Pecan Snowball Cookies
Pecan Snowball Cookies is an American classic dessert often made during Christmas festivities. These buttery delicate cookies are loaded with pecans and coated with powdered sugar, offering the perfect balance between richness, crunch, and sweetness.
❤️ You’ll Love This Pecan Snowball Cookies
Flavor & Texture:
- Rich and buttery.
- Soft, crumbly texture that dissolves in your mouth.
- Every bite has nutty, crunchy bits of pecans.
- Perfect amount of sweetness (The cookie dough itself is barely sweet, all the sweetness comes from the coating of powdered sugar)
Easy to Prepare: With just six ingredients and one bowl, this pecan snowball cookie recipe is effortless to make.
What Are Snowball Cookies?
Snowball cookies are round, buttey, bite-sized cookies that are rolled into powdered sugar, The powdered sugar coating of the cookies resembles a sweet blizzard of snow hence the name snowball cookies. These are often loaded with nuts like pecans for extra richness.
It is different from other holiday cookies because there are no eggs or no leaving agents used in the cookie dough. Because of that cookies get shortbread-like soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Other names of these snowball cookies are Mexican wedding cookies, Pecan Sandies, Russian tea cakes, Butterballs, Italian wedding cookies, or Italian nuts balls, etc.
🧾 Ingredient Notes
- Pecans: Toasting the pecans is crucial, as it intensifies their flavor and makes them more aromatic.
- Unsalted Butter: Using unsalted butter ensures complete control over the salt content.
- White Sugar and salt: Sugar adds a subtle sweetness, ensuring the cookie isn’t overwhelmingly sweet once coated in powdered sugar. Salt enhances the flavors and contrasts with the sweet elements.
- All Purpose Flour: The backbone of the cookie dough, providing structure.
- Powdered Sugar: It is used for coating and gives the cookie its signature snowball appearance and additional sweetness.
👩🍳 How to make Pecan Snowball Cookies?
1) Toast The Pecans & Crush:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) for at least 10 minutes.
- Spread pecans on the baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes ensuring you toss them once halfway through. Let them cool down. Alternatively, you can dry roast them in a pan on the stovetop with stirring constantly.
- Once cooled, crush them coarsely in a food processor.
Make Snowball Cookies:
2, 3) In a stand mixer bowl, add softened butter and sugar. Using a paddle attachment, beat until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and light in color.
4, 5) Add crushed pecans, salt, and flour to the mixture.
6) Continue to beat on low until a dough forms.
Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
7, 8) Using a cookie scoop, form tablespoon-sized balls and place them an inch apart on the prepared sheet.
9) Bake for approximately 18-19 minutes.
10, 11, 12) Let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar, place them on the wire rack, and let them cool completely.
13) Once completely cooled, generously coat them once more in powdered sugar.
💭 Expert Tips For BEST Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Ensure your butter is softened at room temperature before beginning to make cookie dough. Softened butter blends more easily with the sugar, resulting in a uniform cookie texture.
- Toasting enhances the nuttiness of the pecans. To prevent burning, it’s essential to stir them regularly and keep a close eye on them during the process. Ensure they are cooled down before crushing to retain their crunchy texture.
- The dough should be soft but not too sticky. If it feels too wet, add a little more flour to achieve the desired consistency.
- Maintaining uniform cookie size ensures even baking. Use a cookie/ice cream scoop to achieve even size.
- Roll cookies two times in powdered sugar: Rolling the cookies in sugar while they are still warm ensures better adherence. A second coating gives them a snowy appearance and enhances sweetness.
- Placing the cookie sheet in the middle rack ensures even baking.
- These cookies should remain light in color, so make sure not to overbake. They will continue to set as they cool.
- If you are out of pecans, use walnuts as a substitute, though the flavor profile will slightly change.
🥣 Storage Instructions
- At room temperature, Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Refrigerate cookie dough for up to 3 days. If chilling for more than 3-4 hours then let the cookie dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before scooping and making balls.
- To Freeze the cookies before baking, Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze initially, then transfer them to an airtight container, placing parchment paper between layers. Store them for up to 3 months. Place them on the baking tray and bake as directed plus a couple more minutes or until they are done.
- To Freeze the cookies after baking, do just first coat of powdered sugar, let them cool down completely. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet and flash freeze for 4 hours. Transfer them to an airtight container, placing parchment paper between layers. Store them for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature and do second coating of powdered sugar.
Holiday Platter Or Gifting: For festive occasions, serve alongside other holiday cookies and treats on a platter. Place the cookies in decorative tins or boxes and gift them during the holidays or special occasions.
Other Christmas Cookies to Include
- Christmas shortbread bites
- Chocolate shortbread cookies (coming soon)
- Shortbread thumbprint cookies
- Eggless chocolate chip cookies
- Eggless sugar cookies
Did you try this pecan snowball cookies recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
Pecan Snowball Cookies
US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Pecans, Toasted and crushed in a food processor
- 1 cup Unsalted butter, Softened at room temperature
- ⅓ cup White sugar
- 2 cups All purpose flour (Maida)
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ½ cups Powdered sugar (Confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar)
Instructions
Toast The Pecans & Crush:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) for at least 10 minutes.
- Spread pecans on the baking sheet and bake for 5-8 minutes ensuring you toss them once halfway through. Let them cool down. Alternatively, you can dry roast them in a pan on the stovetop with stirring constantly.
- Once cooled, crush them coarsely in a food processor.
Make Snowball Cookies:
- In a stand mixer bowl, add softened butter and sugar. Using a paddle attachment, beat until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and light in color.
- Add crushed pecans, salt, and flour to the mixture.
- Continue to beat on low until a dough forms.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop, form tablespoon-sized balls and place them an inch apart on the prepared sheet.
- Bake for approximately 18-19 minutes.
- Let them cool on the pan for about 5 minutes.
- Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar, place them on the wire rack, and let them cool completely.
- Once completely cooled, generously coat them once more in powdered sugar.
Notes
- Ensure your butter is softened at room temperature before beginning to make cookie dough. Softened butter blends more easily with the sugar, resulting in a uniform cookie texture.
- Maintaining uniform cookie size ensures even baking. Use a cookie/ice cream scoop to achieve even size.
- Roll cookies two times in powdered sugar: Rolling the cookies in sugar while they are still warm ensures better adherence. A second coating gives them a snowy appearance and enhances sweetness.
- Placing the cookie sheet in the middle rack ensures even baking.
- These pecan snowball cookies should remain light in color, so make sure not to overbake. They will continue to set as they cool.
