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Buttery soft snowball cookies are loaded with pecans. This easy, melt-in-your-mouth cookie is simply the BEST holiday cookie!
These are the perfect Christmas cookie, along with our Ginergbread Cookies, Snickerdoodles and Frosted Sugar Cookies!
Why We Love Them!
I just love love love these snowball cookies (aka Russian Tea Cakes)!
They are the ultimate Christmas cookie (right there with our Snickerdoodles and Frosted Sugar Cookies) and are often referred to as Mexican Wedding Cookies.
Here are more reasons why we love them:
- Simple. There are few ingredients and only 4 steps!
- Easy. Just 6 ingredients to make these yummy little things.
- Soft and tasty. Snowball cookies practically melt in your mouth.
- Perfectly gift-able. They are the perfect addition to any party, but especially beautiful on cookie plates for neighbors and friends for Christmas.
Simple Ingredients
- unsalted butter – Softened, not melted butter. Softened butter will provide the correct texture. If you’re short on time use this post on How to Soften Butter Quickly.
- vanilla extract
- powdered sugar
- all-purpose flour – Measure the flour by scooping it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- salt
- pecans – Or your favorite nuts – chopped walnuts, almonds, cashews, or pistachios may be used (can be chopped in a food process or nut chopper.
Quick + Simple Cookies
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- BATTER. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with an electric mixer), cream together butter, vanilla, and ½ cup of powdered sugar. Stir in flour, chopped pecans, and salt. Mix until well combined. Roll dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon wide, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- BAKE. Bake for 14-15 minutes or until a light golden brown.
- GARNISH. Roll hot cookies in powdered sugar. Once they have cooled, roll them once more in sugar. Enjoy
Pro Tips!
- Chilling the dough for 30 minutes may make it easier to roll into balls. It will also help them keep their shape.
- Use a 1-inch cookie scoop to easily make uniform cookies.
Recipe Tips
Pecan snowball cookies are so simple, and these tips will ensure they come out perfectly.
- Make a chocolate version. Add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder with the dry ingredients, and continue with the rest of the instructions in the recipe.
- Variations. Mix colored sprinkles or mini chocolate chips into the dough. Replace the vanilla with almond extract, and the pecans with slivered almonds.
- Dry dough. If the dough seems too dry, add a little more softened butter, or a tablespoon of applesauce.
Storing Info
- STORE snow cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.
- FREEZE in an airtight container in the freezer for about 6 months. Remove from the container to thaw, otherwise, the condensation turns the powdered sugar into a gooey mess. Reroll them in powdered sugar if desired.
- Freeze the cookie dough. Shape the dough into balls and place them all on a baking sheet and freeze. Once solid, transfer to a freezer Ziploc. Thaw at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking.
For More Holiday Cookie Classics:
Snowball Cookies Recipe
Buttery soft snowball cookies are loaded with pecans. This easy, melt-in-your-mouth cookie is simply the BEST holiday cookie!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar for dusting, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175 degrees C).
- Cream together butter, vanilla, and ½ cup of powdered sugar. Stir in flour, pecans, and salt. Mix till well combined. Roll dough into balls, about 1 tablespoon wide, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 14-15 minutes. Do not let them brown.
- Roll hot cookies in powdered sugar. Once they have cooled, roll them once more in sugar. Enjoy
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 90kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 73mg, Potassium: 15mg, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 190IU, Calcium: 4mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made these Snowballs today for Christmas gifts (along with some Spritz cookies). Don’t know what happened because I followed the recipe exactly!! Used a scoop to measure them and on to a silicone mat in the oven at 350°F for 14 min! They came out flat & crumbly, not near what i was expecting!!! I was asked, by you guessed who, if i was really going to give out “sand” for Christmas!
I will try this recipe again another time and hopefully i will get better results!
God bless you all!!!
Sorry to hear they turned out a bit crumbly for you. We have a few tips/suggestions in the post that might help. You can try chilling the dough to help it stay together. Also, if the dough seems too dry, you can add a little more softened butter, or even a tablespoon of applesauce. Hope that helps!
My grandma loves these snowball cookies! They’re soft and decadent. We will be having this for Christmas!
That makes me so happy to hear!
I used walnuts instead of pecans and vegan butter instead of regular and these cookies were the bomb! They do indeed melt in your mouth. Excellent!
Before rolling into balls to bake,, dough doesn’t hold together to
Make the balls. Is this normal?
I love these cookies ! I’ve been making them the last few Christmases & also give them as gifts . now that my daughter is gluten free , I will be trying this recipe with gluten free flour !
Thanx! LOVE IT!!!
~~ MONA LISA ROCHA GARCIA ~~
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoy the cookies!
Hi Kristyn. Would you use a cookie scoop or an ice cream scoop to measure the balls? I am not sure what you mean by ” 1 tbsp wide?” Thanks so much!
I can’t wait to try to make this.
We love these cookies! We have so many names for them, Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cakes, and snow balls.