Y’all know how much I love spicy and sweet combos in my desserts, and these cookies are no exception. Lemon-coconut & gochugaru Mexican wedding cookies are a novel treat for every season, not just Christmas. The gochugaru added in the powdered sugar gives the vibrant color and heat on the outside. For those of you not familiar with gochugaru, it’s a Korean sun-dried chili powder. Although you can easily find it at H Mart, you can also find it at Khim’s Millennium Market if you live in Brooklyn.
You might recognize the makings of Mexican wedding cookies but called another name. From Russian tea cakes to snowballs, these cookies are ubiquitous in different cuisines. The cookies themselves melt in your mouth and can easily be converted to a vegan recipe if you use vegan butter. It’s also ideal when you’ve run out of eggs and want your cookie fix.
If there’s anything I miss the most about the Before Times™️, it’s getting to sit across the table with a friend inside BCD Tofu House. It was the place Anjile and I frequented the most together! I used to work close to K-Town right off of the 34th Street Herald Square stop, and it was nice to wander over there for a good meal and experience the best of Korean cuisine. While these cookies are not a placeholder for all these memories, the taste of gochugaru unlocks some of the best ones.
Lemon-Coconut & Gochugaru Mexican Wedding Cookies
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup pecans, roasted
- 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, from 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Gochugaru-Powdered Sugar Coating:
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon gochugaru
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the flour, salt, confectioners' sugar, pecans and coconut. Process until the pecans and coconut are finely ground, and the mixture looks like sand. Add the butter, lemon zest, and vanilla extract; process until the mixture comes together into a cohesive dough. Remove the dough from the bowl and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm enough to roll, 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Measure the dough into 1 tablespoon-size pieces and roll each piece into a ball. Place the balls about 1-1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until the edges of the cookies barely begin to brown, 12 to 14 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then roll in the gochugaru-confectioners' sugar mixture while still warm. Let the cookies cool on a rack, then roll again in the gochugaru-confectioners' sugar mixture once they are cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
For the Gochugaru-Powdered Sugar Coating:
- Mix 1 tablespoon of gochugaru and 3/4 cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl. Set aside.
