Description
These buttery pecan snowball cookies are tender, delicate, and coated twice in powdered sugar for a sweet, snowy finish.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar together using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the pure vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
- Gradually add the all-purpose flour and salt, mixing on low speed just until a soft, uniform dough begins to form.
- Gently fold in the chopped pecans until evenly dispersed throughout the shortbread dough.
- Scoop out tablespoon-sized portions of dough and roll them between your palms into smooth balls. Place them on the prepared baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
- Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the bottoms are just slightly golden. Do not let the tops brown.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes until cool enough to handle, but still very warm. Carefully roll each warm cookie in a bowl of powdered sugar until coated.
- Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once fully cooled, roll them in the powdered sugar again.
Notes
Do not let the cookies brown on top. Rolling them in powdered sugar while warm and again after cooling creates the thick snowy coating.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 35mg
- Fat: 9g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 14g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 20mg