Spiced Polvorónes Cookies

One of the most well-known holiday cookies out there is the Snowball.

Or is it a Russian Teacake?

Or a Mexican Wedding Cookies?

Spoiler alert: it’s all of them.

I love how different cultures/areas of the world will all have a different name for a treat that’s, essentially, the same or at least very similar. It’s fun to test them out and see where you can find/notice the small variations. It just goes to show that there doesn’t always have to be one ‘right’ way of baking something.

Todays’ recipe is another one of those types of recipes.

Some people might call them Mexican Wedding Cookies. Others may call them Polvorónes.

Polvorón derives from the Spanish word for ‘powder’ or ‘dust’, which tracks when you consider their short/crumbly texture, as well as the fact that they’re typically dusted on the outside with powdered sugar.

One of the things that makes these a bit different from Snowball Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Teacakes that I’ve made in the past is the inclusion of almond flour that is toasted beforehand with all purpose flour as the base for the dough.

Along with being a soldi choice for gluten-free baking, almond flour also gives an amazing texture and flavor to baked goods–especially when it is toasted, and especially when it’s toasted and used to make cookie dough.

A second obvious difference is the shape. Most Snowballs/Mexican Wedding Cookies/Russian Tea Cakes are round in shape, to resemble ‘balls’ of dough that are then dunked and covered in powdered sugar. The dough for these Polvorónes is shaped into logs that are then chilled overnight, sliced and baked in flat disks, then given a light dusting of powdered sugar that’s been flavored with cinnamon.

Slice and bake cookies are one of my all-time favorites and not just because they’re very easy to make. They also hold up really well over time, and over long-distance transport if need be. That makes them perfect for a holiday cookie box, a cookie swap, a holiday potluck, or for a holiday baking project to do with the kiddos.

No matter what you like/prefer to call them, these are delicious. The toasted almond flour pairs beautifully with the cinnamon and cardamom in the dough. The cookie’s texture is short, crumbly and yet very tender. They’re not overly sweet and they don’t need to be considering the dusting of cinnamon powdered sugar they get at the end.

We’re officially halfway through this years 12 Days of Christmas! Be sure to check out all the recipes we’ve had so far at the party, and stay tuned for the next six ones to come; they’re gonna be great 😉

Day 1: Holiday Lunch Lady Bars

Day 2: Ginger Thins

Day 3: Chunky Gingerbread Spiced Apple Butter

Day 4: Bakery-Style Apple Butter Cookies

Day 5: Apple Butter Spice Cakes

Day 6: Spiced Polvorónes Cookies

Spiced Polvorónes Cookies

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, plus 1/2 cup, divided
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, plus 1/2 teaspoon, divided
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or emulsion (LorAnn Oils is particularly good)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread almond flour and all purpose flour evenly in separate shallow baking pans. Toast in oven for 5 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown, stirring once or twice.

Combine toasted flours in one bowl along with the cinnamon and cardamom and set aside to cool completely.

In the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and 1 cup of the powdered sugar on medium speed until light and creamy.

Beat in the milk and vanilla extract, mixing just until combined.

Add the toasted and cooled flour mixture in two batches.

Shape cookie dough into two logs. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife to slice cookies between 1/4-1/2 inch thick (this depends upon how crisp or soft you prefer the cookies to be; thinner will result in a crisper cookie, thicker will result in a chewier one).

Place cookies about 1 inch apart on the lined baking sheets.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until bottoms are light golden brown

In a medium sized bowl combine the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar and remaining 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon together in a small but shallow container.

While the cookies are still slightly warm to the touch, carefully toss/spoon the cinnamon sugar on and around the cookies so that it forms a thin layer.

Set on foil lined cookie racks to cool completely.

Note: no one oven is the same, & different baking sheets bake cookies differently. Keeping this in mind, I will ALWAYS test bake one cookie before baking entire sheets of the whole batch, just to get a good idea of how long they should be in the oven and if I need to adjust the way I’ve cut, rolled them out, etc. I highly recommend that you do the same.