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The BEST holiday cookie is our favorite 6-ingredient snowball cookies – loaded with pecans, it’s melt-in-your-mouth perfection!
A Holiday Favorite!
It should be no surprise we love love LOVE today’s Snowball Cookies (aka Russian Tea Cakes)!
They are the ultimate Christmas cookie (right there with our Snickerdoodles and Frosted Sugar Cookies) and ones we make every year! They are so soft they almost melt in your mouth.
Best yet, they are EASY!! You just need a handful of simple ingredients and a few minutes to make and shape the dough. The kids love to make them to dip in hot chocolate. YUM! This recipe yields about 30 cookies, so you’ll have plenty. 😉
They are similar to our Mexican Wedding Cookies and just as delicious!
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- Simple. There are just 6 ingredients and only 4 steps! It doesn’t get much easier!
- Soft and tasty. Snowball cookies practically melt in your mouth and have a great added crunch from the pecans.
- Perfectly gift-able. They are the perfect addition to any party, but especially beautiful on Christmas cookie plates for neighbors and friends for Christmas.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 14 minutes
- 1 cup unsalted butter – or salted butter, see How to Soften Butter Quickly.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract – ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 2¼ cup all-purpose flour – How to Measure Flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt – omit if using salted butter
- 1 cup pecans – or chopped walnuts, almonds, cashews, or pistachios (chopped in a food process or nut chopper)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar – for dusting, as needed
How to Make Snowball Cookies
- PREP. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- BATTER. In the bowl of a stand mixer (or with an electric mixer), cream 1 cup butter, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and ½ cup of powdered sugar. Stir in 2¼ cups flour, 1 cup chopped pecans, and ¼ teaspoon 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 ⅓ cup 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.
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Snowball Cookie Recipe
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.
- Cream butter, vanilla, and ½ cup of powdered sugar. Stir in flour, pecans, and salt. Mix until 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Cover and store in the fridge for 1-2 days or freeze for up to 3 months. See How to Freeze Cookie Dough for tips.
Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week or freezer for 3-4 months. Remove from the container to thaw so that the condensation won’t cause cookies to get sticky.
This is my other favorite type of cookie
These were perfect! Nice and soft and buttery!!
If you want a show stopper cookie to give to family and friends try this! Melts in your mouth delicious.
These were so yummy! We make a Greek cookie like this every year but I loved the nuts in this one! This will now be our go to Christmas cookie!
The snowball cookies are my personal favorite of all the cookies.
These are so yummy!! Perfect holiday treat!
Some of my favorite cookies!!
I have always wanted to make these cookies, but I was intimidated. I decided to give it a try and the instructions and tips that were given made it so easy. They turned out amazing!
I have the dough all made but it is too dry to roll into a ball. What did I do wrong? I’ll set it aside until I hear back from you.
You might not have put enough softened butter or enough Vanilla extract
Just wondering unsalted or salted butter?
I like to use unsalted. Enjoy!!
Looking Delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ll definitely make these cookies
Thank you! I hope you like them 🙂