Pecan Snowballs

These Pecan Snowballs are a classic, melt in your mouth holiday cookie. Loaded with pecans and dusted with powdered sugar, they are certain to win over any nut lover in your life!

Pecan Snowballs

These Pecan Snowballs are those irresistible nut laden cookies that go by many names. Mexican wedding cookies, pecan crescents, etc.

My friend, Cyn, shared this marvelous recipe years ago and always shapes hers in crescents.  I renamed them after a few years of making pathetic looking boomerangs. I do much better with spheres! Thus I dubbed these Pecan Snowballs.

Tips for Making Classic Snowball Cookies

• Make sure your butter is at room temperature so you don’t struggle with mixing.
• Use a cookie scoop for consistent sized cookies.
• PRO-Tip: Refrigerating your dough for 30-60 minutes will help you roll the dough into better shaped balls. The bits of nuts can make this a challenge.

• Feel free to use this recipe to make a crescent shaped cookie which is another common alternative.
• Toast your nuts to bring out the flavor. Watch carefully as they can burn quickly. I either cook on a sheet pan at 350º for about 5 minutes or toast them in a dry saute pan, stirring or shaking the pan every minute or so, for the same amount of time.

Tips for Making a Cookie Tray

• When deciding what cookies and candies to make for the holidays, a balance of varieties is a must. Fudge for the chocoholics, ginger cookies for the spice lovers, homemade caramels for the caramel fans. I also include butterscotch cookies, English toffee, peanut blossoms.
• I make these pecan snowballs for the nut lovers. Chock full of pecans, these gems will become a favorite treat at Christmas!! P.S. You’ll probably need a double batch.
• PRO-Tip: Make sure to wrap each kind of cookie separately. You don’t want these pecan snowballs to taste like gingersnaps after placing them next to each other on a platter or a tray to give away!

More Nutty Cookies You’ll Love:

• Double Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies from Crazy for Crust
• Loaded Cowboy Cookies
• Butter Pecan Cookies from The Food Charlatan
• White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
• Maple Walnut Shortbread Cookies from The View from Great Island

You Might Need:

• KitchenAid Mixer
•  Baking Sheets
• Parchment Paper

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Pecan Snowballs

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★★★★★

5 from 13 reviews

A cookie known by many names. I love making these for the holidays! Recipe from my friend, Cyn.

• Author: Liz Berg
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 18 mins
• Total Time: 38 minutes
• Yield: 36 1x
• Category: Dessert, Cookies, Holiday
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped pecans
• 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling cookies

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Cream butter, then add sugar, vanilla and water. Mix again. Stir flour and salt into mixture. Add pecans and mix thoroughly.
3. Form tablespoon sized balls of dough into balls. Bake for about 18 minutes or till lightly browned. Roll in powdered sugar while warm.

Notes

Feel free to roast your pecans before chopping to bring out their nuttiness even more!

Miss Lambeau scoping out the scene. She is always available to lick up any spills and sample any non-chocolate cookies! Pecan Snowballs are fair game.