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.
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
- You can a freeze these cookies, either as dough or baked, for up to three months. Flash freeze dough balls on a sheet pan first, then transfer to a freezer bag. Or freeze baked cookies in layers separated by parchment or wax paper in an airtight container. Re-dust with powdered sugar after thawing for best presentation.