A very popular type of Mexican Christmas Cookie is called Polvorones de almendra. It’s an Almond Shortbread. It you look at Mexican web sites, you’ll find many recipes for these cookies. They’re all similar.

In the US, these cookies are called Mexican Wedding Cookies or Cakes.  It may be an error because according to this Mexican lady, they’re not served at weddings in Mexico. But according to Saveur they are traditional wedding cookies. (Feel free to chime in on this question in the comments below!)

These cookies are also known as Russian Teacakes, Swedish Tea Cakes, Italian Butternuts, Snowdrops, Viennese Sugar Balls, Egyptian Feast Cookies, Holiday Nuggets, Pecan Petites, Kourambie, Snowball Cookies and of course, Polvorones. (Any other names?) It’s clear that this cookie can be found all over the world. I know my mother makes a version of them with pecans.

These cookies are easy to make!  Here’s the recipe…

Recipe for Polvorones de almendra (Almond Shortbread Cookies)

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups All-Purpose Flour (250g.)
1/2 cup Ground Almonds (aka Almond Meal) (50g.)
2 sticks of softened Butter (225g.)
1 1/4 c. Powdered Sugar (160g.+)
1/4 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/8 cup Powdered Sugar (for dusting at the end)

1. Heat oven to 250F.  Spread the flour out on one cookie sheet and the ground almonds on another cookie sheet. Place in heated oven. Stir both every 5 minutes until the flour gets a deeper color. Take out and cool.

2. Meanwhile, put the butter in a mixing bowl and mix it with a hand blender until creamy. Add the confectioners sugar and mix the 2 ingredients together.

3. Add in the baking soda, the cooled off flour and ground almonds. Mix with the blender first.  Then knead by hand for about 10 minutes until the dough is consistent.  Then form it into a ball and put it in a bowl.

4. Let the dough sit for 15 – 20 minutes with a towel over it.

5. Meanwhile preheat the oven to 350F.

6. Roll out the dough to about 3/8" (1cm.)

7. Use a round cookie cutter to make circles. (Alternatively, you can just make small balls by hand with the dough.)  Place them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

8. Cook for 12 – 15 minutes until golden.

9. When the cookies come out of the oven and are still warm, dust them with powdered sugar.

My cookie cutter is a 1 2/3" circle. It made 30 cookies.

Enjoy!

Mama Lisa