The name polvorones comes from the Spanish “polvo,” which translates to “powder.” These little cookies coated with butter in powdered sugar were brought by immigrants from Spain and have become a favorite in Mexico since then. This dish is known in America as “Mexican Wedding Cake,” although it is made daily in many Mexican pastry shops.
Ingredients
To about 30 pieces of pastries
- 1/2 cup pecans, mashed
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- A little kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 stick butter without salt, cooled and cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup vegetable fat
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
Step
Method 1 of 2: Making the Dough
Make sure you don't put too much pressure on the dough with your hands. You will need to keep the small pieces of butter and vegetable fat intact in the dough. This way the cookies will be buttery and crunchy.
Step 1. Put the pecans in a food processor fitted with a steel knife to chop them
Then add powdered sugar to it and keep stirring until all the pecans are smooth but not too soft.
Step 2. Combine eggs, salt and baking soda in a large bowl using a plastic spatula or wooden spoon
Step 3. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture
Step 4. Add vegetable fat, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all of it is fully incorporated into the mixture
Step 5. Stir the flour mixture with your clean hands to mix the butter and vegetable fat with the dry ingredients
Step 6. Keep stirring the butter and vegetable fat until the dough resembles coarse breadcrumbs
Step 7. Add the pecans and sugar to the mixture, then mix well with your hands
Step 8. Add the eggs, mix them into the mixture with your hands
Knead the dough until it is soft enough to roll into balls. But don't be too soft.
Method 2 of 2: Preparing and Baking Cookies
Again, don't make the dough too soft so don't warm it with your hands. If the dough gets too warm, the cookies won't hold their shape and will crumble in the oven. If necessary, chill the dough for 15 minutes in the refrigerator before forming into balls. Alternatively, you can use a pastry spoon to scoop the dough balls onto the baking sheet.
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C before baking, and line the parchment paper on the baking sheet
Step 2. Scoop some cookie dough with your hands and form into balls that are about 4 cm wide
Again, make sure not to squeeze your dough.
Step 3. Place the dough balls on the baking sheet
Add more dough balls, leaving about 2.5 cm between each cookie dough.
Step 4. Bake the cake for 7 minutes and then turn the baking sheet 90 degrees in the oven so that the cake turns evenly brown
Step 5. Continue baking for another 7 minutes or until it turns golden brown
Step 6. Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on the counter for 2 minutes
Step 7. Place the parchment paper under the cooling rack
This is meant to help you contain excess refined sugar. {largeimage|Make Mexican Polvorones Step 16.jpg}}
Step 8. With a spatula, remove the cake from the parchment paper and transfer to a cooling rack
Step 9. Put the powdered sugar in the sieve
Step 10. Sprinkle the cookies with powdered sugar by patting the sieve and moving it over the surface of the cake, so that the powdered sugar passes through the sieve and reaches the surface of the cookies
