Melt-in-Your-Mouth Snowball Cookies

Snowball Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth tender and buttery, filled with finely chopped pecans and covered with a blizzard of confectioners’ sugar.

Happy Thursday!

How about a sweet treat to enjoy with your favorite cuppa or mug of hot cocoa?

These Snowball Cookies are an oldie but a goodie and favorite cookie to enjoy or share,

especially around the holidays.

You might know these cookies by other names such as Mexican Wedding Cookies,

Vanilla Snowballs, Russian Teacakes, or just plain Wedding Cookies.

What I love about these cookies is that they’re buttery and not overly sweet,

like a shortbread cookie. . . melt-in-your-mouth tender and crumbly!

You can find several recipe variations of these Snowball Cookies around. The recipe

I prefer uses two cups of finely chopped pecans, but I’ve also made these cookies

with walnuts, as well as with half walnuts and half pecans.

The one ingredient all versions of this recipe have in common is a

 blizzard of confectioners’ or powdered sugar. . . hence the name ‘snowballs’!

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Here are the ingredients you’ll need:

❄️ 2 cups pecans, finely chopped

❄️ 2 cups *all-purpose flour (*to make these cookies gluten-free substitute King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour)

❄️ 1/4 teaspoon salt

❄️ 1 cup unsalted butter, softened, (2 sticks)

❄️ 1/4 cup granulated sugar

❄️ 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

❄️ 1 teaspoon almond extract

❄️ 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, divided

The secret ingredient in this recipe is the almond extract that adds just a little something extra!

*Note: Pecans are naturally gluten-free but may come in contact with gluten during processing,

so if you’re on a strict gluten-free diet, make sure your nuts are certified gluten-free.

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Mix finely chopped pecans with flour and salt; set aside.

If using the food processor to chop your pecans, pulse until finely chopped, but not pulverized.

Optional step: Bump up the pecan flavor by toasting pecans in dry pan or on a baking sheet

in oven for 6- 8 minutes, or until pecans become fragrant. Remove from pan and

allow pecans to cool completely before proceeding with recipe and adding them to butter. 

Cream butter and granulated sugar with mixer in medium bowl, 2 minutes or until lightened and fluffy.

Scrape down sides of the bowl and beat in vanilla and almond extracts.

 Reduce speed to low; add nut /flour mixture. Beat until dough is combined.

Working with 1 tablespoon dough, shape dough into 1-inch balls.

Place 1-inch apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets.

Tip: Use a cookie scoop to make uniform size balls.

Bake 16-18 minutes until they feel set on top and some start to barely brown

around the edges; do not over bake.

Let cookies cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes; transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Place 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar into shallow bowl; roll cooled cookies in sugar to coat.

Store in airtight container.

Re-roll cookies in remaining confectioners’ sugar just before

serving so thoroughly coated and snowy white.

Note: Some recipes for snowball or wedding cookies call for rolling them in

confectioners’ sugar while cookies are still warm, but I find

 this makes a sticky mess! Confectioners’ sugar will adhere to cookies when cool

and rolling them in sugar twice ensures they are well-coated.

Print Recipe

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Snowball Cookies

Also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies, Vanilla Snowballs, Russian Teacakes, or just plain Wedding Cookies, these Snowball Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth tender and buttery, filled with finely chopped pecans and covered with a blizzard of confectioners' sugar.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time16 minutes mins

cooling time 30 minutes30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 16 minutes mins

Course: Dessert, food gift

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Christmas cookie, confectioners' sugar, Mexican Wedding Cookies, pecans, Russian Teacakes, snowball cookies

Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups pecans finely chopped
• 2 cups all-purpose flour or make gluten-free by using King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened, (2 sticks)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar divided

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Mix finely chopped pecans with flour and salt; set aside.
• Cream butter and granulated sugar in medium bowl with mixer, 2 minutes, or until lightened and fluffy.
• Scrape down sides of the bowl and beat in vanilla and almond extracts.
• Reduce speed to low; add nut / flour mixture. Beat until dough is combined.
• Working with 1 tablespoon dough, roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place, 1 inch apart, onto parchment-lined baking sheets.
• Bake 16-18 minutes until they feel set on top and some start to barely brown around the edges; do not over bake.
• Let cookies cool on cookie sheet 5 minutes; transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
• Place 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar into shallow bowl; roll cooled cookies in sugar to coat.
• Store in airtight container.
• Re-roll cookies in remaining 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar just before serving so thoroughly coated and snowy white.

Notes

• The addition of almond extract adds a flavor boost and a special ‘little something extra’!
• Use a tablespoon cookie scoop for uniform cookies.
• Some recipes call for rolling in confectioners' sugar while cookies are still warm. I find this makes a sticky mess. Confectioners' sugar will adhere to cookies when cool and rolling them in sugar twice ensures they are well-coated.
• If using the food processor to chop your pecans, pulse until finely chopped but not pulverized.
• Optional step: Bump up the nutty pecan flavor by toasting pecans in dry pan or on a baking sheet in oven for 6- 8 minutes, or until pecans become fragrant. Remove from pan and allow pecans to cool completely before proceeding with recipe and adding them to butter.
• Substitute walnuts for pecans or use half walnuts, half pecans in recipe.
• Make gluten-free by substituting King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour 

❄️ Snowman mug / Ridgefield Home, HomeGoods, several years ago

❄️ Cable knit plate / Michaels, several years ago

Looking for a no-bake snowball cookie?

You might also like No-Bake Coconut Orange Snowballs.

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