To quickly soften the butter, place the butter between two sheets of parchment paper and roll with a rolling pin until 1/8 to ¼ -inch thick.
• If you don’t have a digital scale, measure 2 cups of flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and then leveling it off. Too much flour will make the cookies crumbly.
• If you don’t have a food processor, use a blender to finely grind the sugar. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until pale and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and salt. Chop 1 cup nuts with a knife. Roll the remaining nuts between two sheets of plastic wrap and roll with a rolling pin until finely ground. Stir in flour and nuts with a spoon and mix well using your hands, if desired.
• A small spring-loaded scoop speeds up the process. Press the dough into the scoop and release it on the baking sheet. Rolling is not needed.

Nutrition

Serving: 2cookies | Calories: 130kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 41mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 6IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg