Pecan Snowball Cookies
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These melt-in-your-mouth pecan snowball cookies have an irresistible moist center like a chewy shortbread cookie. It’s the perfect to bake these holidays.
I love this recipe for pecan snowball cookies. I used to find my buggy steering towards the grocery store each year for the store-bought ones. I’ve always wanted to make my own and wondered if they would be even better at home. Well, the good news is, a few years ago I FINALLY got a recipe for them from Mama! The bad news is, they taste even better than store-bought snowball cookies.
Fortunately, it takes a small list of simple ingredients to make these buttery pecan snowball cookies, like flour, sugar, vanilla extract, butter, salt, and finely chopped nuts. While I use pecans, hence the name, you can use whichever nuts you prefer. All you have to do is slowly combine the ingredients, bake the cookies, and roll them in confectioner’s sugar once cooled, so they get that snowball effect!
Trust me, the inside of these pecan snowball cookies is an absolute delight! It’s like a yummy buttery shortbread with finely chopped nuts inside.
If you’re in the market for other holiday cookies to bake this year, check out this post, which features 14 of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. Happy baking!
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Butter
- Finely chopped nuts of your choice (I chop mine in the ).
- Salt
How To Make Pecan Snowball Cookies
Place your softened butter, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl and cream it until it’s git up and go done got up and went.
Like this.
Next, add your flour to the wet ingredients.
This is where the original snowball cookie recipe said to sift the flour. Pfft. Right. I have a sifter and it sits upon a pretty little shelf in my kitchen where it collects dust. I don’t sift. It is against my personal convictions.
Just dump your flour in there. Be rebellious with me.
Pour in your vanilla extract.
The recipe calls for two teaspoons but y’all know I just kinda pour and leave it up to the good Lord how much ends up in there.
It’s called divine baking – and I just made that term up. How cool is that? Stick with me, we’ll be the cool kids, even if no one knows it but us!
Oh, you’re gonna need to scrape down the sides of your bowl some but you’ll figure that out…
Dump in your finely pecans.
Oh, now you need to mix it all up again until well combined.
Like this.
Go ahead and get you a pinch of that dough and taste it. Be sure to save some to bake though…I know it will be tempting.
It’s baking time!
I used my little cookie dough scoop and made some pretty generous-sized cookies. You can just make them with your hands and make little one-inch balls and have twice as many as I did.
However, I was in a lazy, cookie dough scoop kinda mood and when I’m in those moods I try not to deny myself the pleasure of indulging in the easy way out.
Now, bake ’em at 325 for 20 minutes, ensuring you don’t overbake them.
I made about 30 but you can easily make 50 or so instead.
After they cool, roll each in powdered sugar.
These pecan snowball cookies are absolutely, melt in your mouth, delicious.
Here is what the inside of one would look like if your teeth were actually a butter knife.
What pretty little snowballs! One bite and you’ll be making this every year from here on out!
Storage
- Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
- You can also freeze either the unbaked cookie dough or the baked cookies for up to 3 months. Once you thaw the baked snowball cookies, roll them in sugar once more.
Recipe Notes
- Make sure to use in the and not , as we want the batter to be nice and smooth.
- If you have time, you can toast the pecans in the oven for about 10 minutes before chopping them and adding them to the cookie dough. It really elevates the flavor!
- Don’t be afraid to double-roll your snowball cookies in powdered sugar so they truly resemble snowballs!
- Besides pecans, you can use walnuts, almonds, pistachios, hazelnuts, or cashews. Just ensure they’re roasted and finely chopped before adding to the cookie dough.
- If you opt for almonds, you can also add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract to the recipe to enhance the flavor. Another option is substituting the vanilla extract for lemon juice and adding 1 tablespoon of lemon zest to make almond lemon snowballs.
- Speaking of almonds… substitute the all-purpose flour for almond flour to make gluten-free snowball cookies.
- Here are more additions to add to your cookie dough when you fold in the pecans:
- 2/3 cup of sprinkles
- 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips to make chocolate snowballs.
Recipe FAQs
What are some other names for snowball cookies?
Snowball cookies are also called Mexican wedding cookies (which we have a recipe for right here), Russian tea cakes, snowdrop cookies, Southern Butterballs, Pecan Sandies, and Italian butter cookies. But no matter what you call them, they’re utterly delicious!
You may also like these other holiday cookie recipes:
Candy Cane Cookies (Elf Favorite!)
Thumbprint Cookies with Jam or Preserves
Southern Plate’s Must-Make Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups finely ground nuts of your choice I'm using pecans
- confectioner's sugar
Instructions
- Cream together the butter, sugar, and salt until fluffy. Add the flour and vanilla extract and mix well, scraping down the sides as needed. Add finely chopped pecans and mix until well incorporated.1 cup softened butter, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2 cups finely ground nuts of your choice
- Shape into one-inch balls of cookie dough (mine are bigger because I use a little cookie dough scoop) and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes, but don't let them brown.
- Cool the cookies. When cooled, roll each snowball cookie in confectioner's sugar.confectioner's sugar
Video
Nutrition
“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over….
it became a butterfly!”
Submitted by Judy Clark. Submit your quote or read others to help brighten your day by clicking here.
I have been making these same cookies for over 40 yrs. They were called butterballs back then. Make them every year as requested by my children and now their kids. I’ve always loved them cause they melt in your mouth when bitten into. I have made them into many shapes and they hold up really well. This year i’m going to make cresents,yummy!
Yummm!
Would you believe I’ve got the butter out and softening for these very cookies right now, before I even read this post. These are my hubby’s all-time favorite cookies and the only one he can’t do without in my Christmas cooky baking spree. We’ve always called them Butter Nut Snowballs but I use English walnuts instead of pecans. He prefers them plain and not dusted with sugar. I like them either way, oh and you can add a teaspoon of cocoa powder for Cocoa Nut Balls. The butter is a “have-to” with these cookies–margarine just doesn’t cut it. Actually all cookies demand butter –just makes them so much richer.
We must have been thinking alike Judy!
Now, now, Christy–You say tomato, some say tomatta; you say potato, some say potatta. I say pee-cans, always have, probably always will. That does not make me right, wrong or indifferent. Martha Stewart calls dahlias “Doll Yas” and yarbs herbs, sounding out the “h.” Let’s just all agree to disagree. Those cookies, no matter what you call them, are just downright sinful. Love your recipes, am slowly but surely working my way through them and my friends and extended family all love sampling the finished product–they can’t wait until the next offering! Keep up the good work. jp
The cookies are sinful…evil. They keep calling my name. Just one more Christy, just one more.
My mom called them pecan melts and they are my favorite cookie too. Unfortunately, I eat WAY too many of them. They freeze really well. My family loves them as well and we make them every Christmas!
Yes, I know the WAY too many part.
Pecans have done well for us this year. We picked up probably 8, five gallon buckets full of pecans. Love them. Christy, do you have any receipes for using pecans in a praline? I really enjoyed your story though! Great times!! I remember my grandmother and I making these nutty little balls, and this brought back times that I wish everyone had. Thank you so much!!
It is on my list Jessica!
Alrighty now…let me get this straight…I’m now literally wearing a roasted turkey breast, a sizeable casserole dish of your Cornbread Dressing, your Marshmallow Sweet Potatoes, butter peas, turnips, your Candied Baby Carrots, your Mama’s Corn Casserole, your Honey Punkin Cream Cheese pie, your Pecan Pie, your Holiday Fruit Salad and your Jordan Rolls….with your Cherry Cream Cheese Pie in the fridge (made yesterday waiting for my fork to cool off)….and now you want me to go back in the kitchen and make your Pecan Nougat Cookies???? Really??? I can’t believe this! Just so you’ll know, I will make this one (lies, lies, lies) exception and will waddle out to the driveway in my elastic/spandex-free “I-Have-No-Waistline” pants , take my husband’s pickup to the grocery store and buy all the additional ingredients I will need for these delectable-looking cookies. I’m all about sacrifice for the common good. You rock Christy!
I love you!!!!! Lol
My mother made these EVERY Christmas! She called them Pecan Balls. My children had orders put in for them every year. My mother just had to make them so as not to disappoint her grandchildren. I still have her hand written recipe. I don’t bake much anymore as all my children are married with their own families. One of my daughters keeps the family tradition and bakes these cookies every Christmas. It’s like my mother is with us as we gather together for the holiday.
What great memories. thank you for sharing.