Butter Pecan Snowball Cookies

If you love yummy buttery shortbread cookies, loaded with finely chopped pecans and smothered in powdered sugar, then you’re going to be totally butter pecan ‘nutty’ over these!

These Butter Pecan Snowball Cookies just melt-in-your mouth!

You’ve probably heard them also referred to as Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Swedish Tea Cakes, Italian Butter Nuts, Southern Pecan Butterballs, Snowdrops, Viennese Sugar Balls and Sand Tarts.  Whew!  I’m sure there are some other name droppers out there…there has to be!  🙂

We always called them Mexican Wedding Cakes, when I was first introduced to them as a kid and it seems to be a super popular cookie for cookie exchanges.  You can bet your bottom dollar someone will make them.  🙂

Not only do they appear during Christmas time, they are also popular at weddings, baby showers, christenings and other festive occasions.

It’s like the perfect ‘tea’ cookie looking all elegant and delish!  Perfect with a nice cup of tea, coffee, milk or hot cocoa.

These are delicious, delicate little bites of buttery pecan snowball cookie heaven!

It’s now wonder how much these cookies delight cookie fans globally, especially by the different names other countries have come up with.

So, Ever had a dry, crumbly snowball cookie? YUCK and YUCK!

OK, so to make these delectably amazing, you need to make sure to chop your nuts pretty finely, so the cookie keeps that melt in your mouth texture. Too large of nuts makes them crumbly…so chop your nuts pretty finely.

Setting your butter out a couple of hours for room temperature applies to these Butter Pecan Snowball Cookies to get a superb texture in flour based items than does butter softened in the microwave. It makes a huge difference when baking.

Do NOT over-bake these cookies!  Bake until they are almost but not quite firm and you don’t want them brown.  It will make them dry.

Use a small or medium cookie scoop to measure out even sized balls.  You can roll them after measuring out if you so desire, but I like the scoop molded cookies and it’s way easier.  🙂

And lastly, when rolling the cookies in the powdered sugar, the cookies still need to be hot enough to handle.  Let them sit a couple of minutes or so and while they are still hot, place 3 to 4 cookies in at a time in a zip lock bag or bowl filled with powdered sugar.  It will melt into the cookies as you roll them and your hands will get a little sticky, but just keep rolling them until they are covered with powdered sugar to your liking.

Print Recipe

3.67 from 6 votes

Butter Pecan Snowball Cookies

If you love yummy buttery shortbread cookies, loaded with finely chopped pecans and smothered in powdered sugar, then you're going to be totally butter pecan 'nutty' over these!

Author: Kim Lange

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 cup finely chopped pecan
• 1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Using a mixer, cream softened butter and powdered sugar.   Add in salt, vanilla, flour and pecans and mix on low until mixed together. 

  Using a small or medium scoop, scoop out cookies onto parchment covered baking sheets a few inches part. Bake for 11-13 minutes or until very lightly browned. Do not over bake.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool just enough to be able to handle them. Pour 1 cup powdered sugar in large Ziploc bag or in a wide bowl. 

  Gently add 3-4 cookies at a time and roll them gently in powdered sugar. 

  Gently shake to remove excess powdered sugar and place on cooling racks. 

  Optional: Once completely cooled roll in powdered sugar bag again.

Notes

Makes 30-36 cookies