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Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

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Updated Jul 13, 2024
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You may know this cookie by many names: Mexican wedding cakes, Russian tea cakes, snowball cookies, or even butterballs are all names associated with these delicious, round cookies covered in powdered sugar. Whatever you call them, our recipe is quick and easy to make, taking only 15 minutes to prep!

The history of Mexican wedding cake cookies is largely unknown. Some believe the recipe originated in Eastern Europe. Whatever the origin story, these cookies became increasingly popular in the twentieth century, typically served during special occasions like weddings and Christmas.

Key ingredients in Mexican wedding cakes are pretty basic. Most recipes, like this one, call for butter, powdered sugar, flour, salt, vanilla, and some type of ground nut. You can use almonds, pecans, or even macadamia nuts depending on your personal preferences. You can buy nuts pre-ground at the grocery store, but it’s easy to grind whole nuts on your own if you have a food processor handy.

Can’t wait to start baking this holiday season? These cookies are easy to make ahead of time and store, too. Check out how to store Mexican Cake Cookies below for more info.

Plan all your cookie recipes for your holiday or party platter by printing out this Mexican wedding cake cookies recipe.

How To Make Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

You know we love a quick and easy cookie recipe here at Pillsbury, and this recipe for Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies is no exception! You can find the full detailed instructions for this recipe below, but here are the general steps for how to make these sweet treats.

Make the Cookie Dough

Mix some of the powdered sugar with butter and vanilla until blended. Stir in flour, nuts, and salt until the dough forms .

Place and Bake

Roll the dough into balls, then place them on ungreased cookie sheets and bake until set, but not brown (this is key to keep the cookies from getting too dry).

Cool and Roll

Here’s the fun part! Let the cookies cool for a few minutes after baking, then roll them while they’re still warm in powdered sugar. Allow the Mexican wedding cakes to cool completely, then re-roll them in powdered sugar for a final time. Enjoy!

How To Store Mexican Cake Cookies

Now that you’ve made your bounty of delicious treats, you’ll want to keep them fresh for your friends and family (not that they’ll likely last long). How long can you store Mexican wedding cake cookies? Well, that depends on your storage preference.

At Room Temperature: You can store each bitesize Mexican wedding cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week. For best results, we recommend stacking the cookies between layers of parchment paper so they keep their shape. Also, make sure your container is very airtight to keep these cookies from going stale.

In the Fridge: For longer storage, or if you like to eat chilled cookies, you can store your cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

In the Freezer: These easy Mexican wedding cake cookies are as simple to freeze as they are to make! For detailed instructions on how to freeze, check out Can You Freeze Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies? below. But as a rule, you can freeze these cookies for up to 3 months.

Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies Vs. Russian Tea Cakes

The Mexican wedding cake recipe goes by many names, and yet the recipes are exactly the same!

In particular, the difference between Russian tea cakes vs. Mexican wedding cookies is just the name. They are the same cookie recipe, but with a different title. There may be subtle variations in amounts and even types of ingredients (some say that Russian tea cakes are usually made with walnuts instead of almonds or pecans), but in terms of taste and texture, you can expect them to be identical.

You may also see a recipe for Mexican wedding cakes go by the name of snowballs, butterballs, Viennese crescents, or Polvorones, and there are as many theories on why the names are so varied as there are names for these cookies. But whatever you choose to call them, they’re easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies Vs. Italian Wedding Cookies

Like Russian tea cakes, the difference between Mexican wedding cake cookies vs. Italian wedding cookies is subtle, or in some cases, nonexistent. While many cookie recipes with either name are interchangeable, there are a few small differences between a Mexican wedding cakes recipe and an Italian wedding cookies recipe.

Star Anise: Italians like to add a touch of star anise to their wedding cookies, which alters the flavor slightly from a Mexican wedding cake cookies recipe.

Shape: Italian wedding cookies are sometimes shaped into crescents, while Mexican wedding cake cookies are usually shaped into round balls.

Nut Varieties: In general, a recipe for Mexican wedding cake cookies calls for chopped or ground almonds or pecans. For Italian wedding cookies, there is often a mix of nuts, such as almonds and hazelnuts, rather than one variety.

More About This Recipe

  • You may know this cookie by many names: Mexican wedding cakes, Russian tea cakes, snowball cookies and butterballs are all names associated with these delicious, round cookies covered in powdered sugar. The history of Mexican wedding cakes is largely unknown. Some believe the recipe originated in Eastern Europe. Whatever the origin story, these cookies became increasingly popular in the twentieth century, typically served during special occasions like weddings and Christmas. Key ingredients in Mexican wedding cakes are pretty basic. Most recipes like this one call for butter, powdered sugar, flour, salt, vanilla and some type of ground nut. You can use almonds, pecans or even macadamia nuts depending on your personal preferences. You can buy nuts pre-ground at the grocery store, but it’s easy to ground whole nuts on your own if you have a food processor handy! These cookies are easy to make ahead of time and store, too. Learn how by reading this https://www.pillsbury.com/everyday-eats/desserts/cookies-bars/how-to-make-cookies, where you’ll also learn how to store other types of cookies, too. Can’t wait to start baking this holiday season? Plan all of your cookie recipes for your party platter by printing out this Mexican wedding cookies recipe and browsing the rest of our easy cookie recipes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mexican Wedding Cake Cookies

  • Prep Time 1 hr 30 min
  • Total 1 hr 30 min
  • Ingredients 7
  • Servings 54
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Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup finely chopped or ground almonds or pecans
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Step 
    1
    Heat oven to 325°F. In large bowl, beat 1/2 cup powdered sugar, the butter and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour, almonds and salt until dough forms.
  • Step 
    2
    Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 1 inch apart.
  • Step 
    3
    Bake 13 to 17 minutes or until set but not brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool slightly, about 10 minutes.
  • Step 
    4
    Place 3/4 cup powdered sugar in small bowl. Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Cool completely, about 15 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar again.

Nutrition

70 Calories
4 1/2g Total Fat
1g Protein
7g Total Carbohydrate
3g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Calories
70
Calories from Fat
40
Total Fat
4 1/2g
7%
Saturated Fat
2 1/2g
11%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
10mg
3%
Sodium
35mg
1%
Potassium
25mg
1%
Total Carbohydrate
7g
2%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
3g
Protein
1g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
2%
2%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
0%
0%
Iron
0%
0%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
1/2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

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