Description
Delightful polvorones reveal Mexico’s festive sweet traditions with powdery almond and cinnamon notes. Melt-in-mouth cookies invite holiday cheer and cultural connection for hungry celebrations.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g / 8.8 oz) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (225 g / 8 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (120 g / 4.2 oz) finely chopped pecans or walnuts
- ½ cup (60 g / 2.1 oz) powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat Preparation: Configure oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper for optimal cookie performance.
- Dough Foundation: Cream butter and powdered sugar until achieving a light, fluffy consistency, creating a smooth base for the Mexican Christmas cookies.
- Flavor Infusion: Blend vanilla extract thoroughly into the butter mixture, ensuring complete flavor integration and aromatic depth.
- Dry Ingredient Incorporation: Gently fold flour and salt into the wet ingredients, mixing until a soft, cohesive dough forms without overmixing, maintaining a delicate texture.
- Nut Integration: Delicately fold chopped nuts throughout the dough, ensuring even distribution for consistent flavor in each cookie bite.
- Cookie Shaping and Positioning: Roll dough into uniform tablespoon-sized balls, placing them 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets to allow proper spreading during baking.
- Baking Process: Slide baking sheets into preheated oven and bake for 12-15 minutes, watching for golden-brown edges that indicate perfect doneness.
- Initial Cooling and Sugar Coating: Remove cookies from oven, let rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then generously coat with powdered sugar while still warm for traditional Mexican Christmas cookie finish.
- Final Presentation: Complete cooling, then dust with an additional layer of powdered sugar to create a festive, snow-like appearance that enhances both visual appeal and flavor.
Notes
Manage Butter Temperature: Ensure butter is softened but not melted, allowing smooth creaming that creates a light, airy texture critical for cookie consistency.
Control Mixing Technique: Avoid overmixing the dough, which can develop gluten and result in tough, dense cookies – mix just until ingredients combine smoothly.
Optimize Nut Distribution: Chop nuts finely and fold gently to prevent breaking the delicate dough structure, ensuring even flavor and texture throughout each cookie.
Master Sugar Coating: Apply first powdered sugar coating while cookies are still warm for better absorption, then add a second layer after complete cooling for a pristine, festive appearance.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 176
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 10 mg
- Fat: 16 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg