Polvorones de Chocolate
Baking is in full swing here this week as our family prepares for Las Posadas.
A celebration that begins on December 16 and ends on Christmas Eve with the Cena of La Noche Buena. This celebration reenacts Mary and Joseph’s search for shelter in Bethlehem. These processions of los peregrinos lead to a different house every night for the culmination of the posada – a fiesta.
A fiesta!!
Lights twinkle in the background as the Mariachi’s sing traditional Christmas songs. Children play with friends in anticipation of whacking the piñata filled with dulces. Long tables are quickly brimming with regional favorites from Mexico. Tamales, mole and pozole will be served along with steaming cups of atole, champurrado and ponche navideno. Everyone enjoys food, community and give thanks for the year’s blessings. Goodie bags filled with oranges, candy canes and nuts are presented to the children, which are also used to hold their winnings from the piñata.
The tables are quickly cleared, leftovers are packed and the sweets take center stage. Here comes the Pan dulce, bunelos, biscochitos, churros and polvorones. Polvorones also known as Mexican Wedding cookies are sweet, crumbly and delicious. Typically made with ground nuts, flour and butter or lard these cookies contain no eggs. Dusted with sugar, served alongside coffee or eaten at a Fiesta polvorones are amazing. Enjoy!
- ½ cup finely grated Mexican chocolate I used abuelita’s, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar plus 3 tablespoons for dusting cookies and pecans
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup pecans
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Preheat oven to 325.
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Place pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes. Cool.
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Add pecans and 1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar to food processor. Process until finely ground.
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Combine flour, ground pecans, chocolate and salt. Mix and set aside.
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In a stand mixer cream butter and confectioner sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix to incorporate.
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Slowly add dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Do not over mix. Turn dough on to plastic wrap.
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Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. The dough can be a little crumbly, but will come together from warmth of hands.
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Bake 12-18 minutes at 325, or until cookies are firm to the touch.
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Cool on baking sheets.
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Combine the extra chocolate and confectioners’ sugar.
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Dust cookies.
Looks delicious, I love chocolate and cannot believe I have never thought to make a chocolate version of these.
Found you on tastespotting. Love your blog and I will subscribe to it! I’ve just started blogging too and it’s awesome to see so many people making gorgeous food like this. Have a great Christmas! Feel free to pop over and say hi sometime x
This one is certainly a keeper to be sent right to my to-do cookie list 😉
…Dear Bonnie,
Just briefly passing by to wish you and your loved ones the finest of Holiday seasons.
I’m very much looking forward to hopefully soon joining my Foodies again ;o) Until then, all the very best towards a desirable New Year.
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
I loved going to posadas during the Christmas season in Mexico. It was so much fun and something I can’t wait to show both my hubby and future children. Your polvorones look amazing. So perfect for Navidad. Thanks for sharing!
You always rock Vianney. Awesome awesome photos.
Merry Christmas to you and your family my virtual friend.
LL
Such a beautiful celebration! I will take several, along with a cup of your daughters Mexican Hot Chocolate 🙂
What a fun celebration! I’ve only ever seen vanilla polvorones but you can’t go wrong with chocolate! You just can’t.
Happy Wednesday!
One can never ever have enough chocolate cookies at this time of year. I’m loving these with the use of Mexican chocolate, too, for a little kick.
What a fiesta! Sounds like so much fun 🙂 And those polvorones look fabulous! A perfect holiday treat!
What a way to celebrate! Love these cookies…beautifuk. I want a plate right now!
Sounds delicious!
It must be a very fun and exciting time in your household!! I had/made polvorones for the first time last year- and they were great! Your chocolate ones look even better though!
Love those chocolate cookies..so pretty!
I am sure they are delicious! Thanks for the receta 🙂
I love Mexican wedding cookies but I’ve never had chocolate ones?! We made them last year and they were by far my favorite XMas cookie on the plate. Yummm, these chocolate ones look dreamy 🙂
I love Polverones but have only made them plain. These must be dangerously delicious! Saving this one – thank you.
What a simple yet fun sounding cookie. Thanks for sharing!
I love the non-chocolate version, now I am dying to try this one. It sounds wonderfully rich and delicious.
These cookies look great…chocolate and pecan, cannot go wrong with this combination 😉
Hope you have a wonderful week ahead Vianney 🙂
They look awesome. Congratulation!
OH, I’ve never had chocolate polvorones…they sound awesome!
They look incredible. I never see the chocolate version and I am liking it ALOT!
Dreamlike cookies!
Cheers,
Rosa