If you're looking for a classic holiday cookie that melts in your mouth, Pecan Snowballs are it. Buttery, nutty, and coated in powdered sugar, these are the cookies I look forward to every Christmas!
Even though we don't often get a white Christmas here in East Texas, these pecan snowball cookies (also known as Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes) always bring that festive, snowy touch to my holiday cookie tray.
This season, I'm sharing my favorite holiday cookies with you, and these snowball cookies are the perfect place to start. They're easy to make and guaranteed to disappear quickly from your cookie platter.
Table of contents
You might also like my Chocolate Snowball Cookies!
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How to Make Pecan Snowballs
The key to making these Pecan Snowballs truly special is toasting the pecans. While this step is optional, toasting the nuts before adding them to the dough intensifies their flavor and elevates the cookies.
How to toast pecans
To toast pecans, simply spread them out evenly on a baking sheet and bake them at 350°F for 6-8 minutes, or until you start to smell their nutty aroma.
After removing them from the oven, transfer the pecans to a cutting board to cool quickly and stop them from cooking further.
How to make the cookie dough
This is a really simple cookie dough that comes together in minutes. The most important step to this recipe is making sure the butter is at room temperature before beginning.
- Cream together butter, sugar and salt. Cream until the butter is light and fluffy, this should take a few minutes.
- Mix in the flour, pecans and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated. This will take a few seconds. At first the dough will look crumbly but keep mixing, soon it will come together into a soft dough.
- Scoop the cookie dough out with a .5-ounce portion scoop, or by heaping tablespoon, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until lightly golden on the bottom.
Roll in powdered sugar
Once the cookies are baked, allow them to cool just enough to handle, then roll them in powdered sugar. Doing this while the cookies are still warm helps the sugar adhere, creating a thin, icing-like layer.
After the cookies have cooled completely, roll them in powdered sugar again to give them a fuller coating for that signature snowy look.
See the difference below. The second coating really makes a difference.
Whether you call them Pecan Snowballs, Mexican Wedding Cookies, or Russian Tea Cakes, one thing's for sure, they are a holiday must have! I hope they bring as much joy to your home as they do mine.
-Sky🩷
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📖 Recipe
Pecan Snowballs
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar for the dough
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup toasted pecans finely chopped
- 1 cup powdered sugar to coat the cookies
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350° F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream together butter, ½ cup of powdered sugar and salt. Cream until the butter is light and fluffy, this should take a few minutes.
- Mix in the flour, pecans and vanilla. Mix until fully incorporated. The mixture will start off crumbly, keep mixing and it will come together.
- Scoop the cookie dough out with a .5-ounce portion scoop, or a heaping tablespoon, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes, or just enough to handle, roll each cookie in the 1 cup of powdered sugar and place on a cooling rack.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll them a second time in the powdered sugar. Enjoy!
Notes
- Rolling the cookies in powdered sugar while still warm creates a thin, icing like coating around the cookie. A second roll after they've completely cooled gives them their classic snowball look.
Variations
- Use different nuts. Any nut can be used in this recipe. I love snowball cookies with almonds in them. Pistachio snowballs are a favorite as well.
- Drizzle uncovered cookies with melted chocolate or even dip them.
- Add mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough.
- Zest from various citrus fruits can be added to the cookie dough
Carla says
Love, love, love this recipe!
Becky S. says
These are so buttery and soft. The toasted pecans really stand out. Great recipe!