Mexican Wedding Cookies with a Soft Middle

Mexican Wedding Cookies with a Soft Middle keeps the shopping list focused on butter room temperature, sugar, and vanilla extract. It serves 24 Cookies.

Count on 20 minutes of prep, 45 minutes of cooking, about 1 hour from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• 1 cup butter room temperature
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup chopped pecans toasted and cooled
• Confectioner’s sugar as needed for rolling

How the cooking goes

Make the dough

1. Heat the oven to 300°F. Line two sheet pans with baking paper.
2. In a mixing bowl with a hand mixer (or a electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla until well-combined.
3. On low speed, add the flour, salt, and pecans; mix until the mix looks even.

Portion & bake

1. Roll heaping 1-inch balls of dough and place 1 inch apart on your prepared sheet pans. You use a tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough and then roll into balls.
2. Oven-bake until the bottoms are golden and the tops are beginning to brown and show small cracks, 45 minutes.
3. Cool the cookies 5 minutes on the sheet pan. Place powdered sugar in a large plastic bag or bowl. Work with two cookies at a time. Toss gently to coat and place back on the wire rack.
4. Allow the cookies to sit at least an hour, up to overnight. Repeat the tossing in powdered sugar. Enjoy!

After it comes off the heat

Cool the sheet on a rack before the pieces are stacked. A covered tin keeps them for a few days.

If you want another plate from Cookies, open Cardamom Walnut Snowballs after Supper and Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Baked Until the Edges Set.