Snowball Cookies Recipe (2024)

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This Snowball Cookies Recipe makes cookies with a perfect soft, crumbly texture and just the right amount of pecans. Enjoy easy snowball cookies that can be made in under 10 minutes!

Snowball Cookies are tender pecan cookies coated in powdered sugar. They are not overly sweet, and their flavor improves as they sit! These buttery cookies are so quick and easy to make, you’ll have plenty of spare time to tackle more complex cookies like Moravian Spice Cookies!

I love how these cookies balance out the flavors and textures of a Christmas cookie platter. Pair them with chewy gingerbread boys, apricot kolaches, and sweet almond pignoli cookies for a striking and delicious array of cookies.

Why this is the Best Snowball Cookies Recipe:

• Nutty, buttery flavor: The combination of pecans and toasty butter with just a hint of vanilla make for a nuanced and rich flavor in every bite.
• Less than 10 minutes of prep: The dough comes together easily in one bowl and can even be made in a food processor.
• Detailed directions from a pro: I take you through the straightforward steps to make these cookies even simpler, including using a food processor or buying pre-ground pecans.

Professional Tips

• For that airy texture, finely chop your pecans. If you want a melt-in-your mouth cookie, it helps to have an almost uniform cookie dough. If you can, use a food processor to finely grind your pecans until there are no large pieces or buy them ground.
• Coat your cookies twice in powdered sugar for a gorgeous finish. The first coating in powdered sugar lays a perfect foundation. The second coating secures not only a festive outer layer but locks in the moisture of the cookies so they stay delicious longer.
• Wait for your flavors to meld. Yes, you can definitely eat these cookies immediately. But, for an even more delicious cookie, wait until the next day.

What are snowball cookies?

Snowball cookies are tender shortbread-like cookies that have chopped pecans or walnuts mixed in the dough. They are also called Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes. The cooked, cooled cookies are tossed in powdered sugar for a white exterior.

What are snow cookies made of?

• Pecans: You can finely chop pecans with a knife or pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Alternatively, you can purchase pecan flour or pre-ground pecan meal and skip an entire step!
• Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar, like in my Soft Sugar Cookies, is here for sweetness. If you add too much sugar in proportion to the butter and flour, the cookies will spread instead of staying tall.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds a beautiful flavor and boosts the flavor of ingredients around it.
• Powdered Sugar: The powdered sugar coating adds a bit of additional sweetness. It also helps keep the cookies moist for longer storage.
• All-purpose flour
• Kosher salt
• Unsalted butter

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations & Substitutions

• Vegan: You can use a vegan butter substitute or shortening to make these pecan snowballs vegan. You will lose a bit of the flavor, but the texture will still be delightful.
• Gluten Free: You could use gluten free all-purpose flour in this recipe. I prefer Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour because I find it is the closest texturally to regular all-purpose flour.
• Nuts: Any ground or finely chopped nuts would be wonderful in this recipe. I made a walnut cardamom snowball version that was magnificent. Snowball cookies with almonds would also be delightful. Or try a combination of nuts and dried fruit, like I do in my pistachio cranberry sable cookies!
• Other mix-ins: Get creative with other additions like mini chocolate chips, coconut, candied citrus peel, crushed peppermint, or a pink strawberry powder for Valentine’s. You could also make a chocolate snowball variation like Dorothy at Crazy for Crust!

How to Make Snowball Cookies

Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below!

Make the dough:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Step 2: Chop pecans until no pieces larger than a pea remain, or pulse in a food processor until finely ground (the texture of coarse cornmeal).

You can also purchase pecan flour or pecan meal to skip Step 2 entirely.

Step 3: In a medium bowl, combine flour, chopped pecans, and salt; whisk to combine.

Step 4: Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla until well-combined. Add all the flour mixture, and mix on low speed until the dough just begins to come together but still looks shaggy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue mixing on low until the dough is cohesive, about 10 more seconds.

Portion & bake:

Step 5: Roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and place 1 inch apart on your baking sheet. I use a tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the dough and then roll into balls.

Optional: For the tallest cookies, chill dough balls before baking.

Step 6: Bake until the bottoms are golden and the tops are beginning to brown and show small cracks, 17-19 minutes. Be careful not to over-bake them or they will be dry and crumbly.

Step 7: Cool the cookies 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to wire racks to cool until just slightly warm.

Step 8: Place powdered sugar in a large plastic bag or bowl. Work with two cookies at a time. Toss gently to coat and place back on the wire rack.

How do you make the confectioners’ sugar stick? The sugar sticks because the cookies are still ever so slightly warm. This type of sugar is fine enough that it melts into them. You’ll roll them again in the next step, after complete cooling, for a snowy finish!

Step 9: Allow the cookies to sit at least an hour, up to overnight. Repeat the tossing in powdered sugar (or even edible glitter!). Enjoy!

Why do my snowball cookies go flat?

Snowball cookies flatten if the dough was not chilled before baking or if the oven temperature was too low. A low oven temperature can cause the butter to melt and flatten the cookies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Before You Go!

Check out our other delicious, chef-developed Cookie Recipes or try these cherry pistachio snowballs next!