Description
Pecan snowball cookies melt in your mouth with buttery, crumbly texture and a snowy sugar coat. Holiday-classic flavor in minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
Sweeteners:
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- Additional powdered sugar for coating
Seasonings:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat your oven precisely to 350F and position a rack in the center.
- Cream 1 cup softened butter with ½ cup powdered sugar until the mixture becomes completely smooth and fluffy.
- Pour in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and blend thoroughly into the butter mixture.
- Combine 2 cups flour, ¼ teaspoon salt, and 1 cup finely chopped pecans in a separate mixing bowl.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture, stirring until a consistent dough forms.
- Roll the dough into compact 1-inch spheres using your palms, placing each ball 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for exactly 14 minutes, watching for a delicate golden edge around the bottom.
- Remove the cookies and let them rest for 3-4 minutes on the baking sheet.
- While still warm, gently roll each cookie in additional powdered sugar, ensuring a complete, elegant coating.
- Transfer the sugared cookies to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Toast pecans beforehand to enhance their nutty flavor and bring out deeper, richer notes in the cookies.
- Work with cold butter straight from the refrigerator for the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- Roll cookies in powdered sugar while they’re still warm to help the sugar adhere more effectively and create a beautiful, even coating.
- For gluten-free versions, swap wheat flour with a cup-for-cup gluten-free flour blend to maintain the delicate crumb and classic snowball shape.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 12-15 minutes
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8 to 12
- Calories: 205 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 50 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 10 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 2.5 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg