Paleo Mexican Wedding Cakes – Buttery Pecan Cookies

Mexican wedding cakes recipe & content provided by Chef Vanessa Musi

I have been making Mexican wedding cakes, or polvorones de nuez, since I was a teenager and began baking. I love pecans, and these buttery little shortbread cookies always remind me of the holidays. Since I was born and raised in Mexico and we just celebrated our independence day, it was the perfect time to make these pecan cookies more paleo-friendly!

Related: Chocolate Cinnamon Keto Donuts (paleo-friendly)

The beginnings of Mexican wedding cakes are far removed from Mexico. Food historians believe that they have origins in medieval Arab cookery. The Middle East has a long tradition of rich special-occasion pastries using butter, honey, sugar, spices, and nuts, which was a surprise for me as my family is from Lebanon!

I updated this recipe for Mexican wedding cakes because the original ones contain heavy amounts of sugar and processed flour. I wanted to make a more nutrient-dense and pleasurable cookie, so I incorporated ingredients like collagen and ghee for added richness and healthy fats. When I made these, I was surprised to find they are even tastier than the traditional recipes. I hope you love them as much as I do!

Serve your Mexican wedding cakes as a sweet finish to paleo meals like zoodles with meatballs, or with a piping hot rooibos chai latte for a sweet afternoon snack.

Mexican Wedding Cakes – Buttery Pecan Cookies

Start to Finish: 30 minutes

Cookie ingredients:

• 1 cup halved pecans (123 grams)
• 1 1/2 cups (165 grams) paleo flour (see recipe below)
• 5 tablespoons (65 grams) room temperature grass-fed ghee
• 1 tablespoon (7 grams) vanilla collagen peptides
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) Lakanto powdered sweetener
• Optional: zest from 1 lime, lemon or orange
• 1/2 cup sifted powdered coconut milk (additive-free) or powdered erythritol

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Paleo flour ingredients:

• 1 cup (110 grams) almond flour
• 1/4 cup (25 grams) coconut flour
• 1/2 cup (60 grams) arrowroot starch
• 1/4 cup (32 grams) tapioca flour

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 340 degrees. Line a perforated baking tray with parchment or a silicone liner.
2. Prepare paleo flour first. Mix all flour ingredients with a whisk until combined well. Measure out 1 1/2 cups of this flour, and store the rest in a sealed container.
3. Prepare cookies. In food processor, add pecans, measured paleo flour, collagen, vanilla, salt and sweetener. Process until pecans are finely ground.
4. Add ghee and process lightly until integrated and moist.
5. Remove mixture from the food processor and shape dough into round cookies. Bake for 10 minutes, or until lightly golden. Baking time will depend on your oven and size of the cookies.
6. Allow cookies to cool completely, then roll in powdered erythritol or powdered coconut milk.

Serves: 13

Nutritional Information Per Serving (2 Cookies):

• Calories: 200
• Calories from fat: 160
• Total Fat: 18g
• Saturated Fat: 6g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Cholesterol: 10mg
• Sodium: 65mg
• Total Carbs: 12g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugars: 1g
• Sugar Alcohols: 3.7g
• Net Carbs: 6.3g
• Protein: 3g

Note on ingredients: Except for coconut, all nuts are considered “suspect” on the Bulletproof Diet because of their high levels of omega-6 fats that can oxidize and contribute to inflammation. Nuts are also susceptible to mold and contain lectins, nutrient-sapping compounds that can be tough on your gut. Use nuts in moderation, or remove them from your diet and reintroduce in small amounts to test your sensitivity.