These Snowball Cookies are easy to make and are melt-in-your-mouth over-the-top delicious! Made with a small handful of ingredients, they will become a new favorite.
One of my favorite things about the holidays is baking with my kids. We spend a whole Saturday baking different treats and then we distribute them to our friends and neighbors. It’s the greatest holiday tradition!
How to Make Snowball Cookies
Here is a brief overview of how this snowball cookie recipe comes together. For the full recipe including all measurements, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Beat the butter and sugar. When they are light and fluffy, add the vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract and mix again to combine.
- Add in the flour and pecans. Beat until just combined.
- Scoop into balls. Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough and roll them with clean hands into balls. I share my favorite cookie scoop below. Place on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies. They are done when the edges start to turn brown.
- Roll in powdered sugar. Allow the cookies to cool for two minutes and then roll them in powdered sugar. Allow to cool completely and then roll in powdered sugar again.
Cookie Scoop
Measuring Flour
Having too much or too little flour will ruin your baking recipe. To make sure you get the correct amount, start by whisking the flour in the container it’s stored in. Then use a spoon to scoop the flour from its container into a dry measuring cup. Use the flat edge of a spatula to level it off.
How to Measure Flour
Chopping Nuts
You want the pecans in these cookies to be relatively small for the best cookies. This can definitely be done with a sharp knife, but it maybe easier to do it with a food processor. Be careful not to over-process the nuts. You want them to be small pieces, but not a paste.
Tips and Tricks
- Use room-temperature butter. Your butter should be soft enough that you can easily dent it with your finger, but not so soft that it goes all the way through. To do this quickly, cut it into one-inch pieces and leave it on the counter for 30 minutes. Or fill a tall drinking glass with water, microwave it for 30 seconds, empty the water, and put the glass over the butter standing on end for 10 minutes.
- Don’t over-mix. This is critical so that the gluten (what is in flour) doesn’t get overworked. Once you add in the flour, you want to beat it just until combined. Over working gluten leads to cookies that are chewy in a really undesirable way.
- Roll twice in powdered sugar. Rolling the snowball cookies in powdered sugar twice gives them a nice powdery “snowy” appearance. To get the powdered sugar to stick the best, roll the cookies once after they have cooled for about two minutes. Allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack and then roll in powdered sugar again.
Additions and Substitutions
This pecan snowball cookies recipe can be customized! Here are a few ideas for ways to mix it up.
- Chopped pecans: I made these both with chopped pecans and without. If you are making these for someone with a nut allergy, you can just leave them out and keep the recipe exactly the same.
- Switch up the nut: If you like, you can swap out the nuts for something else. Chopped walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or cashews would all be delicious in these.
- Add chocolate chips: You can swap out the pecans and replace them with one cup of mini chocolate chips.
- Vanilla bean paste: When I first made this recipe, I wanted them to have an enhanced vanilla taste. The easiest way to do this is to use vanilla bean paste. You could keep everything the same in this recipe and add a teaspoon of vanilla bean paste for a great pop of vanilla flavor.
Storing & Freezing Snowball Cookies
Keep your snowball cookies with pecans in an airtight container for up to one week.
You can also freeze these. Place them in a single layer on wax paper and put them in the freezer for a few hours. Then transfer to an airtight container for up to three months. These cookies make a great gift around the holidays!
More Great Christmas Cookie Recipes
You can’t go wrong with some of these other yummy treats.
- Soft Cut Sugar Cookies are my go-to holiday cookies. They are a family recipe that we have been using for decades and they are bound to become a tradition in your house too.
- Spritz Cookies are an another classic holiday recipe. Following my step by step instructions will result in the perfect cookies.
- Ricotta Cookies are absolutely delicious and so easy to make. You will love these so much!
Leave a comment below and let me know if you try this pecan snowball cookies recipe or any of my other recipes. I love hearing from you!
Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature (226 grams)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (49.5 grams)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour (240 grams)
- 2 cups chopped pecans (228 grams) optional
- powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a rimmed backing sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together just until combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat to combine.16 tablespoons unsalted butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add in the flour and (pecans if using) and beat until just combined.2 cups all purpose flour, 2 cups chopped pecans
- Using a 1 1/2 tablespoon scoop, scoop out cookie dough, roll, and place on the prepared baking sheet an inch apart. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown.
- After removing them from the oven, let cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes, then very gently roll them in powdered sugar. Allow them to cool completely on wire racks and then roll in powdered sugar again.powdered sugar for rolling
Colleen B.~ TX. says
Love these delicious cookies but I only make them around Christmas. but actually you can make these anytime of the year.
The vanilla paste is used as a substitute in place of the vanilla extract. The paste gives the cookies more of a vanilla flavor than the extract does. I’d say it’s all up to the person on what you want to use.
Myself, I prefer the paste.
When using the paste leave out the extract.
Deborah says
I know this was my mother’s recipe that she made when I was growing up. Never could find it until now on your site. I just loved this recipe
as much as she enjoyed making them. Will have to make soon!
Thank you!
I hope you love these!
Donna says
Hi Lisa -This is a great recipe !I make this every Christmas and basically have the same recipe! I actually have had to hide them from my hubby and Grandson (and I won’t lie ME too lol!) They disappear so fast!!! By the way love all your recipes!
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I’m so glad to hear that!
Donna says
Is this plain or self rising flour?
All purpose flour.
Deb says
The cookies are wonderful
I’m so glad you liked them!
Ken Safranek says
Mine melted into a puddle shaped cookie in the oven and I THINK I followed the directions! Help! Any guesses to what I might have done wrong ?!
It sounds like either your butter was too soft or you didn’t have enough flour.
Kathie says
My MIL used to make these. But she rolled them into small logs and called them pecan sticks. I tried to make them and all I got was pecan crumbs. I’m gonna try these rolled into balls. I’ll let you know what happened.
I hope they work for you!
Kate says
My grandmother’s old recipe that I have been using to make these for years has powdered sugar vs. sugar as your recipe calls for. How does this affect the outcome of these cookies? Do you think it makes any difference?
Granulated sugar and powdered sugar act really different in recipes. Powdered sugar can’t cream into butter the way granulated sugar can and it also melts much faster making cookies spread more. It is possible your grandmother’s recipe has other ingredients that work to counter balance those things and make the recipe still work but in a different way.