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Polvorones Recipe {Mexican Bakery Cookies}

March 15, 2022 by Kate Ramos 30 Comments

Polvorones are a Mexican cookie recipe with endless possibilities. Polvorones sometimes refers to what’s also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, but here we are talking about those big, beautiful butter cookies found in most Mexican bakeries. The cool thing about this dough is you can add a few ingredients here and there to make FOUR different cookies! Make vanilla spice, thumbprints, sprinkle cookies, chocolate sugar and more! {Recipe First posted October 27, 2016. Last updated March 16, 2022}

If you’ve ever visited a Mexican Panaderia you already know the joy of the buttery Polvorones Mexicanos, those big, colorful cookies with the crumbly texture.

The dough is a delicious mix of all the good stuff—flour, sugar, butter, eggs—which means you can take one Polvorones recipe and turn it into several different types of cookies! Depending on the flavoring and toppings these easy-to-make cookies can satisfy almost any cookie craving.

Read on for how to make these Polvorones cookies and how to turn one simple cookie dough into four different types of cookies.

Sprinkle cookies sitting on a baking mat with black circles on it.

What Are Polvorones?

6 light brown cookies stacked on each other sitting on a white table.

As with most things in the Mexican gastronomic realm, this name can mean many things so let me clarify what I’m talking about. Occasionally Polvorones refer to the snowy, powdered sugar-coated nut cookies we know as Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes but that’s not what I’m talking about here.

This Polvorones recipe is more like a crumbly sugar cookie; a vanilla-laced dough that stands up on its own and can be the base for any number of variations. The most common variation would be the Tri-Color Polvorones, the triangle-shaped cookies colored in pink, yellow, and brown.

More Cookie Recipes To Explore
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cookies
Soft Lime Sugar Cookies
Pumpkin Spice Mexican Wedding Cookies (Tea Cakes)

How To Make Polvorones Cookies

Four different kinds of cookies stacked on each other sitting on a blue background.

If you bake at all, this is a dough I’d like you to memorize—consider this very delicious homework. This ratio of flour to fat to baking soda to salt will work for any number of cookies and can be the base for just about anything.

The easiest variation on this dough would be to mix in ingredients: a bag of chocolate chips, some sugar and cinnamon, walnuts, toffee, lemon zest, poppy seeds… spraaankles. Or you can get slightly more complicated and follow the variation recipes below.

A plastic measuring cup full of sprinkles sitting on a wooden table.

The basic dough recipe takes room temperature butter and beats it with sugar. Some Polvorones recipes call for 1 cup powdered sugar instead of the white sugar called for in this recipe. This will give the cookies a more crumbly texture. Add the wet and dry ingredients and bake at 325 degrees until golden brown.

Polvorones cookies keep in the freezer for up to 3 months sealed tightly in a freezer bag.

Now let’s look at how to make the other variations.

Variations

For specifics on each of these cookies, see the recipe box below.

Vanilla Spice Cookies

Up the vanilla amount and add ginger, cardamom, and nutmeg.

Several golden brown cookies leaning on each other in a blue tray.

Sprinkle Cookies

Add sprinkles to the dough plus an extra layer to the top by dipping the flattened balls of cookie dough into a plate of sprinkles before baking them in the oven.

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Add cocoa powder to the dough and a sparkle of sugar on top.

Chocolate Sugar Cookie dough balls sitting on a baking mat ready to bake.

Whole Wheat Thumbprints

Swap some of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour then a “thumbprint” of your favorite jam (I used strawberry) or dulce de leche gets added after baking.

Whole Wheat Thumbprint Cookies filled with dulce de Leche and jam sitting on a wire rack.

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What About The Clean-Up?

Baking is fun, cleaning up afterward is definitely not. Check out my 6 kitchen cleaning hacks that’ll make it a little bit easier.

Homemade Bakery Cookies In 30 Minutes!

Polvorones Mexicanos are the multitasking cookie we just can’t get enough of. Give them a try and when you do snap a pic and tag me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) ! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Polvorones: One Recipe, Four Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen (2-inch) cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

A Mexican cookie recipe with endless possibilities. Make vanilla spice, thumbprints, sprinkle cookies, chocolate sugar and more!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 sticks (16 tablespoons) unsalted butter, room temperature (vegan butter, vegetable shortening, and extra virgin coconut oil also work)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Prepare oven and pan. Heat oven to 325°F and arrange rack in the middle. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.
Mix dry ingredients. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to mix and break up any lumps.
Beat butter and sugar. Combine butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until light and creamy, about 1-2 minutes.
Add wet ingredients. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add eggs one at a time, letting the first one incorporate completely before adding the second. Add vanilla and beat another minute.
Add dry ingredients. Add flour and mix on low until fully incorporated. Add any mix-ins like chocolate chips, dried fruit, nuts, and mix on low until combined.
Bake. Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheet and space about 1-inch apart. Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned on the edges but still soft in the middle. Let cool on the baking sheet about 5 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For Spiced Vanilla Cookies:

Increase vanilla extract amount to 1 tablespoon
Add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

For Whole Wheat Thumbprints with Jam or Dulce de Leche:

Change flour amount to 1 cup all-purpose and 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour. Chill dough for at least 1 hour then roll dough into balls and bake as directed above. When they come out of the oven, immediately press a indentation in the middle with a round wooden spoon handle. Fill each hole with a heaping 1/4 teaspoon of your favorite jam (I used strawberry) or dulce de leche.

For Sprinkle Cookies:

Add 1/2 cup sprinkles (I like nonpareils but jimmys also work) to the dough with the flour. Pour another 1/2 cup of sprinkles in a shallow dish. Chill dough for at least 1 hour. Roll into balls and then flatten slightly. Dip the top of each cookie into the sprinkles pressing gently to adhere. Bake as directed, adding more sprinkles right after they come out of the oven if you want them completely covered.

For Chocolate Sugar Cookies:

Add 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the flour mixture. Roll dough into balls as directed then roll each ball in granulated sugar before baking. Bake as directed.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 29Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g

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Extra Spicy Molasses Crinkle Cookies

December 10, 2018 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

I give you extra spicy molasses crinkle cookies for all of you who adore red hots and reach straight for the Hot Tamales at the movie theater. If that’s you, then these are the Christmas cookies of your dreams.

Chewy Molasses Cookies

Chewy, extra spicy molasses crinkle cookies with the warm spices we all love and an extra kick from ground arbol chili powder. These soft ginger cookies are made with coconut oil so they're dairy free and get a special sprinkle of vanilla bean salt too! #spicymolassescookies #molassescookies #gingersnapcookies #gingerbreadcookies #chewycookies #christmascookies

In the span of Christmas cookies big, fat chewy molasses cookies are right there on top. I get confused in the lexicon of ginger cookies whether gingersnaps refer to the crispy cookies and molasses cookies are the soft ones although I’ve seen recipes for both that cover the gauntlet of texture. Whatever the name, it’s the soft ones I’m after. Sinking my teeth into a sugar-dusted spicy molasses cookie is my afternoon activity of choice. These cookies made with coconut oil stay soft and chewy for up to a week but I think they’re best about 6 1/2 minutes after they come out of the oven.

How to Make a Spicy Ginger Cookie Recipe Even Spicer

Ginger and cinnamon are what we all want along with a cozy cup of coffee, fuzzy socks, and a roaring fire but if we really want to warm ourselves it’s best to do it from the inside out and that’s what makes these spicy molasses cookies special. These extra spicy molasses crinkle cookies get a soul-warming boost from ground arbol chili powder. It’s not so much that your mouth is in flames upon contact, but you’ll feel the warm spice believe me.

Coconut Oil Makes the Best Molasses Cookies

My grandma always made her molasses cookies with vegetable shortening. She swore by it and she was onto something because it is the vegetable fat that keeps them soft; butter, over time, will make them crisp. A bit healthier alternative to shortening however is extra virgin coconut oil. The creamy hint of coconut flavor is extra good with the arbol chili powder, plus a coconut oil molasses cookie is dairy free too!

A final special touch to these sweet and spicy crinkle cookies is a sprinkling of vanilla bean salt on top. This is totally optional, but the bit of salt brings out the warm spices and molasses flavors. I love Jacobsen Salt Company’s salts and the Boise Salt Co. also makes a good vanilla bean infused salt too. If you pick some up, you will find yourself using it on everything. You can totally make your own too by scraping vanilla beans out of a vanilla pod and gently rubbing into some flaky sea salt like Maldon’s.

Extra Spicy Molasses Crinkle Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Chewy, extra spicy molasses crinkle cookies with the warm spices we all love and an extra kick from ground arbol chili powder. These soft ginger cookies are made with coconut oil so they're dairy free and get a special sprinkle of vanilla bean salt too!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground arbor chili powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup extra virgin coconut oil
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling )
vanilla salt, for sprinkling (optional)

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F and arrange a rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, chili powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk until everything is well mixed.
Combine coconut oil and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat until creamy, about 2 minutes.
Add egg and molasses and beat well then add flour mixture and mix on low until well combined.
Scoop into about 2 tablespoon-sized balls, about the size of a walnut. Roll into round balls then roll in the granulated sugar to coat. Place about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Press gently just until the edges start to crinkle then sprinkle with vanilla salt if desired.
Bake 8-10 minutes or until set on the edges and slightly soft in the middle. Let cool 1-2 minutes then remove to baking rack.

Notes

Cookies keep for up to 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature or seal and freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 326Total Fat: 14gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 301mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 1gSugar: 28gProtein: 3g

One More Thing

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Strawberry Hibiscus Cookies

May 10, 2018 by Kate Ramos Leave a Comment

To all you food-thinkers out there: what flavor combinations have you had on the brain recently?

For months now, I have thought constantly about the pairing of strawberries and hibiscus, or jamaica in Spanish. I played around with it in a arroz con leche I made for a dinner party back in March but I overcooked the rice and haven’t revisited it since, wha-wha.

I think we are all very familiar with my hibiscus obsession so when it came to find a cookie companion for the Almond Poppy Seed Ice Cream however I came back to this pair once more and found a delightful match in these buttery Strawberry Hibiscus Cookies.

I used dehydrated strawberries and dried hibiscus flowers and ground them into a fine powder. This is how you get the most bang for your flavor buck. It not only infuses the cookies through and through with a tart, floral essence but exudes the most mystical purple color.

I have a coffee grinder that I dedicate for grinding spices and things and never coffee. This is what I used to grind up the strawberries and hibiscus. The best way I’ve found to clean the grinder after every use is to grind up raw rice afterwards. The rice collects all the stray bits from the grinder and the all you have to do is knock it out into the garbage.

Use these cookies to make dainty ice cream sandwiches or fancy baby shower treats. You know spring is filled to the gills with celebrations so make these cookies your go-to party trick for the next few months. Happy Baking!

Strawberry Hibiscus Cookies

Yield: 3 dozen

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Nothing says spring like these seductively purple Strawberry Hibiscus Cookies. They sound sophisticated but they are really just a simple slice-and-bake. Keep a roll of dough in the fridge for all of spring's celebrations.

Ingredients

1/4 cup dehydrated strawberries
1/4 cup dried hibiscus flowers (flor de jamaica)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Grind strawberries and hibiscus flower separately in a spice grinder until they are a fine powder. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your grinder.
Whisk ground strawberries and hibiscus flowers with the flour until evenly mixed; set aside.
In a medium bowl, with the back of a large spoon or with an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar and salt for about 1 minute, until smooth and creamy but not fluffy. Add flour mixture and mix just until incorporated.
Turn off the mixer, scrape down the bowl, form dough into a ball, and, if necessary, knead it with your hands a few times until smooth. Form into a 12-by-2-inch log. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange the racks in the lower and upper third. Use a sharp knife to cut the cold dough log into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place cookies at least 1 1/2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake cookies until light golden brown at the edges, about 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Remove from the oven and let cookies firm up on the pans for about 1 minute, then transfer them to a rack and let cool completely.

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Coconut Christmas Cookies with Lime Icing

December 4, 2017 by Kate Ramos 2 Comments

Over the weekend we started in big time on the Christmas cheer. The Christmas tree went up and cookies were baked. Lights were strung on the eaves of the garage even though earlier in the week Armando swore we weren’t going to put up Christmas lights outside. I believe there was a, “I don’t have time for that” and there might have been a “we don’t have the” …..name some random thing you might have to run to the hardware store to get in order to put up Christmas lights on the exterior of the house.

Switch up your Holiday Cut-Outs with these Coconut Christmas Cookies. Made with coconut oil and coconut milk and even shredded coconut they are irresistible

Anyway, we’re feeling down right festive. I especially love the new addition to the Christmas cookie rotation. We typically make a traditional Christmas sugar cookie dough to roll and cut and decorate but I found these absolutely adorable ninja cookie cutters and I wanted to make a dough special for my little ninja in his favorite flavor.

He loves anything coconut and due to the butter Armando can’t eat the traditional dough anyway so I went full coconut with coconut oil, sweetened flakes of coconut, and even a dash of coconut milk to make the ultimate coconut cookie that can be rolled and cut into any shape you please–even ninja.

The coconut oil makes the dough a bit finicky so it will need to be chilled, but not for too long otherwise it becomes crumbly, so there’s a middle ground that just takes a bit of practice to get used to. Steer on the thicker side when rolling out the dough to make it easier on yourself. The lime icing is subtle but is the perfect consistency for decorating and has a nice gloss when it dries. If you’d like more lime flavor add the zest of the lime as well, although then it won’t be perfectly white any more.

What’s your favorite Christmas cookie recipe?

Coconut Christmas Cookies with Lime Icing

Yield: 3 dozen cookies

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Switch up your Holiday Cut-Outs with these Coconut Christmas Cookies. Made with coconut oil and coconut milk and even shredded coconut they are irresistible

Ingredients

1 cup extra-virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 egg yolks (save whites for icing)
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons coconut milk

For the Icing:

4 cups (1-1 pound box) powdered sugar
2 egg whites
5 teaspoons lime juice

Instructions

Combine coconut oil, sugar, and flaked coconut in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse a few times until coconut is ground and mixture feels like sand.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until mixture forms a ball, about 1 minute.
Divide dough into two pieces. Flatten into disks and roll each disk about 1/2-1/4 inch thick between two pieces of parchment paper. Place on a baking sheet and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Heat oven to 375°F.
Cut dough into shapes and place an inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheet. Gather scraps and re-roll.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until dry in the middle. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the Icing:

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on low just until comes together then increase speed to high until smooth.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 318Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 110mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 1gSugar: 13gProtein: 3g

One More Thing

Did you love this post? I want to know! Leave me a comment and snap a photo for Instagram. Tag @holajalapeno so I can see your beautiful creation!

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The Ultimate Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies

September 24, 2016 by Kate Ramos 6 Comments

I was unaware that death by avocado was a possibility until recently.

The Ultimate Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I suppose you could consume enough avocado to kill yourself (over time or all at once, either way) but what I’m talking about is the reality of getting struck on the noggin by a rock-hard avocado falling from a high height. Depends on the height I suppose, and your age, noggin size, etc. It might not be sudden death but it would definitely knock you out and I’m honestly surprised it hasn’t happened to any of us yet.

I think we’ve all grown accustom to that distinctive crack when one decides its it’s time and we impulsively duck. Luckily many of the avocados that fall from our tree land first on the roof of our house (which if you are inside in the middle of the night is loud enough to wake you up). You hear that thump first, then the avocado rolling its way down the shingles and finally landing with a solid smack on the ground. You would think all of this would crack them open or at least bruise them, but nope, there is no difference between the ones that land with a soft thud on the grass and the ones that go the Santa Claus route—not that Santa falls off the roof all that often, but I’m sure it happens.

Point being, I believe we’ve found ourselves in the middle of avocado season because those suckers are dropping like flies. July and August we would get maybe one or two a day but lately it is not unusual to gather 7 or 8 or even a dozen in a single day. I can think of worse things to have a lot of but I’m kind of running out of ideas over here.

In an attempt to keep up, I’ve been using avocado as a substitute for butter in baking. Here’s what I’ve found:

You can substitute them one-for-one and the final product will be edible but rather dry and crumbly.
I think it is best to substitute half the butter/oil/shortening amount in a recipe with puréed avocado and keep the other half of the fat in there.
The avocado needs to be puréed in a food processor to incorporate it evenly into the recipe. Just mashing it leaves unattractive avocado pieces that never blend in with the mixture.

These cookies are the best thing I’ve made thus far. They are soft and chewy with lots of melty chocolate and hunks of chopped walnuts. The avocado flavor is there in the background but it is more of a hefty note of something that you just can’t detect giving the cookies substance and depth.

Here are some of my other successful avocado experiments (I’ll spare you my failures):

Bacon-Wrapped Hot Dogs with Avocado Pickles

Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

Zucchini Avocado Bread

The Ultimate Avocado Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Yield: About 2 dozen

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Bake all at once or keep some dough frozen so you can have fresh-baked cookies whenever you want. The best way to freeze the dough is to scoop out the dough and flatten the balls. Place them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet (you don't have to space them apart). Place the baking sheet in the freezer. Once the dough is frozen, peel them off the baking sheet and place in a resealable plastic bag. Pull a few out of the freezer and bake from frozen whenever the mood strikes.

Ingredients

2 small, ripe avocados, halved, pitted, and scooped out of their skins
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 cup extra-virgin coconut oil
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
12 ounces dairy-free, semisweet chocolate chips (I used Equal Exchange Chocolate Chips
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling

Instructions

Heat oven to 375°F and arrange rack in the upper third of your oven.
Combine avocado and vanilla extract in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend until smooth, you should have about 2/3 cup avocado puree.
Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to break up any lumps and combine.
Transfer avocado mixture, coconut oil, turbinado sugar, and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low until incorporated then increase speed about 1 setting and beat until sugar is mostly dissolved and mixture is creamy.
Add flour mixture and mix on low until combined. Add chocolate chips and walnuts and mix on low until evenly incorporated throughout the dough.
Scoop 2-3 tablespoon-sized pieces of dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet about 1-inch apart (they don't spread much). Flatten balls slightly and sprinkle a little sea salt on top of each cookie.
Bake in the top of the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until browned around the edges, but still soft in the middle.
Let cool on baking sheet at least 10 minutes. Repeat with remaining dough.