Pecan Snowball Cookies

5 from 1 vote

These sweet, crunchy, and buttery pecan snowball cookies are a festive and delicious way to decorate your dessert table this holiday season!

Prep Time17

Cook Time13

Resting time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: cookies

Calories: 171kcal

With an electric hand mixer cream room temperature butter with the powdered sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy, then whip in the vanilla.
Sift in the flour and salt mixture and fold with the help of a Rubber spatula just until combined. Do not overmix.
Finally, add in toasted chopped pecans and fold just until combined.
Prepare 2 baking pans with parchment paper.
Using a smaller ice cream scooper (approx. 1 tablespoon), scoop the dough into approx. 20 balls. Place the balls on the prepared sheets, leaving approx. 2 inches in between them.
Chill the dough for a minimum of 1 hour so it won´t spread in the oven but stay in the shape of the ball. Once the dough is chilled, quickly (without melting the dough) roll it between your hands to make it perfectly round, if desired.
Pre-heat the oven to 175 C / 347 °F (no fan). Once the dough is chilled, bake the cookies for about 13 minutes. Pay attention to the bottom and top, the cookies are ready when the bottom is baked and the top is still nice and pale.
Place powdered sugar into a bowl.
Let the cookies rest for a few minutes, then very carefully coat them in the powdered sugar one by one while the cookies are still warm.
Let them come to room temperature then coat them once again in the powdered sugar.
Store the pecan snowball cookies at room temperature for up to a week in air tight jar or container.

INGREDIENT NOTES:

Measure your ingredients with a digital scale for accuracy.
Use room temperature ingredients (e.g. butter) and sift the dry ingredients (e.g. powdered sugar and flour).
Toast the pecans for a few minutes in a saucepan or in the oven - this will bring its flavor out.

TECHNIQUE NOTES:

Make sure you read my Expert tips section above to maximize your success. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details and science behind baking.
If the dough feels too moist before scooping, place it into the fridge for 15 minutes for the butter to solidify
Do not skip the chilling time or the snowball cookies might turn out like snowball pancakes
Try not to overbake your cookies, they should stay nice and pale. Consider using an oven thermometer.
The cookies will be very fragile when they are hot, but they will set as they cool. Apply the first powdered sugar coating very gently.
Depending on the size of your ice cream scooper, you may get slightly more or less cookies than stated.