Description
Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies are tender, melt-in-your-mouth treats featuring a buttery dough studded with crunchy pecans and finished with a dusting of powdered sugar. These traditional cookies are easy to prepare and perfect for holiday baking or any cozy occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 cups pecans, minced
Topping
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure it reaches the perfect temperature for baking the cookies evenly.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: Using an electric hand mixer, cream together 1 cup of softened unsalted butter and ¼ cup granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This process incorporates air and gives the cookies their tender texture.
- Add Vanilla: Mix in 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract until evenly combined to infuse the dough with a warm, sweet aroma.
- Sift and Combine Dry Ingredients: Sift together 2 cups of all-purpose flour and ½ teaspoon salt, then gradually stir them into the butter mixture, ensuring no lumps remain and the dough is well combined.
- Incorporate Pecans: Use a wooden spoon to gently fold in 2 cups of minced pecans. The dough will become crumbly, resembling sand, but should be able to hold together when formed into balls.
- Form Cookies: Shape the dough into 1-inch diameter balls. Since these cookies do not spread during baking, their final size will remain as formed. Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, spaced to allow even baking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, until they are set but not browned.
- Cool and Dust: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet or a wire rack. Once cool, generously dust them with powdered sugar before serving for a classic snowball appearance.
Notes
- Recipe Copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only.
- Butter: Use unsalted butter softened to room temperature (68-72°F) for optimal texture and flavor control.
- Pecans: Preference may vary; the original grandmother’s recipe calls for 4 cups pecans allowing rolling the cookies in nuts. Use pre-minced or chopped pecans as preferred.
- Granulated Sugar: This recipe uses granulated sugar in the dough rather than confectioners’ sugar for a traditional texture.
- Powdered Sugar: Only for topping the baked and cooled cookies to maintain the powdery finish.
- Measure flour accurately using the scoop and level method to ensure correct dough consistency.
- Allow cookies to cool fully before dusting with powdered sugar to prevent melting.
- Use a 1 Tbsp cookie scoop (#60) for consistent cookie size and baking.
