The Best Pecan Snowball Cookies Recipe! These buttery pecan snowballs are the perfect holiday dessert. Easy to make and so delicious!
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Fill up your cookie tins this holiday season with these Pecan Snowball Cookies! They take very few ingredients, are quick to toss together, melt in your mouth, and are loved by all.
I have heard these cookies go by many names. Mexican Wedding Cookies, Snowballs, Snowball Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes etc - but one thing is for sure, regardless of what you call them - they're delicious!
These buttery pecan snowball cookies are perfect for cookie trays or candy/cookie gifts. They’re easy to make in bulk for pretty much any occasion.
This is a Christmas cookie recipe I loved to make with my family. An awesome cookie recipe to make with the kids, though you might find yourself covered in excess powdered sugar.
In the Christmas cookie mood, check out more Christmas cookie recipes like these Easy Butterscotch Haystack Cookies or tasty Easy Snickerdoodle Cookies, you won't be disappointed.
why we love these cookies
- Delicious: Some of the best recipes are simple and still taste yummy. The buttery shortbread and crunchy pecans make these Christmas cookies a family favorite. They will just melt in your mouth!
- Cheap: With grocery store costs on the rise, this is a delicious, budget-friendly dessert!
- Easy: This easy snowball cookie recipe is a breeze to put together, you'll be snacking in no time!
Pecan Snowball Cookies Ingredients
To make these cookies you'll need:
- Unsalted butter
- Powdered sugar
- Salt
- All purpose flour
- Finely chopped pecans
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar or Confectioners sugar
How to Make Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Mix butter and confectioners sugar until creamy.
- Add salt and vanilla extract, flour, and finely chopped nuts. Mix WELL.
- Chill dough until firm enough to handle.
- Preheat the oven.
- Roll dough into 2 tablespoon/1 inch balls. Place on parchment-covered baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
- While the shortbread cookies are still warm to the touch, gently roll in confectioners sugar.
How to Store Pecan Snowballs:
Storing: Store cookies in a sealed container in the pantry for up to 3 days. Store in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 1 week.
Can you freeze snowball cookies? : Store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 2 months. We don't recommend freezing cookie dough before it's been baked.
Substitutions for this Pecan Snowballs Recipe:
Butter: Butter is essential to this recipe. We haven't tried it with dairy free butter but it might work!
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar is essential to this recipe as well, this yummy cookie wouldn't be a snowball cookie without it. Powdered sugar and confectioners sugar are the same thing!
Salt: Helps to add and balance flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
All Purpose Flour: We don't recommend substituting the flour, but you can check out this article on Cake Flour vs. All-Purpose Flour or Substitutions for All-Purpose Flour
Chopped Pecans: You can use walnuts in place of pecans but I don't recommend swapping out other nuts. Some nuts contain too much oil and may ruin your cookies. Make sure you use finely chopped nuts. I haven't tried using toasted pecans but I think it would work!
Pure Vanilla Extract: Helps to add flavor, we don't recommend substituting.
Pecan Snowball Cookies Recipe Tips & Variations
- Double dip - I like to coat the snowballs in powdered sugar when they’re just barely warm. I then let them sit a bit so the powdered sugar gets tacky. I dip them through the powdered sugar a second time for extra nice coverage.
- Use other nuts - You don’t have to use pecans, even though that’s the traditional ingredient for this classic recipe. You can switch and use walnuts if you prefer.
- Serve with Coffee or Tea - They're not called Russian tea cakes for nothing. Dip them in hot tea or coffee. So melt in your mouth good!
Pecan Snowball Recipe FAQs
Yes, these cookies can definitely be frozen. However, I do not suggest reheating them afterward or they get sticky from the powdered sugar melting. They also will be a little bit more fragile than before they were frozen. So, keep this in mind when storing them and the event you might be using them for.
It's likely that your Mexican wedding cookies are falling apart because of a lack of moisture in the cookie dough mixture. It may be necessary to use a teaspoon or two more butter. Snowball cookies are crumbly cookies in general, but they should still maintain their shape. They should still be light and fluffy.
Mexican wedding cookies usually flatten just a bit in the baking process. However, if they flattened a lot, then your dough wasn’t cool enough when beginning. You possibly used too much butter and sugar as well. It’s ok for the bottoms of them to flatten just a smidge, but they shouldn’t flatten out too much. Be sure to cool your dough plenty before fashioning the balls and stick to the recipe.
More Cookie Recipes You’re Sure To Love:
- Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Hot Cocoa Cookies
- Banana Bread Cookies
- Pumpkin Cookies
Best Pecan Snowball Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ cup chopped pecans
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sugar For Rolling:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Mix butter and powdered sugar until creamy.
- Add salt and vanilla extract, flour, and nuts. Mix WELL.
- Chill dough until firm enough to handle.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
- Roll dough into 2 tablespoon/1 inch balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown.
- While cookies are still warm to the touch, roll in powdered sugar
Jeannette
What an incredibe recipe! Love how they're so bite-sized and yes to store-bought pecans 😀 Time saving tips are the best!
Dannii
How cute are these! Perfect for Christmas time.
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry
These are the perfect cookies for the festive season. So delicious and I love that you don't need too many ingredients!
Danielle Wolter
These are one of my favorite holiday cookies! So buttery and delicious 🙂
Christine
Delicious and easy to make. Highly recommend
Michelle
Made these with Blue Bonnet plant based butter and walnuts, they turned out perfect!!
Edie
Delicious and fun to make. I make a lot at Christmas time for me and my couple friends.