Pecan snowball cookies are light, crisp, and not too sweet. A buttery, melt-in your mouth shortbread cookie with finely ground pecans rolled in powdered sugar. Also known was Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes, this pecan snowball cookie recipe is great for Christmas!
Ingredients for Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Unsalted butter: Room temperature for easy creaming.
- Powdered sugar: Adds a subtle sweetness to the cookies.
- Vanilla extract: Pure vanilla extract adds great vanilla flavor.
- Salt: A bit of salt enhances the flavor of the cookies.
- All-purpose flour: Regular all-purpose flour.
- Pecans: Finely ground or very finely chopped pecans. Use a food processor to grind the pecans.
- Powdered sugar: For rolling the cookies in after baking. Also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar.
Tools & Supplies for Making Pecan Snowball Cookies
How to Make Pecan Snowball Cookies
I love how easy these cookies are to make! I love using my electric hand mixer to make the cookies, but you can also use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Cream unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
- Add in all-purpose flour and finely ground pecans. Mix on low speed. The dough will be crumbly at first. Continue to mix until it comes together into a dough ball.
- Portion the cookie dough with a small cookie scoop and place on a cookie tray. Chill the cookie dough balls for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet pan with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Place the dough balls on your prepared baking sheet pan. Bake the cookies for approximately 12 to 14 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool for an additional ten minutes. Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar. Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Pecan Snowball Cookies Recipe Tips
Chill the cookie dough after you scoop
A trick to getting perfect snowballs is to chill the dough after you scoop the dough into balls. I recommend using a small cookie scoop for even, uniform cookies. Once you scoop, place the dough balls on a pan and chill the dough for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, place the dough balls on your prepared baking sheet pan and bake! Chilling the dough reduces spreading and creates the perfect texture.
Grinding the pecans
Use a food processor to grind the pecans. I prefer to grind the pecans very finely, but if you prefer a bit more texture, you can do a coarse grind. You could also replace the pecans with ground almonds or walnuts.
Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while slightly warm
One key to getting the powdered sugar to stick to the cookies is to roll the baked cookies in the sugar while they are still warm. Once you remove the cookies from the oven, allow them to cool on the pan for 2 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack for about 5 to 10 minutes. Gently roll the cookies, one at a time, in the powdered sugar and set on a wire rack to set and cool completely. The warmth from the cookies melts the powdered sugar slightly which allows it to stick to the cookies perfectly.
Make the cookie dough ahead of time
I love making cookie dough ahead of time, especially during the busy holiday season. Simply scoop the dough, chill the dough balls for 30 minutes, and then place the dough balls into a resealable storage bag. Store the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator for up to two weeks or in the freezer for up to one month. To use, simply remove from the refrigerator and bake! If you are baking the cookies from frozen dough, allow the dough balls to thaw for about 15 minutes before baking.
Storing the cookies
Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 or 4 days.
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Pecan Snowball Cookies
Equipment
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup ground pecans
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.
- Add in all-purpose flour and finely ground pecans. Mix on low speed until the ingredients are well combined. The dough will be crumbly at first. Continue to mix until it comes together into a dough ball. This may take a few minutes.
- Portion the cookie dough into balls with a small cookie scoop and place on a small baking pan. Chill the cookie dough balls for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet pan with silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Place the chilled cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet pan. Bake the cookies for approximately 12-14 minutes until slightly golden-brown around the edges
- Remove the baking pan from the oven. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar gently, and place on a wire baking rack to cool to room temperature.
Notes
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