Christmas is my favorite time of year for lots of reasons, but especially because of all the holiday cooking and baking. It’s easy to get overwhelmed though, so I always opt for things that are easy and can produce quite a few servings per batch.
These Pecan Snowball Cookies are perfect for that because they are super easy, only call for 6 ingredients, and each batch makes about 48 cookies. They are great for holiday cookies swaps or packaging up a bunch to share the holiday spirit with neighbors and friends.
So let’s get started here and at least hit the high points. Let’s talk about these pecans for a second. These ain’t your standard chopped pecans. See how fine these are. It’s really important to the texture of the cookie that these be finely chopped. I like to use a handheld nut chopper like the one below.
So after we combine our butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, White Lily flour, and pecans, you’ll see your dough is going to be pretty thick, but that the way it’s supposed to be. You want the cookies to roll into a ball nicely and hold their shape while baking.
As you’re scooping these babies out, you want to get them as uniform as possible so they all bake evenly. The best way to do that is to use a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop (also called a #60 scoop). This one is from Pampered Chef, but you can find them at any kitchen store or even big box stores – just make sure it’s a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop for this recipe.
So, we’re going to roll the dough into balls. Using your hands is messy, but it’s the best way to get the job done. Plus it’s not super messy, being that the dough is pretty firm. We’re going to get super messy when we coat these babies in powdered sugar. No, I’m just kidding… kind of.
Bake for about 15 minutes. You’ll see that they have just ever so slightly started browning and started to crack a little on the tops. No worries though, those cracks usually disappear when the cookies cool.
Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then GENTLY roll them in powdered sugar. Trust me when I say gently. Because they are still warm, they can crumble easily.
After they have cooled completely, coat them in powdered sugar again. The second coating will stick a bit better because the first coating will be kinda sticky.
See, there you go! Pecan Snowball Cookies! Now, make sure you hide some of these is a secret place because once your family tries them, they WILL disappear fast!
Recipe Card
Pecan Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, plus more for coating
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups White Lily all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° F and line a cookie sheet with parchment or silicone baking mat.
- In a large bowl, (or in the bowl of your stand mixer) cream your butter and sugar together. Add the vanilla and salt and mix well. Slowly add the flour, mixing well after each addition. A thick dough will form. Add the chopped pecans and mix well.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of the dough out and roll it into a ball and place it on the cookie sheet. I like using a 1 tablespoon cookie dough scoop to get them all the same size. Continue until all the dough has been formed into balls. Place them on the cookie sheet about 1 inch part. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool for about 5 minutes then gently roll them in powdered sugar while still warm. Allow them to cool completely and then coat them in powdered sugar again.
