Mexican Pink Cookies

Perfectly tender with a crumbly texture, these Mexican Pink Cookies will melt in your mouth! They’ll be the star of the show for Cinco de Mayo, baby showers, and weddings!

If you love pink cookies, these Strawberry Gooey Butter Cookies require only 5 ingredients and are a strawberry dream! Lemon tastes fantastic with strawberry, so you can also make a tray of these Chewy Lemon White Chocolate Cookies, which make these pink cookies pop off the plate!

What are Mexican Pink Cookies?

Traditionally known as Polvorones, these are basically Mexican sugar cookies. They’re quite similar to shortbread and have that same crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth experience. Since there’s no leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda, they aren’t meant to rise.

Polvorones rosas are usually brightly colored with pink or red food coloring. After the dough is rolled, it’s pressed down with the bottom of a cup or glass for a uniform shape and texture with little cracks along the side. Mexican pink sugar cookies are often served for various special occasions and are often found at Mexican bakeries.

Mexican Pink Cookies Ingredients

• Butter: The secret to these Mexican shortbread cookies is creaming unsalted butter with powdered sugar in the stand mixer until light and fluffy. Don’t rush!
• Powdered sugar: The powdered sugar gives this polvorones recipe a shortbread-like texture instead of a chewy sugar cookie. 
• Vanilla extract: Don’t forget a little Mexican vanilla for flavor!
• Salt: Salt draws out the natural sweetness from the sugar and helps your palate detect all the flavors!
• Flour: You can use regular all purpose flour as the base for these cookies.
• Pink or red food coloring: Use your favorite type of food coloring, and adapt the shade to match your occasion. 
• Granulated sugar:  There isn’t any granulated sugar in the cookies, but you do want to sprinkle some on the cookies for a sparkly appearance and sweet crunch after they are baked. 

How to Make Mexican Pink Cookies

• Prepare the oven: Preheat the oven to 350°f. Place parchment paper on a 13 x 9 baking sheet.
• Cream the butter and sugar: Beat butter and powdered sugar together until creamy.
• Make the dough: Add in vanilla, salt, and food coloring, and mix well. Next, combine in flour until just mixed.
• Roll the dough: Using a dough scoop, make two tablespoon-sized balls, roll them into balls of dough with the palm of your hand, and place them 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. I get about 8 to a sheet.
• Press the cookies: With the bottom of a glass or a rolling pin, flatten the cookie dough to a ½ inch thickness.
• Bake: Bake cookies for 13-15 minutes.
• Decorate: Immediately sprinkle baked cookies with white sugar.

Tips for Success 

• Use room-temperature butter. Cold butter is too firm. If you press it with your finger, room temperature butter should hold a mark, but it shouldn’t be wet or overly soft.
• Find your paddle attachment. These cookies are easiest to make using an electric mixer, especially a stand mixer. The paddle attachment is perfect for creaming the butter and sugar together.
• Be patient. The creaming process is the secret to getting the perfect texture. Let the butter and sugar whip together until the color becomes light and it’s noticeably fluffy.
• No chilling necessary. Since we’re baking these cookies immediately, you don’t need to let them chill before baking. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days, but you may notice the cookies are slightly denser.
• Avoid browning. Although most cookies are baked until “golden brown,” you don’t want them to lose their pink color. You’ll notice that the bottom of the round cookie will turn golden brown when they’re done. Be sure to remove the cookies from the oven before their shade changes color too much.

Recipe Variations

• Change out the extract. Although vanilla is traditional, you can use any type of extract! Try almond extract or lemon extract. You can also grate in some orange zest or sprinkle some spices if you’d like.
• Use different colors. Of course, these are pink cookies, but they could be any color. Add more or less dye to get the desired color. Go wild!
• Make a sandwich. These cookies are the perfect size to make a sandwich! Add buttercream, marshmallow filling, or ice cream between each sandwich cookie. Roll the sides in colorful sprinkles or mini chocolate chips, and enjoy.
• Dip into chocolate. Grab a bowl of melted chocolate and dip one of the sides of the cookie into the chocolate for a little crunch and bitterness to offset the sweetness. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best type of food dye for Mexican pink cookies?

This depends on your preference! You can use regular liquid dye or gel food coloring for a rich color. If you don’t like using artificial dyes, you can also order dyes that use natural ingredients for color.

How can you make Mexican pink cookies vegan?

Since there aren’t any eggs, the only ingredient to adjust is the butter. It’s important to use a plant-based margarine or butter that can whip and hold its texture like butter. I recommend using a butter-flavored shortening because it will have the right color, texture, and flavor to make these cookies taste like the real deal.

Can you make Mexican pink cookies gluten-free?

Although I haven’t tried it, you should be able to use any gluten-free flour made as a 1:1 replacement for regular wheat flour with no problem! If you try this, please leave a comment below to share how it goes!

How many cookies does this make?

This cookie recipe will make 18-20, 2 tablespoon sized cookies.

How to Store & Reheat 

How to refrigerate Mexican sugar cookies? You don’t have to refrigerate leftover Polvorones Mexicanos, but you can. In the fridge, they’ll stay fresh in an airtight container for approximately 2 weeks.

How to keep at room temperature? Store the cookies in an airtight container for one week.

How do you reheat this Mexican cookie recipe? These cookies are often eaten at room temperature, but you can microwave a cookie for 15-30 seconds to make them taste fresh from the oven.

Can I Freeze Mexican Pink Cookies?

How to freeze Mexican cookies? If you made too many cookies, add them to a freezer-safe bag and store them in the freezer for 1-3 months. Let your cookies thaw on a plate in the fridge for an hour or so, and enjoy!

Try these other recipes!

• Strawberry Gooey Butter Cookies
• Pistachio Pudding Cookies
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Bailey’s Irish Cream Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you’ve tried this Mexican pink cookie recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes!

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