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.
Butter Pecan Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ 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
Thank you Josiah! Definitely!!
Kim, these look so good! I don’t remember when they disappeared from the standard Holiday cookie tray, but I’ll be bringing them back - this recipe looks so scrumptious! Pinning!
Thank you so much Suzan! You'll love them! Happy New Year! xo
What a perfect winter recipe! Saving this for a snow day!
Never to late for these beauties, right ? Keeping for new Year's Eve 🙂
Thank you so much!! I am hoping the same for you my sweet friend! xoxo
They are just sooo yummy! I'm glad it's a classic! Happy Holidays to you too Kelly! xoxoxo
Dear Kim, totally into these. I wish you have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the holidays with your loved ones !
Such a classic cookie that I always associate with Christmas! I need these on my cookie plate this year for sure. PINNING! And Happy Holidays my friend 🙂 XOXO
I haven't had one of these snowball cookies in ages! My grandma used to make them, and usually the kids wouldn't eat them (preferring more obvious sugar bombs instead), but I was different right from the get-go and loved these types of cookies. I haven't even thought of them in ages, so thank for the reminder and the recipe.
LOL...those are magical words for sure Katherine! 🙂 Thank you!
Snowball cookies are a MUST for Christmas! You've made them even more addictive by combining the words 'butter' and 'pecan' haha! Merry Christmas to you my friend!! XO
ahh these are so addictive! can't make these if i don't have somewhere to take them, because i could probably finish off a batch by myself (;
I've always called these Mexican Wedding Cookies too, and they're some of my favorite EVER cookies. I haven't made them in years though; I need to change that and whip up a batch this weekend. I can taste them already!
Catherine, they literally are one of the best Christmas cookies ever! Thank you so much!!!
These snowball cookies are so beautiful and just perfect for the holidays!! I can just taste the delicious butter pecan in the shortbread, they look SO very scrumptious!! 😀