Hey friends! I originally published this recipe for Mexican Wedding Cookies in 2008, my first year of blogging! I’ve recently updated the photos on this old family favorite and hope you get to enjoy the cookies for yourself soon!
My mother used to make these Mexican Wedding Cookies especially for me when I was a little girl because I loved the Danish Wedding Cookies that were sold in the grocery stores. All you had to do was ask for that pink box of cookies and within a day or two, a plate of these would appear on the table! (Did I have her trained, or what?)
These Mexican Wedding Cookies float away somehow, or magically disappear into another dimension when you aren’t looking. Although I make every manner of cookie throughout the year, these always feel extra special to me. Part of that is because of so many childhood memories attached to them, but another part is the tender lightness of the cookie, tiny unexpected pockets of chocolate, and angelic coating of confectioner’s sugar.
I guess they taste magical because they really are.
- Roll dough into one inch-ish balls with your hands or use a cookie dough scoop.
- Place about two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.
- Bake until almost set, about ten minutes.
Like this. You aren’t going for browned here, just almost done looking.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 egg white
- 1 box white cake mix 15.25 oz or close
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts optional
- 1/2 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- confectioner's sugar for dipping (about a cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375.
- In a large mixing bowl, place shortening, water, vanilla, and egg white. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for about a minute. Add cake mix. Beat again with mixer until smooth and no lumps remain, about two minutes. Add in nuts (if using) and chocolate chips. Mix once more just until incorporated.
- Shape dough into one inch balls. Place about two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until almost set, about ten minutes.
- While warm dip tops in powdered sugar, cool.
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Yum 
Those look so tasty! I love cookies of all types, and these just look so light and melt-in-you-mouth-y! Yum!
Stephanie, you hit it on the head, they just dissolve….they are horrible, I tell ya, horrible! I could eat myself sick on these and never look back! hehe Hope y’all are having a great day!
YUM!! Another must try! Christy, don’t you know I’m trying to lose this baby weight, lol! I’m never gonna lose it with all these good recipes. I love food waaaay toomuch!
Laura-Athens
My mom makes these and calls ’em sand tarts. She puts pecans in them. Never had them with chocolate chips before! Sounds like it could be good!
Yummy these would be a great addition to all the holiday cookies. I will add these to my list for my Christmas gift baskets. Arent cake mixes so wonderful and versatile, I am cake mix junky.
hey christy, i will definitley be making those as gifts, but i will need a little history…cause my mother will inevitably ask “why are they called mexican wedding cookies? and i’m sure it something like duh cause they were made in mexico originally but if you have a more interesting reason i would love to give her a story with it. i can see it now 2 long lost lovers found each other and got married but the mother of the bride didn’t have access to “danish” ingredience so she improvised with….? and now you have wonderful mexican wedding cookies. something like that? thanks
kristi craft
from Wikipedia:
Russian tea cakes appeared in Russia in the 18th century, literally as a confection used in a tea-sharing ceremony. By the 20th century, they were a part of wedding and Christmas traditions in the U.S., by their popular “Russian tea” nomenclature. The term “Mexican wedding cake” seems to have emerged in the U.S. in the 1950s, possibly a result of strained relations with the Soviet Union.[2]
It sounds like the usual version is with nuts, but chocolate chips sounds just great too!
I’ll be making these soon. (I think I will put nuts in mine though.) I used to love those Danish wedding cookies too when I was a kid. Now I buy gobs of those crescent cookies they come out with at holiday time so I’ll have something to dunk in my Vanilla Almond Tea. 🙂
The cake mix is a new twist to me! I know it must be good because everything with cake mix is so good with the possible exception of actual cake. These look divine.
Oh these look yummy! I’ll have to try them!
My family LOVES these cookies. They are the best.
I voted for you on Divine Caroline. Sure hope you win.
I’ve never tried this using a box cake mix or chocolate chips before. I’ve only made it from “scratch” per sea and nuts. Hmmm….I love my regular version but I love chocolate chips so this just might have to be on my Christmas cookie plate this year. Thanks for sharing it.
~blessings
Those are just screaming my name which isn’t a good idea since I so don’t need them!
I made these today! They turned out great and I gave you a little shout out over at my place..go check it out. You have had me in the kitchen so much my family has fallen head over heels for you!
HI there. I will have to give these a try. I have never made them before. Bet the kids would love to have them on our movie night.:) By the way your macroni and cheese was delicious!!:)
Sharon:)
These are great! My kids love them. My mom used to make them and called them Roly Polys.
These look amazing! I think I will make them without the nuts! Can’t wait to see more cookie recipes!
I love Mexican Wedding Cookies. I made them last year for my Christmas tins. So good!
They look so yummy! i’ve never had these b4… but I will try this recipe out 😀
How much vanilla should you use? It’s not listed in the cookbook either. Thanks.
Tammy
Y’all are going to die when I tell you this! The recipe doesn’t actually call for vanilla. However, I am so used to adding vanilla when I make cookies that I just got it and put it in the pic.
Then, as I was making it according to the recipe, I saw there was no vanilla, but as I had photographed, it, I put it in anyway and figured, oh well, in for a penny, in for a pound!
However, I typed the recipe from the cookbook at the bottom and forgot to put it in there!
I used about a teaspoon, but you honestly don’t have to! I was just being scatterbrained that day and covering my tracks…didn’t do too good a job, did I?
lol!
Love y’all!
Christy
I am an absolute fiend for Danish Wedding cookies so this is the find of the day for me! Thanks!
Christy I just made these and they are FABULOUS!!!!
Christy, the kids and I made these cookies last night and they never even made it to daybreak! lol yummy! Will definitely make these for the Christmas tins!
thats too funny about the vanilla – I saw it in the pics, and noticed it was misisng from your typed out directions so I just winged it and put in a teaspoon 🙂
They turned out wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad I found your website! I made these cookies for the first time last night and they are scrumptious! I wanted to try the recipe out before my office’s cookie exchange this week. I can see I’m going to have to make a bunch to make sure my husband and I don’t eat them all before the party. These cookies are positively addictive. Thanks for sharing this recipe! KUDOS!
Hello,
I will be making these for a holdiay party this saturday…however, you do not list how much vanilla to use. Please post in your nice recipe how much vanilla to use. Thank you!
This is my most fav. cookie in the whole world. And now I can make it, Thank you!
My husband is going to be so happy I found this recipe. You will be saving me a bundle on those expensive pink boxes! Thank you so much for posting this.
Oh man, I love these things! Thanks for sharing!
Danish Wedding Cookies were always my favorite, too! So glad to have a recipe to make them myself! Thanks, Christy!