These are hands-down the most perfect snowball cookies! This snowball cookie recipe is a melt-in-your-mouth cookie with a buttery texture and crunch from the pecans. They are super flavorful and moist and topped with powdered sugar.
I love holiday baking and making all the Christmas cookies! These snowball cookies are are buttery cookies, with pecans, and coated in powdered sugar. They are the most charming Christmas cookie and perfect for the holidays.
- These cookies are super simple to make.
- They’re not dry! I’ve had plenty of dry snowball cookies at bakeries, and it’s such a disappointment. These do not have a hard texture.
- These cookies are soft and melt in your mouth!
- They’re perfect for a holiday party, Christmas brunch, or a cookie swap.
- This snowball cookie recipe is made with pecans which make them extra flavorful. If you love pecans, check out our brown butter rum pecan pie recipe!
What Are Snowball Cookies?
They’re beloved across the globe, with slight variations depending on the region and mood. But wherever you go, these white shortbread confections look fabulous and very on-theme at weddings and wintry Christmas celebrations.
They are also melt-in-the-mouth and super simple to make and send to loved ones.
Snowball Cookie Ingredients
Butter: Use unsalted butter at room temperature for a rich and creamy base. It provides the cookies with a tender texture and a deliciously buttery flavor, enhancing the overall richness of the cookies.
All-Purpose Flour: This versatile flour is the foundation of the cookie dough, contributing to its structure and softness. The flour blends seamlessly with the other ingredients, allowing for a delicate crumb.
Pecans: Finely chopped pecans add a delightful crunch and a nutty flavor that complements the sweetness of the cookies. They contribute to the overall texture and provide a warm, earthy note.
Powdered Sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, this finely ground sugar gives the cookies their signature sweetness and a melt-in-your-mouth texture. It’s also used for dusting the finished cookies, creating a beautiful snowy appearance.
Salt: A pinch of salt balances the sweetness of the powdered sugar and enhances the flavors of the other ingredients. It brings out the richness of the butter and adds depth to the overall taste.
How to Make Snowball Cookies
In an electric mixer, cream butter and powdered sugar.
Add in the vanilla and continue mixing.
Add the flour and salt and mix on low.
Next, add in the chopped pecans and mix on low just until combined.
Make 1 1/4″ cookie balls.
Place the cookie balls on a prepared baking sheet.
Roll the cookies in powdered sugar.
How to Store Snowball Pecan Cookies
Store in a cool, dry part of your kitchen, and these cookies should last up to a week in an airtight container.
How to Freeze Snowball Pecan Cookies
As their name suggests, snowball cookies do great frozen. You can freeze baked or unbaked cookies, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the two.
Lay a zip-top bag down and place the cookies in the bag without letting them touch. Gently transfer to a container before freezing. The day before you’re ready to eat them, thaw and either bake or refresh with powdered sugar.
Why Are My Snowball Cookies Dry?
Dry snowball cookies are usually the result of over baking. You can also get dry cookies if you’re not precisely measuring your ingredients.
Pecans or Walnuts?
You can’t go wrong with pecans, but you also have leeway with this. Walnuts are a good option (if a bit bitter), as are cashews, hazelnuts, and macadamias. You could even use pine nuts if you’d like. If you go the almond route, some almond extract can give your snowball cookie an unconventional but decadent taste. Toast the nuts before doing one of the following:
- Chopping them into teeny tiny pieces
- Popping them in a food processor without completely pulverizing them
- Placing them in a plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin
What to Serve with Snowball Cookies
Try these cookies with some of our favorite holiday drink recipes!
They would also look adorable as an extra treat on a hot cocoa bar.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
Try some of our beloved, tried, and true cookie recipes below. They’re all delicious, festive, and amazing for the holidays.
- Mini Gingerbread Houses
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Pistachio Wreath Cookies
- Charming Gingerbread Cookies
- Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Classic Peanut Butter Cookies
- The Best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Chocolate Cherry Chunk Cookies
- My Favorite Chocolate Cherry Cookies
- The Best Thumb Print Cookies
Let me know if you make this snowball cookie recipe by leaving a comment and review below! Also, check out more of our delicious desserts.
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Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temp.
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- In an electric mixer, cream butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar .
- Add in the vanilla and continue mixing.
- Add the flour and salt and mix on low.
- Add in the chopped pecans and mix on low just until combined.
- Make 1 1/4" cookie balls.
- Place the cookie balls on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake in a preheated 400-degree oven for 10 minutes.
- Pour 1/2 cup powdered sugar into a bowl.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, give them a minute to cool, then roll each cookie into the powdered sugar to coat the entire cookie.
- You can also sift more sugar over the cookies.
