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    Home » Desserts » Easy Pecan Snowball Cookies Recipe

    Easy Pecan Snowball Cookies Recipe

    Published: Dec 18, 2019 · Modified: Jan 13, 2020 by Andrea Howe · This post may contain affiliate links.

    54 shares
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    I owe my friend Ali credit for the recipe for these pecan snowball cookies, as it’s one she shared years ago at a cookie exchange party. I’ve always loved Christmas snowball cookies, and even tried making a few versions myself, but it wasn’t until she shared this recipe that I became a devotee. Besides being ridiculously simple and fool proof to make, they are the perfect blend of savory and sweet. Rich and buttery, with almost a hint of saltiness, offset by the powdered sugar dusting, they are the perfect little cookie to eat and to gift.pecan snowball Christmas cookies

    What’s In Pecan Snowball Cookies?

    There’s only 7 ingredients in these tasty little nougats; 1 cup of salted or unsalted butter (if using salted butter omit the salt), ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract, ½ tsp salt, 2 cups flour, 1.5 cups chopped pecans, and lastly, powdered sugar for dusting. These cookies don’t call for baking soda or powder, so even if you’re not a regular baker who always has fresh baking staples on hand, you can likely make a batch with what you’ve got on hand. What’s worse than wanting to make a batch of cookies, but realizing you don’t have all you need?

    pecan snowball Christmas cookies

    How to Make Pecan Snowball Cookies

    You’ll want to start by getting out your butter and bringing it to room temperature.

    Next, preheat your oven to 350 and get out your stand mixer or a medium sized bowl and hand mixer. My Sunbeam Hand Mixer is going strong 20 years later, and is the perfect tool for easy recipes like this).

    Cream the butter and sugar together on low speed until smooth, then mix in your vanilla.

    At low speed, gradually beat in the flour, about ½ cup at a time, as well as the salt. The mix will likely look very crumbly, but that’s okay. You will be forming the dough together by pressing it into bowls, so no worries if it feels too dry.

    Stir in your pecans with a spatula until well combined, and start forming your pecan snowballs.

    I typically get a generous tablespoonful of dough and form them into large balls, about 1 inch in diameter. You can make them a little more petite if you’d like, but I wouldn’t go much larger than 1-1.5 inches. Make them too big and they may get dried out when baking.

    Place your prepared snowballs on a lightly greased or lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Oven type, baking elevation, as well as how small or large you make the cookies, means cooking times may vary from batch to batch. I always check on them starting at 15 minutes and go from there. I like them to turn out a pale golden color.

    Once you’ve let the cookies cool a bit, go ahead and roll them in powdered sugar and hope they last a day in your presence!

    pecan snowball Christmas cookies

    How to Store Pecan Snowball Cookies

    Place cooled and dusted cookies in a covered, dry container for up to a week, You can also freeze in an airtight bag for up to 6 months. As long as the cookies are completely cooled, you can stack them on top of each other. If you stack them before cooled down though, the powdered sugar may stick to each other.

    pecan snowball Christmas cookies

    Can You Use Other Nuts Besides Pecans?

    I’m personally a huge pecan fan, so pecans will always be my default. BUT! I have made them with other nuts if I am in a pinch. Walnuts and almonds both work really well, and I’m imagining hazelnuts would be divine! Gotta try that next time. You can even mix nuts if you have partial amounts of a couple of varieties. For instance this batch I photographed are a mix of 1 cup pecans, and ½ cup walnuts! I was all set to make a batch and shoot them, only realizing when I went to gather my ingredients that I had just 1 cup of pecans. No problem though, they wound up tasting just as delicious!

    pecan snowball Christmas cookies

    Tips for Making Pecan Snowball Cookies

    Don’t have time to wait an hour for your butter to soften up? Fill a glass tall enough to hold your sticks of butter, with boiling water, allowing it to sit for a minute to warm up the glass, then pour out the water. Set your sticks in the warm glass and let them sit for 10 minutes or so, and voila, softened butter!

    Also, allow your cookies enough time to cool down before rolling them in powdered sugar. If you roll them too soon, the powdered sugar may melt a little and almost become a very light, frosting like consistency. This has happened to my cookies many times, especially when I’m in a hurry to get a batch done, but they still taste delicious! Just don’t be surprised if the consistency of the powdered sugar changes slightly if you coat them while still warm.

    Try These Other Dessert Recipes for Christmas

    Warm Chai Bundt Cake with Apple & Almond Compote 

    Easy Blackberry Crumble Cake – Also known as Buckle Cake

    Chewy Chocolate Snickerdoodles

    Easy Hot Cocoa Cookies

    Ritz Cracker Christmas Cookies

    Classic Christmas Spritz Cookies

    pecan snowball Christmas cookies

    Easy Pecan Snowball Cookies Recipe

    The Easiest & Most Delicious Pecan Snowball Cookies Recipe! Rich & buttery, with just a hint of sweetness - these are the perfect Christmas cookie!
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 25 minutes
    Servings: 24 cookies
    Author:Andrea

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup unsalted butter
    • ½ cup sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ¼ cup chopped pecans
    • powdered sugar for rolling
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    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 350 and lightly grease cookie sheets.
    • Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar at low speed until smooth, then mix in the vanilla.
    • Gradually, ½ cup at a time, mix in the salt and flour at low speed.
    • Stir in the pecans with a rubber spatula until combined.
    • Roll out dough into 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet about 2"-3" apart.
    • Bake for 15-20 minutes, until cookies are a pale golden brown.
    • Allow to cool and roll in powdered sugar.
    • Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 6 months.

    Notes

    Don't have time to wait an hour for your butter to soften up? Fill a glass tall enough to hold your sticks of butter, with boiling water, allowing it to sit for a minute to warm up the glass, then pour out the water. Set your sticks in the warm glass and let them sit for 10 minutes or so, and voila, softened butter!
    Also, allow your cookies enough time to cool down before rolling them in powdered sugar. If you roll them too soon, the powdered sugar may melt a little and almost become a very light, frosting like consistency.
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Howe.We.Live or tag #HoweWeLiveRecipes!
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    About Andrea Howe

    Andrea Howe is the recipe developer and photographer of Howe We Live. She is also a seasoned home cook of over 20 years, for her family of 5. Andrea has spent over 10 years in the food industry, writing for various publications including Babble and Disney. Her work has appeared in Real Simple, Taste of Home, Yahoo, Buzzfeed and ABC News.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Emily Bruno says

      January 10, 2020 at 8:51 am

      5 stars
      So buttery and delicious!

      Reply
    2. Karyn says

      December 21, 2019 at 5:06 pm

      Can’t wait to make them! I know the 16 hours and 34 minute cook time can’t be right though 😉

      Reply
      • Andrea Howe says

        December 27, 2019 at 9:00 am

        that’s strange! I think there was a glitch when I switched over to a new recipe card template. Should be fixed now 🙂 Thank you!

        Reply
    3. Lauren Nagel says

      December 18, 2019 at 8:24 pm

      5 stars
      Such a classic cookie for the holidays! Perfect for our dessert table, yum!

      Reply
    4. Susie says

      December 18, 2019 at 4:49 pm

      5 stars
      We had something similar to this growing up but I never got the recipe. I am so excited to make these again!

      Reply
    5. Tawnie K Kroll says

      December 18, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      5 stars
      Dying to make these for Christmas! Thank you!!!

      Reply
      • Andrea Howe says

        December 18, 2019 at 1:04 pm

        You will LOVE them!!!

        Reply
    6. Lauren Grant says

      December 18, 2019 at 12:04 pm

      5 stars
      Oh these are so festive! I am going to make these for Christmas!

      Reply
      • Andrea Howe says

        December 18, 2019 at 1:04 pm

        Yes, it’s not Christmas until I make these 🙂

        Reply

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    Welcome to Howe We Live. I’m Andrea, a passionate home cook and mother of 3. I’ve been cooking and writing about healthy eating for almost a decade, and my number one goal here is to help you develop the tools needed to throw together a great meal at home that is both delicious, and healthy-ish. All eaters are welcome here! Read More

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