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Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies

Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies
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Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies are a soft, crumbly, and delightfully powdered treat packed with rich, nutty flavor and delicate buttery goodness. These melt-in-your-mouth cookies with toasted pecans are perfect for holiday gatherings, gifting, or enjoying with tea, offering a perfect balance of tender texture and satisfying crunch.

Ingredients

Scale

Main Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (or gluten-free flour blend for gluten-free version)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Instructions

  1. Toast the Pecans: Begin by lightly toasting the chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. This step unlocks the nuts’ rich aroma and deepens their flavor, essential for the cookie’s signature taste.
  2. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat room temperature unsalted butter with powdered sugar until creamy and fluffy. This ensures your cookies will have that soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes them so irresistible.
  3. Add Vanilla and Flour: Mix in vanilla extract and salt, then gradually add the all-purpose flour to the creamed butter mixture. Stir just until combined to avoid overworking the dough, which could toughen the cookies.
  4. Fold in Toasted Pecans: Gently fold the toasted pecans into the dough, evenly distributing the nutty richness throughout every bite.
  5. Shape the Cookies: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving enough space for slight spreading.
  6. Bake and Cool: Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for about 15 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly golden. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
  7. Dust with Powdered Sugar: Once the cookies have cooled, generously dust them with powdered sugar to get that perfect snowball effect that defines this classic cookie.

Notes

  • Use butter at room temperature to achieve optimum creaming and cookie texture.
  • Mix dough just until combined to keep cookies tender instead of tough.
  • Toast pecans evenly to maximize flavor—don’t skip this step!
  • Use a cookie scoop for uniform size to promote even baking.
  • For extra snowy effect, dust cookies once out of the oven and again when fully cooled.

Nutrition

Keywords: Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies, snowball cookies, pecan cookies, holiday cookies, nutty cookies, powdered sugar cookies

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