Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies
These Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies are tender, crumbly butter cookies packed with finely chopped pecans and rolled twice in powdered sugar for a soft, snowy finish. They bake quickly and are perfect for holiday cookie trays or serving with coffee.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup butter softened, not melted
1/2 cup powdered sugar for the dough
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup pecans finely chopped
1 cup powdered sugar for dusting and rolling the cookies twice
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat your oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper, or use ungreased baking sheets if needed.
In a stand mixer, cream together the softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until blended and smooth.
Turn the mixer to low and add the salt, vanilla extract, flour, and finely chopped pecans, mixing just until the dough comes together and scraping down the bowl if needed.
Roll the dough into one-inch balls and place them a few inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets.
Bake for 11 minutes, keeping the cookies pale on top with only the faintest hint of color underneath and taking care not to overbake.
Remove the baking sheets from the oven and let the cookies cool just enough to handle, then pour the 1 cup powdered sugar into a large zip-top bag or wide bowl.
Add 3 or 4 warm cookies at a time to the powdered sugar and gently roll to coat, then use a fork to lift each cookie, shake off the excess, and set on cooling racks.
Once the cookies are completely cool, roll them in the powdered sugar again to create the soft, snowy coating.