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Yield: 3 dozen
Ready In: 1 hr
These amazingly buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies are almost too good to be true. Almost. My grandma made a variation of these every year, only she put in the effort to make them crescent-shaped. Can you imagine the work?While these are a total Christmas classic, some people call snowballs Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes. So many names for the same delicious little thing! What I love most about them is how pretty they look after the double-dip in powdered sugar – truly like little snowballs.
Recommended Equipment:
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 1 cup butter (softened)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup chopped pecans
For rolling:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Cooling time: 20 mins
Ready In: 1 hr
Instructions
- Make cookie dough: Place butter, vanilla and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat well with an electric mixer. Add flour and 1/2 cup powdered sugar and mix until fully combined. Add the pecans and mix on low until incorporated.
- Shape cookies and chill: Roll dough into 1 tablespoon sized balls and place on lined baking sheets. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Bake: In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350°F. Bake the cookies in batches (only one baking sheet in the oven – or the cookies on the bottom could melt away!) for around 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown in color.
- Roll in powdered sugar: Cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet. Place 1 cup powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Roll the cookies in the sugar and set on a cooling rack to cool completely. Roll in the powdered sugar again.
Nora’s Tips
Baking Tips:
- Don’t add more butter than the recipe calls for: too much butter will make these melt away in the oven. They are still tasty when flat (ask me how I know), but not as pretty.
- Don’t overbake: I almost baked the cookies in the photos a little too long. You want these just lightly browned, or they will be dry. Snowball cookies bake in 10-15 minutes, depending on how hot your oven runs. Check on them after 10 minutes, then watch them closely if you decide to bake for longer.
- How to chop the pecans: This is entirely up to you. I like to leave them chunkier, I don’t like it when they almost vanish in the cookie dough. But if you prefer them finely chopped, then go for it!
Storage Tips:
These cookies keep very well if stored right.ON THE COUNTER:
These snowball cookies can be stored on the counter in an airtight container. They are best eaten fresh within 5-7 days.Freezer Instructions:
Snowball cookies freeze without any problems, either unbaked or baked. To freeze unbaked cookies: Roll the dough into balls and freeze them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer to freezer bags labelled with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 2 months). To bake, let the dough balls sit on a plate for 30 minutes, then bake as directed in the recipe. To freeze baked cookies: Freeze the cookies in freezer-friendly containers. Separate layers with wax paper. To thaw, leave them on a cooling rack at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar again to make them look pretty and fresh.
More Christmas Cookies You’ll Love:
Or browse all my easy cookie recipes!
Cindy
Tried these yesterday because I needed a last-minute recipe that didn’t call for a long chilling time. We baked some without freezing even (forgot….) and they still turned out fine! And I LOVE the funky pecan pieces, like our Meemaw used to make. thanks for a great recipe!!!!
Nora
So happy to read this Cindy! Glad to know the cookies work without freezing, too. And yes to chunky pecans 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to review the recipe, I appreciate it so much!