Pecan Snowball Cookies are easy to make with 7 ingredients. They are buttery, nutty, and melt-in your mouth delicious. These butterball cookies are an old family recipe, and a must-make Christmas cookie!
These Snowball Cookies are an old family recipe I've been enjoying my entire life. My mom made them every Christmas, and one bite transports me back to my childhood and the eager anticipation of Christmas morning.
In my house we called these butterball cookies! They are easy to make with just 7 ingredients. They're buttery, nutty, melt-in your mouth delicious and the perfect Christmas cookie.
Snowball Cookies: Ingredients & Substitutions
Let's chat about the ingredients in this snowball cookie recipe, as well as possible substitutions.
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted, no problems.
- Powdered sugar. I do not recommend making substitutions for powdered sugar. You can make your own if you don't have any.
- All-purpose flour. I recommend unbleached, all-purpose flour for the best results.
- Fine sea salt. Regular, iodized table salt can be substituted.
- Pecans. You can substitute walnuts or almonds for the pecans. You can also leave them out and increase the flour by ¼ cup, if desired.
How to make Snowball Cookies
This pecan snowball cookies recipe is easy to make in a standing mixer or with a hand-held mixer. Check out the step-by-step instructions below and don't forget to watch the video.
Combine dry ingredients
In a small bowl, combine flour and sea salt, set aside.
Beat together butter, sugar & vanilla
In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat butter until fluffy (about 1 minute). Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute.
Combine dry ingredients & pecans
Add flour/salt mixture and beat on low speed, then increasing to medium-high until the mixture consists of large, coarse crumbs. Then, add pecans and stir until evenly distributed.
Chill
Transfer the snowball cookie dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Portion & Roll
When you're ready to bake the pecan snowball cookies, preheat the oven and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the snowball cookie dough from the refrigerator and use a measuring spoon to measure out 1 tablespoon portions of dough. Roll each portion of dough into a ball and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake
Bake the rolled butterball cookies in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden-brown and tops are set. The dough should not spread, it should remain a ball shape.
Cool
Remove the baked snowball cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, transfer the snowball cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool for 15 additional minutes.
Coat in powdered sugar
After 15 minutes, place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and coat each cookie in powdered sugar while they are still very slightly warm, then return them to the cooling rack to cool completely, then enjoy! I do like to sneak one when they're slightly warm.
To store:
Store these snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
How to freeze snowball cookies
You can freeze baked pecan snowball cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month. You can also freeze the dough balls and bake them fresh (preferred).
FAQs
These snowball cookies should not flatten. If they do it's likely the dough wasn't chilled long enough and the ingredients were too warm to begin with so they spread. It's also possible you accidentally measured the ingredients incorrectly!
Absolutely, this recipe doubles very well. You can click on the "2X" button in the recipe card for ingredient measurements of a double recipe.
They last for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Make sure to roll the snowball cookies in powdered sugar after they have cooled slightly but are still warm. The warmth from the cookie helps bind the powder sugar to the outside.
Yes, it is called confectioner's sugar, powdered sugar and icing sugar and it's all the same product.
If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don't forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube - be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can your creations!
Pecan Snowball Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- ½ cup pecans finely diced
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine flour and sea salt, set aside.
- In the bowl of a standing mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, beat butter until fluffy (about 1 minute).
- Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and beat for 1 minute.
- Add flour/salt mixture and beat on low speed, then increasing to medium-high until the mixture consists of large, coarse crumbs (about 60 seconds).
- Add pecans and stir until evenly distributed.
- Transfer dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Remove dough from the refrigerator and use a 1 TBS measuring spoon to measure out 1 TBS portions of dough.
- Roll each portion of dough into a ball and place them evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10-13 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned and tops are set. The dough should not spread, it should remain a ball shape.
- Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes.
- Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool for 15 additional minutes.
- After 10 minutes, place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and coat each cookie in powdered sugar while they are slightly warm, then return them to the cooling rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Ingredient Substitutions:
- Salted butter. Unsalted butter can be used in place of salted butter.
- Powdered sugar. I do not recommend making substitutions for powdered sugar.
- All-purpose flour. I recommend unbleached, all-purpose flour for the best results.
- Fine sea salt. Regular, iodized table salt can be substituted.
- Pecans. You can substitute walnuts or almonds for the pecans. You can also leave them out and increase the flour by ¼ cup, if desired.
Store
Store these snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.Freeze
You can freeze baked pecan snowball cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 month. You can also freeze the dough balls and bake them fresh (preferred).Nutrition
More Christmas Recipes
If you're looking for more delicious Christmas treats, check out these Christmas recipes:
- Check out our roundup of all of our favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes!
- Cozy up with a mug of this peppermint hot chocolate and one of these pecan snowball cookies for the perfect Christmas treat!
- Make this Reindeer Food (Christmas Puppy Chow) for a delicious & festive treat.
- We take our cookies seriously around here, some of our favorite Christmas cookie recipes would make a great addition, alongside these peppermint brownies, to any cookie tray. Peanut butter blossoms, Cut Out Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Soft Gingerbread Cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, and the best No-Bake Cookies.
- You have to try these Peppermint Brownies!
- Looking for an easy bar recipe? These No-bake chocolate peanut butter oatmeal bars and these no bake chocolate peanut butter bars (think peanut butter cups in bar form) are some of my all-time favorite easy Christmas treats. Also these chocolate chip cookie bars are so good.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale. Thank you for supporting JoyFoodSunshine!
Roseann
Hi Laura,
I'd like to add some Malt Powder to the Pecan Snowball Recipe. How much do you recommend? Thank you!.