For those of Mexican descent, those who are having a destination wedding in Mexico, or even just those who want to bring some traditional Mexican fiesta spirit to their wedding, Mexican wedding balls are a must to include in your ceremony. To find out more including a recipe for making your own, read on!
For any couple on their wedding day, it is important to include some aspects of the couple’s heritage. Mexican wedding balls are also known as Mexican wedding cookies. They are a sweet treat made with flour, nuts and spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, and are traditionally served at Mexican wedding receptions. They can either be part of the dessert or served as wedding favours for the guests to take home.
Significance of White
All in all, Mexican wedding balls are ‘melt in your mouth’, deliciously nutty biscuits. They are usually rolled in icing sugar once they have been cooked to give a dusted white, sugary appearance. The white powder is a symbol for the purity and virginity of a new marriage. No Mexican wedding would be quite complete without the addition of these tasty treats to sweeten the meal.
Making Your Own
You can choose to have your Mexican wedding balls to be catered for you if your budget allows it, but a cheaper option is to bake the wedding balls yourself. There are many recipes available to try out different variations of Mexican wedding balls, but the following one creates flop proof, melt in your mouth biscuits with no fuss, so you don’t have to worry about spending hours slaving over the stove the day before your wedding!
Mexican Wedding Balls recipe
You will need the following ingredients:
- 1 cup of butter
- Half a cup of white sugar
- 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract (be sure to use the extract, not vanilla essence).
- 2 teaspoons of water
- 2 cups of all purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- Half a cup confectioners sugar
- Nutmeg to taste.
Method:
1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla extract and water, stirring gently. Next, mix in the flour, nutmeg and the almonds until the mixture is blended.
2. Cover the mixture and chill for 3 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Roll mixture into small balls. Place on a greased baking tray and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Leave to cool. Once cooled, roll the balls in confectioners sugar.
Following this simple recipe, you can create your very own Mexican wedding balls and so save yourself a fortune on catering while still providing some authentic Mexican tradition to your wedding ceremony. Try it out – your guests are sure to love that you made the treats yourself!
