Description
Snowball Cookies are rich, buttery, and nutty cookies featuring finely chopped pecans and a signature double coating of confectioners’ sugar that lends a sweet, powdery finish. These classic cookies are delightful for holiday gatherings or everyday treats, offering a delicate melt-in-your-mouth texture with a subtle vanilla aroma.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (62.5 g) confectioners’ sugar, divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (105 g) pecans, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (62.5 g) confectioners’ sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking and ensure even baking.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the room temperature butter, ½ cup of the confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy to incorporate air for a light texture.
- Add Dry Ingredients: On low mixer speed, gradually mix in the flour, finely chopped pecans, and kosher salt. Once combined, increase the mixer speed to medium and mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand, indicating the dough is ready but not overmixed.
- Form Cookies: Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, drop portions of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Then, use your hands to gently roll each portion into smooth balls. Leave about an inch of space between each cookie to allow for slight spreading.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown but not too dark, preserving their tender crumb.
- First Sugar Coating: Remove the cookies immediately from the oven. While still hot, roll each cookie in the remaining ½ cup of confectioners’ sugar to coat thoroughly. Place them back on the parchment-lined sheets to cool.
- Second Sugar Coating: Once the cookies have cooled, roll each cookie again in confectioners’ sugar to achieve the classic snowball appearance with a double sugary coating.
- Storage: Store the coated snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, maintaining their freshness and texture.
Notes
- Snowball Cookies are rich and buttery with a crisp, tender texture enhanced by chopped pecans.
- The double roll in confectioners’ sugar ensures a sweet, powdery coating signature to these cookies.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies; they should be just lightly golden to keep them tender.
- These cookies freeze well when stored in airtight containers, extend their shelf life beyond 3 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 127
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 35 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 21 mg
