Snowball Cookies are rich, buttery cookies that are full of chopped pecans and twice rolled in sugar for a powdery coating.
Snowball Cookies, also known as Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies (among others), are a classic holiday cookie. But, they are easy enough to make when you are craving a nutty treat. And, they look like little snowballs, which works for me since we get a lot of snow here!
Cookie Ingredients
There are few ingredients in this recipe, so you probably have most of them on hand. Make sure you use room temperature butter and finely chopped pecans. You can use a food processor to chop the pecans; or, you can just chop them by hand. Try almonds or walnuts, if you prefer.
How to Make Snowball Cookies
To make the cookies, start by creaming the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. A handheld mixer works fine for this. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour, followed by the pecans and salt. Increase the speed to medium to fully incorporate all the ingredients.
Once the dough is ready, use your hands (or a small scoop) to roll the dough into a 1-inch ball. The dough may seem dry at first, but once you start forming it into balls, it should be fine. If the dough is still too dry add a tablespoon of butter. Place each dough ball on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Remove the baked cookies from the oven and roll them (while still hot) in a bowl with the remaining confectioners’ sugar. Place them back on the lined baking sheets to cool. Once cool, roll the cookies a second time in the confectioners’ sugar. I was able to get 30 cookies out of the recipe.
How to Store Snowball Cookies
These cookies will last up to 3 days at room temperature, in a sealed container. You can get 2 weeks out of them if stored in the refrigerator. And, if you are good at planning ahead, you can get these made 6 months ahead of time if storing them in the freezer. Remember to label and date the container.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 227g) butter, room temperature
- 1½ cups (187.5g) confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, cream the butter with 1/2 cup of the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
Starting on low speed, add the flour, pecans, and salt. Increase speed to medium until all ingredients are incorporated.
Use your hands to roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Place them on the lined baking sheet, leaving about an inch in between each cookie.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. (You don’t want them too brown.)
Remove cookies from the oven and while still hot, roll each in the remaining cup of confectioners’ sugar. Set coated cookies back on the lined baking sheets to cool.
Once cool, roll the snowball cookies in the confectioners’ sugar a second time. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
