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Pecan Snowball Cookies are classic Christmas cookies that always look good on cookie tray or at cookie exchanges over the holiday season. A shortbread cookie filled with crushed pecans, and then coated in powdered sugar to look like snowballs.
Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies
This pecan snowball cookie recipe goes by several different names – Mexican wedding cookies, Mexican wedding cakes, Russian tea cakes, Italian wedding cookies, or snowball cookies – but whatever you call them, they are insanely delicious and always a classic around the holidays.
Traditional snowball cookies are simple cookies that only need 6 ingredients. The base is a shortbread cookie that’s filled with finely crushed pecans, and then the cookies gets rolled and coated in powdered sugar before serving.
The powdered sugar exterior is what makes them look like snowballs. I love gifting these around Christmas – put the baked cookies inside a clear bag with festive ribbon tying it – it looks like a bag of edible snowballs. Which is why they are a classic Christmas cookie recipe🎄
6 Simple Ingredients Needed
- Butter : It’s very important that the butter is softened to room temperature. Softened butter mixes in more smoothly and creates a smooth cookie dough without any lumps in it.
- Powdered Sugar : Also referred to by some as confectioners’ sugar.
- Vanilla Extract : For the best taste I always recommend only using pure vanilla extract and not imitation.
- Salt : Sea salt is what I use for baking recipes.
- All-Purpose Flour : I use unbleached all-purpose flour.
- Finely Chopped Pecans : These are delicate and small cookies, so you really want to make sure that the pecans are finely chopped/ground. Even buying the chopped pecans at the store usually is not enough, I always end up chopping them up more.
How To Make Pecan Snowballs (Printable Recipe Card)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or a stand mixer, cream butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar until light and fluffy; about 1-2 minutes.
Mix in the vanilla extract and salt and blend just until incorporated.
Add in the flour and chopped pecans and starting on low speed, increase speed as needed, blend together until a dough is formed. At first it will look really dry and crumbly, but it’s important to keep blending it until a dough forms together that you can pinch together.
Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough out and place it onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each cookie (the cookies won’t spread).
Place the baking sheet of cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill the dough.
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies form the oven and allow them to cool on the warm baking sheet at room temperature.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar into a bowl. Toss the cookies into the powdered sugar to coat all sides of each cookie well. Enjoy!
How To Store Pecan Snowballs
These buttery pecan snowball cookies should be stored inside an airtight container or Ziplock bag, at room temperature, for up to one week. They keep really well and retain their texture and softness for several days.
I recommend storing the cookies in a single layer with a piece of parchment paper, or wax paper, between each layer so the cookies don’t stick together and the powdered sugar doesn’t melt off in that spot.
These classic snowball cookies are best eaten fresh for the best results. I would definitely recommend making them fresh and serving them within several hours, if serving these at a party or gathering, for the best taste and texture of the cookie.
Substitutions & Ingredient Notes
- Vanilla Extract : To up the almond flavor try using almond extract or use half vanilla extract + half almond extract (1 teaspoon of each, or do less almond and more vanilla). Lots of different ways to do it if you wanted to.
- All-Purpose Flour : I use unbleached all-purpose flour. You can use a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour option, but make sure you increase the butter by 2 tablespoons if using gluten-free flour. So use 1 cup butter + 2 tablespoons butter.
- Salt : I prefer using sea salt or kosher salt, but sea salt is preferred because of its finer texture and size.
- Pecans : I chop the pecans up very finely as I think that gives the best texture. You don’t really want larger chunks of pecans in these delicate cookies.
Recipe FAQs
My Dough Is Not Coming Together. It Seems Really Dry. What Should I Do?
Naturally, it’s a really dry dough (think shortbread). My #1 tip is that if it seems to dry, then it probably means you have not mixed it well enough together. You must keep mixing until it goes from a powder, dry dough to an actual dough that can be pinched together. When you first start blending it, it will be very dry and you will think it’s never going to come together. It will. Keep mixing because it just takes a little bit of time.
Are There Tips For Coating The Cookies With Powdered Sugar?
You can roll the cookies in a bowl of powdered sugar but that can get pretty messy with your hands. Another option is to put the powdered sugar inside a Tupperware container, place a few cookies at a time inside, cover with the lid and shake to coat the cookies. You don’t want to shake aggressively as that could crumble the cookies. Just gently shake until coated.
How Can I Get The Pecans Chopped Finely?
I highly recommend using only finely chopped pecans in this recipe. The best way to get those is to use a food processor or mini food chopper, and pulse them until they’re finely chopped. A knife and a cutting board is another option. Or sometimes they do sell finely chopped pecans at the store that are a good size; I usually still chop them up even more.
Should I Add A Second Coating Of Powdered Sugar?
If you coat the pecan cookies in the powdered sugar when they are slightly warm, the powdered sugar does tend to dissolve and melt into the cookie, so yes if you would like to coat the cookies again in extra powdered sugar before serving – then that works just fine. If you wait to coat the cookies in powdered sugar until they are completely cooled, you should only need the one coating.
More Favorite Pecan Recipes
- Pecan Cream Pie
- Pecan Tassies Recipe
- Easy Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls
- How To Make Candied Nuts In The Oven (Pecans and Almonds)
- How To Make The Best Homemade English Toffee Recipe
Pecan Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter room temperature
- 1 cup powdered sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt (I use sea salt)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer or a stand mixer, cream butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar until light and fluffy; about 1-2 minutes.
- Mix in the vanilla extract and salt and blend just until incorporated.
- Add in the flour and chopped pecans and starting on low speed, increase speed as needed, blend together until a dough is formed.*At first it will look really dry and crumbly, but it's important to keep blending it until a dough forms together that you can pinch together.
- Use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough out and place it onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving about an inch between each cookie (the cookies won't spread much at all).
- Place the baking sheet of cookies in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill the dough.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the warm baking sheet, at room temperature, for about 10 minutes or until you can safely handle them.
- Add the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar into a bowl. Toss the cookies into the powdered sugar to coat all sides of each cookie well. Enjoy!*Enjoy these cooled to room temperature or eat them slightly warm after they have been coated in powdered sugar (I like them this way).
Notes
- Vanilla Extract : To up the almond flavor try using almond extract or use half vanilla extract + half almond extract (1 teaspoon of each, or do less almond and more vanilla). Lots of different ways to do it if you wanted to.
- All-Purpose Flour : I use unbleached all-purpose flour. You can use a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour option, but make sure you increase the butter by 2 tablespoons if using gluten-free flour. So use 1 cup butter + 2 tablespoons butter.
- Salt : I prefer using sea salt or kosher salt, but sea salt is preferred because of its finer texture and size.
- Pecans : I chop the pecans up very finely as I think that gives the best texture. You don’t really want larger chunks of pecans in these delicate cookies, or if you prefer the larger pieces of pecans then roughly chop the pecans; it just depends on preference.
Nutrition
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