Description
These melt-in-your-mouth snowball cookies are a holiday classic! They’re tasty and super festive-looking, and so amazingly simple to make.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar (powdered sugar) plus 1/2 cup more for coating cookies
- Pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add pecans to a sheet pan and toast (stirring occasionally) until the nuts are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before finely chopping them. You can also use a food processor. You want very small pieces but not an oily paste or powder!
- While the nuts are roasting, add the butter, salt, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat using a paddle or whisk attachment at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. You can also use a hand mixer. Scrape down the bowl as needed.
- Gradually add in the pecans and mix until blended. Then slowly add in the flour and mix until combined. The dough will be dry and crumbly and just hold together.
- Cool the dough for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before making the cookie balls. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. Set aside.
- When ready, scoop 1 tablespoon of cookie dough per cookie and roll into a ball. Place the balls onto the lined baking sheets, about 1 1/2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies until the bottom edges and top are just starting to brown, about 12-15 minutes.
- While the cookies are baking, add the remaining 1/2 cup of confectioners’ sugar to a bowl or plate.
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes and then roll them in the sugar, coating them completely. Place the cookies on wire racks to finish cooling. Once the cookies are completely cooled, you can roll in confectioners’ sugar one more time to ensure the sugar really sticks (optional).
Notes
Don’t Have or Like Pecans? You can sub in toasted walnuts or almonds for the pecans.
Add Sprinkles (Optional): Add some holiday sprinkles to the dough to make them even more festive! I recommend mixing in about 1/2 cup of your favorite ones. Just don’t use nonpareils (those little balls) since they tend to bleed their color in cookie dough.
Make-Ahead and Storage: These cookies stay fresh covered at room temperature for up to 1 week. And they also freeze well (for up to three months). You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough for up to three months. Just thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then allow the dough to come to room temperature before baking.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes (including cooling)
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Bake
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 99
- Sugar: 1.8 g
- Sodium: 65.5 mg
- Fat: 7.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.4 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 13.5 mg