Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cakes

The week after Thanksgiving. The decompression. I slept ten hours Friday night. Saturday I made nothing. Eduardo brought home a pizza. We ate it on the couch with the television on. He said, "Carmen, this is the laziest meal we have eaten in a year." I said, "Eduardo, I deserve laziness." He said, "Carmen, yes."

Sunday I made pavochón sandwiches with the leftover turkey. Pan sobao, mojo mayo, sliced turkey, pickled onion. The same sandwich I have made for thirty-five years on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Eduardo ate three. The grandchildren came over for the afternoon (Jenny had a thing). Lucas ate two. Isabella ate one. Camila licked the bread. Mateo asked for hot dog instead. Andrés ate mashed potatoes from a small container.

Tuesday food bank: regular service. Habichuelas guisadas with rice. Yolanda made the beans. They were excellent. I told her. I said, "Yolanda, your beans are now better than mine." She laughed. She said, "Mrs. Carmen, that is impossible." I said, "Yolanda, I know my beans. Yours are better. The texture today was perfect. The vinegar at the end was the right amount." She accepted the compliment.

Wednesday Brian and I sat down to plan the December pasteles workshop — the all-day Saturday session for Cocina alumni and select interested community members. We had thirty signups. We needed two assistants and a lot of materials. Yolanda was an assistant. Marcus was an assistant. Mr. Patterson would do the front-of-house. Three other Cocina alumni had volunteered to come and help, including Diana (who I had told from the start would be there) and Hector (who was now an alumnus too).

Friday Mami slept mostly. She ate twice. She said when I sat with her in the afternoon, "Carmen, the Thanksgiving was good." I said, "Mami, yes." She said, "Carmen, I am tired now." I said, "Mami, I know." She said, "Carmen, do not stop cooking." I said, "Mami, I will not stop." She said, "Carmen, the chain." I said, "Mami, the chain." She closed her eyes. She slept. Wepa.

Mami’s words on Friday stayed with me all weekend — the chain — and I kept turning them over while I planned the pasteles workshop and thought about Diana and Hector and Yolanda and Marcus and all the hands that had come through Cocina. When I needed to do something with my hands that was simple and sweet and required no occasion, I made these Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cakes. They are not Puerto Rican. They are not Thanksgiving. But they are small and round and covered in powdered sugar and they disappear fast, which is exactly what a cookie should do when you have grandchildren in the house and a chain worth keeping.

Prep Time: 20 min | Chill Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 1 hr 5 min | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted, plus 1 1/2 cups more for rolling
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
1 cup pecans or walnuts, finely chopped (toasted preferred)
1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (optional but recommended)

Instructions

Toast the nuts. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chopped pecans or walnuts for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool completely before using.
Cream butter and sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed, beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar together for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.
Add the dry ingredients. Reduce mixer to low. Add the flour, cocoa powder, and salt all at once and mix until just combined — do not overmix. The dough will be soft but not sticky.
Fold in mix-ins. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the toasted nuts and mini chocolate chips if using. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes — this helps the cookies hold their shape.
Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Roll into balls. Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll between your palms into a smooth 1-inch ball. Place on the prepared baking sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. You should get approximately 36 cookies.
Bake. Bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 13–15 minutes, until the bottoms are just set and the cookies look dry on top. They will feel soft — that is correct. Do not overbake.
First roll. Let the cookies cool on the pan for exactly 5 minutes — they need to be warm but not crumbling. Carefully roll each warm cookie in the powdered sugar until fully coated. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Second roll. Once the cookies are fully cool (about 20 minutes), roll each one in the powdered sugar a second time. The second coat is what gives them their signature snowy finish. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chocolate Mexican Wedding Cakes — For the Chain That Keeps Us Together