Pecan Snowball Cookies are irresistibly buttery and nutty, with a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth texture that crumbles with every bite. Loaded with toasted pecans, these are the perfect addition to any holiday cookie tray.
What are snowball cookies? Also known as Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies, butterballs, snowdrops, and more, they are bite-sized, round cookies typically made with butter, flour, confectioners’ sugar, and finely chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts.
They have a crumbly texture and are usually coated in powdered sugar, resembling balls of snow, hence the name. Snowballs are popular during the holiday season, particularly around holidays, and are enjoyed as sweet Christmas treats with a cup of tea or coffee.
These easy pecan snowball cookies are a must-have on my Christmas cookie platter. A key tip for perfectly crispy cookies is to use toasted pecans. Toasting enhances the nutty flavor and adds extra crunch, making them far superior to raw pecans. Check out our blog post for step-by-step instructions on how to toast pecans.
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Why you'll love it?
- Only 5 ingredients
- Not too sweet, despite the powdered sugar coating
- Crumbly, buttery and nutty
- Quintessential Christmas cookie
How to make pecan snowball cookies?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Step 7 - Bake at 350 degrees or the bottoms are deep golden in color. Cool for 5 minutes.
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How to make sure that the confectioner's sugar sticks? The trick is to roll them twice! Give the cookies their first coating when they are slightly warm. As the cookies cool, the confectioners' sugar will melt into them. After the snowball cookies have cooled, coat them in confectioners' sugar again, and they'll be as beautifully snowy and stay true to their name.
How to store?
Pecan snowballs can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 10 days.
Once baked, cooled, and coated in powdered sugar, these snowball cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months.
To keep them from sticking, layer them with parchment paper. When you're ready to enjoy them, simply thaw them on the counter for a few hours. For an extra touch, I always give them a light dusting of powdered sugar to freshen them up!
Pro tip: Snowball cookies make great homemade gifts during the holiday season. Place them in mini muffin liners and then tuck them into a decorative tin or a cellophane bag and adorn them with a festive ribbon for an elegant gift.
Recipe tips
- Confectioner sugar is the same as powdered sugar found in grocery stores.
- Chop the pecans very fine.
- Tossing the snowballs in powdered sugar twice is key.
- Make sure you use confectioners’ sugar or powdered sugar and not granulated sugar.
- Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to easily make uniform cookies.
More Christmas cookies
Pecan Snowball Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup 114 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon 37 gms confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- ½ cup finely chopped toasted pecans
- ½ cup additional confectioners sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add butter, ¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon confectioners sugar, vanilla and salt into a large bowl. Beat with an electric beater for about 3 minutes or light and fluffy.
- Add the flour and chopped pecans. Mix until combined.
- Roll about 1 tablespoon of measure dough into a smooth ball and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing about an inch apart.
- Bake cookies until deep golden brown on the bottoms. about 15 to 18 minutes. Place baking pan on a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes.
- Place the remaining ½ cup powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Working in batches, roll the warm cookies in the sugar, shaking off excess and place them on a wire rack. Cool completely. Reroll cooled cookies in confectioners’ sugar again.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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