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Pecan Puffs

December 10, 2016 by Lindsey 23 Comments

These Pecan Puffs are the perfect combination of crumbly and soft. They literally melt in your mouth!

Day 8 of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies!  

These Pecan Puffs (a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes)  are the perfect combination of crumbly and soft. They literally melt in your mouth!

After 3 years of Christmas Cookies on AHC my “Family Recipe Well” was running dry, so I sent out a cry for help in true 2016 fashion.

No, it wasn’t a tweet, so I guess it was more circa 2010…don’t be so judgy.

These Pecan Puffs (a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes)  are the perfect combination of crumbly and soft. They literally melt in your mouth!

No fewer than three people sent back this recipe for “Pecan Puffs”, which was clearly my grandmother’s cute name for Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Teacakes.

Yes, I’ve already technically posted a recipe but three family members can’t be wrong.

These Pecan Puffs (a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes)  are the perfect combination of crumbly and soft. They literally melt in your mouth!

And I wasn’t disappointed. They were delightfully crumbly but not dry. The pecans and sugar were perfect!

These Pecan Puffs (a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes)  are the perfect combination of crumbly and soft. They literally melt in your mouth! These Pecan Puffs taste like sweet pecans and nostalgia.

These Pecan Puffs (a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes)  are the perfect combination of crumbly and soft. They literally melt in your mouth!  I pre-toasted my pecans for maximum flavor and added a little salt. Old recipes never call for salt – why? Such an easy flavor boost!

But they were heaven! Just more proof that Grandma knows best!

These Pecan Puffs are Day 8 of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! You won’t want to miss my Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies,  Festive Holiday Spritz, Ginger Orange Almond Biscotti,  No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies,  Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookies, Butterscotch Chews, or Chocolate Peppermint Swirl Cookies from Day 1!

Print
Pecan Puffs

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 36 Cookies

Pecan Puffs

These Pecan Puffs are the perfect combination of crumbly and soft. They literally melt in your mouth!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, room temperature
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted and cooled
  • Confectioner’s sugar, as needed for rolling

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
  2. In a large bowl with a hand mixer (or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) cream the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
  3. On low speed add the flour, salt and pecans; mix until combined.
  4. Roll into 1-inch balls and place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheets.
  5. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
  6. Cool 5 minutes then roll in sugar. Cool completely and roll in confectioners sugar again.
  7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-6 days.
3.1
https://americanheritagecooking.com/2016/12/pecan-puffs/
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Filed Under: Baking, Cookies, Desserts, Family Recipes Tagged With: 12 Days of Christmas Cookies, Christmas, Christmas Cookies, cookies, dessert, easy, easy desserts, epicurious, Fall, Holiday, mexian wedding cookies, old fashioned, pecan, russian tea cakes

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Comments

  1. Barbara says

    December 18, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    Yum. Made some last week. I’d forgotten how good they are. Thanks for the reminder.

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      December 20, 2016 at 7:41 pm

      I’m so glad!!! Positively addictive xoxoxoxo

      Reply
  2. Kathryn Mader says

    January 9, 2017 at 2:42 am

    Honestly, I think if I rotated between chocolate chip cookies and some type of wedding cookie (can’t wait to try your pecan puffs), I would be happy forever…with a few of your other choice cookie recipes thrown in from time to time, just to shake things up a tad. I hope you have a wonderful 2017. This is a bold statement, but of all the blogs I have followed (and loved some of them), yours is my absolute favorite. There is plenty of talent out there, but you have a whimsical charm and darling sense of humor that is so pleasing and comfortable, and it sets you apart. You are down to earth, which makes you relatable. I earmark so many of your recipes (pie, anyone?) that I will love to make one day. THANK YOU for all your efforts and expertise to encourage me in my kitchen. God bless you in everything, Lindsey and I would love to meet you someday. So if you write a cookbook and have a signing, I will show up! Take care!

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      January 18, 2017 at 1:14 pm

      Hi Kathryn! What a wonderful, heartwarming comment! Thank you so much Kathryn for being such a loyal reader and commenter! It is for readers and bakers like you that I do this! It is a lot of work (along with my other job) and it brings me such joy to hear that you love the blog and the recipes! I would love to meet you as well! I would love to write a cookbook one day but until then I am the pastry chef at Restaurant Marc Forgione in NYC in case you happen to find yourself in the city! God bless you as well and I am wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous 2017! Best, Lindsey

      Reply
  3. Monica says

    January 10, 2017 at 1:04 am

    This recipe is a variation of Joy of Cooking’s Pecan Puffs. The name is from that book. I believe you should give her credit.

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      January 18, 2017 at 1:10 pm

      Hi Monica! Thank you for your comment. I got the recipe from my (now deceased) grandmother and so I just credited her. It is hard to find the origins of heirloom recipes! I have a vintage Joy of Cooking and I did, indeed, find “Pecan Puffs”. It seems that the recipe is the same except for my grandmother reduced the pecans by half…economical as always! Happy baking!

      Reply
  4. STL Food says

    January 29, 2017 at 4:27 pm

    Wow. These sound delicious! I can’t wait to try out this recipe. Thanks!

    Reply
  5. Jan says

    March 6, 2017 at 10:39 am

    Beautiful, sweet, comforting, and so yummy. I’m in. Thank you and have a pleasant day !

    Reply
  6. Mary France says

    March 28, 2017 at 3:00 pm

    Love this!

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      May 9, 2017 at 12:07 pm

      Thank you, Mary Frances!

      Reply
    • Julio says

      June 7, 2017 at 1:52 am

      There is nothing more satisfying that a couple of pecan puffs and a glass of cold milk. And of course in great company of family and friends.

      Reply
  7. Catering Den Haag says

    June 6, 2017 at 6:06 am

    This looks incredible! Yum!

    Reply
  8. Norma says

    October 5, 2017 at 2:39 am

    Amazing looks perfect added this recipe to my Christmas checklist will prepare it definetly.
    Norma recently posted…Can You Freeze Ricotta Cheese – Steps To Keep Cheese FreshMy Profile

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      October 6, 2017 at 9:38 pm

      You won’t regret it, Norma!

      Reply
  9. Laura says

    December 10, 2017 at 4:50 pm

    This recipe says 45 minutes is that correct? I’m afraid I’ll burn them. Please confirm for me. Thank you

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      December 26, 2017 at 11:05 pm

      Hi Laura, It is 45 because the oven temperature is only 300 degrees and the puffs are cold from the refrigerator. you can bake them hotter for less time but watch them! You just want the outsides to be a golden brown.

      Reply
  10. Laura says

    December 10, 2017 at 4:51 pm

    45 minutes is that correct?

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      December 26, 2017 at 10:54 pm

      Hi Laura, Yes because the oven is at 300 degrees. YOu could probably bake them at 350 for around 15, but I haven’t tried it with this particular recipe. I have with my walnut balls

      Reply
    • Debbie Moore says

      December 27, 2017 at 2:59 pm

      Yes!

      Reply
  11. Debbie Moore says

    December 27, 2017 at 2:59 pm

    Pecan puffs of been a tradition of mine since my grandmother used to make them every Christmas! And now my daughters are making them also as a tradition of theirs. But…….I hate to tell you this, but it was not your grandmothers cute little name. I have my grandmothers old JOY of COOKING circa 1931 book and they are called Pecan Puffs in that book. Not sure when they started to be called Mexican wedding cookies I don’t know who created them first. All I know is that I love them and will have them every year in honor of my grandmother! 🙂

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      December 27, 2017 at 11:51 pm

      Perhaps that is where she got the recipe! I love them too!

      Reply
  12. Hester says

    September 4, 2018 at 3:07 pm

    I have been making these for over 40 years. Now my son and his girl friend want me to make them for their wedding. What I would like to know is how I can make them early and keep them fresh for the wedding day. They want at least 24 dozen because there is going to be at least 100 guest at their wedding. Any help would be appreciated!

    Reply
    • Lindsey says

      October 4, 2018 at 5:35 pm

      Hi Hester! I suggest freezing them! Then after thawing roll in confectioner sugar again for the white outside. Happy baking! And congratulations to your son!

      Reply

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