Monthly Archives: July 2011

It’s one of those cookies I remember loving as a kid.  Covered in powdered sugar and dressed up like little snowballs, they were easy to spot in any bakery case.  I always knew that if I picked that particular cookie, it would be satisfying where others often fell short.  I have always called them Russian Tea Cakes, but they are also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, Butterballs, or Polvorones.  Historically, these cookies were gifted to guests at weddings.  Much like other traditional wedding favors such as Jordan Almonds, the Wedding Cookies were filled with symbolic ingredients.  Nuts for fertility, rich ingredients to bless the marriage with a rich and full life, and the powdered sugar representing purity.