Perfect Pecan Snowball Cookies

Pecan snowball cookies are melt-in-your-mouth delicious and add a festive flair to Christmas cookie trays. If you haven’t made them before, they are super simple. I have read dozens of pecan snowball cookie recipes and have garnered a few tips.

Pecan snowball cookies are made with finely chopped pecans. Toasting the nuts before chopping them is a must. While some recipes may not recommend this process, toasting the pecans enhances their sweet, buttery flavor. Once incorporated into the batter, toasted pecans yield a better finished cookie. It is not important to have all the nuts the same size. A few larger pieces will give the cookies a bit of crunch.

While not all recipes suggest this step, I have found it is important to chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before forming it into balls. Chilling the dough firms up the butter and helps the cookies hold their round shape while they bake. You can make the dough ahead and chill it for up to three days. If you do this, bring the dough to room temperature before forming it into balls and baking it.

Some recipes use granulated sugar in the dough and roll the cookies in confectioners’ sugar. Using confectioners’ sugar in the dough gives the cookies a more delicate, shortbread-like texture.

Snowball cookies are best when rolled in confectioners’ sugar twice. After the cookies come out of the oven and are still quite warm but cool enough to handle, they are rolled in confectioners’ sugar. This melts the sugar to the cookie forming an icing-like coating. Once the cookies are completely cooled, rolling them a second time gives them their “snowy” appearance.

For a festive presentation, mound the balls into the shape of a Christmas tree.

Pecan Snowball Cookies

Makes about 36 cookies

1 cup toasted and finely chopped pecans (You will need to toast about 1 ¼ cups of nuts to

yield 1 cup. Directions for toasting and chopping follow.)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

¾ cup confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

For coating: 1 cup powdered sugar, or more for rolling

To toast nuts: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place parchment paper on a rimmed baking sheet. Place pecan halves on the baking sheet in a single layer so that they don’t overlap. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, tossing halfway through, until pecans are fragrant and a darker shade of brown. Watch closely as nuts can burn quickly. Cool nuts completely before chopping.

To chop nuts: Place nuts in a food processor or blender and pulse in short intervals. Overprocessing can turn nuts to butter.

In a large bowl, place butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla, and salt and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add flour ¼ to ½ cup at a time and mix on low until incorporated, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.. Add pecans and continue mixing on low until incorporated.

Form dough into a ball and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls, pressing the dough in your hands. (The dough will be crumbly so you need to press it rather than rolling it in your hands. Try to press out any cracks.)

Bake about 15 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookies is lightly golden brown but the tops are pale.

Transfer cookies to a wire rack. When cookies are cool enough to handle but still quite warm, roll in powdered sugar. Place on a wire rack.

Once cookies are completely cooled, roll in powdered sugar again.

Carol Ann

Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, and international Amazon best-selling and award-winning author of Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.

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