The Best Snowball Cookies Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Sherri · This post may contain affiliate links · 48 Comments

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These easy Snowball Cookies are an old fashioned, buttery shortbread cookie with pecans that are dipped in powdered sugar. They’re an elegant treat to enjoy any time of the year and to add to your Holiday season baking!

Some people know these cookies as Italian wedding cookies, Mexican wedding cookies, and even Russian Tea cookies. I grew up calling Pecan Balls. However you may know them, they are melt-in-your-mouth yumminess that everyone loves.

Pecan balls were one of my Grandma’s specialties and are truly one of my fondest childhood Christmas traditions and are, by far, my favorite cookies. We made these cookies and these Oreo Balls every year and it’s so great creating the same memories with my own children.

The Best Snowball Cookies Recipe (1)

These pecan cookie balls are the best simple and delicious treat that comes together quickly and the dough freezes well. It’s hard to beat cookies shaped like little snowballs right?! They are pure decadence.

Ingredients Needed

Butter – a cup of unsalted butter to give that classic, buttery shortbread flavor

Sugar – just a tad of white sugar gets mixed into the dough

Water – a small amount of water to moisten the dough

Vanilla extract – To give it the cookies flavor

All purpose flour – I have also used Bob’s Red Mill One-to-one flour

Pecans – chopped finely in a food processor or with a hand held chopper

Confectioners’ Sugar – to roll and coat the baked cookies in

Tips and Variations

Make them with no nuts if you’d like.

Used chopped walnuts, almonds, or any type of nut you’d like to use.

Add ⅓ cup of mini chocolate chips if desired.

Add ½ cup cocoa powder for a chocolate version.

Chop nut in a food processor or with a hand held chopper.

Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract in place of 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract if desired.

How to Make These Butter Ball Cookies

Preheat oven to 325 ° F

Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer on medium speed. You can also use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment as well

Add in the water and vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Then add flour and mix on low speed until flour is just mixed in, making sure to scape down the sides of the bowl..

Add the chopped nuts and gently stir to combine.

Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours

Using a cookie scoop, scoop dough into your hand and roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown.

After baking, transfer to a wire rack and cool for 5-10 minutes.

Place the confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl or plastic bag. Roll each baked cookie ball in the powdered sugar while they are still a little warm. Then place them on a sheet of parchment paper .

Roll in the powdered sugar again for a second time after they have completely cooled to generous coat the outside of the cookies.

How to Store?

Store in an airtight container for up to 5-6 days.

Can snowball cookie dough be frozen?

Yes, you can place the cookie dough in a freezer bag and freezer for up to one month. The entire ball of dough can be frozen or roll the cookie balls and then freeze them. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature prior to baking.

Freeze snowball cookies after baking as well. Once they have thawed completely, roll them in powdered sugar again to freshen them up.

The Best Snowball Cookies Recipe (2)

Try these other easy Holiday treats too:

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Easy Peppermint Bark

Raspberry Pecan Pinwheel Cookies

Easy Oreo Balls Recipe

Classic Snickerdoodle Cookies

The Best Snowball Cookies Recipe (3)

Old Fashioned Snowball Cookies

These easy Snowball Cookies are a buttery shortbread cookie with pecans that will literally melt in your mouth

5 from 51 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Chill dough: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 48

Calories: 81kcal

Author: Sherri Hagymas

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter salted 2 sticks, softened
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoon water optional
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all purpose flour sifted
  • 1 cup pecans chopped
  • ½ cup confectioners Sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 ° F

  • Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and cream with an electric mixer. You can also use a stand mixer.

  • Add in the vanilla extract and water and mix until combined.

  • Then add flour and mix thoroughly.

  • Add the chopped nuts and gently stir to combine.

  • Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours

  • Roll the chilled dough into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.

  • Bake for 20 minutes.

  • After baking, transfer to a wire rack and cool for 5-10 minutes.

  • Then roll in confectioner's sugar.

Notes

Used chopped walnuts, almonds, or any type of nut you’d like to use.

Add ⅓ cup of mini chocolate chips if desired.

Add ½ cup cocoa powder for a chocolate version.

Add 1 teaspoon of almond extract in place of 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract if desired.

Tips:

Chop nuts in a food processor or with a hand held chopper.

Make them with no nuts if you’d like.

Dough is very dense after adding flour.

Keeping the dough cool is important to the cookies staying nice and round.

Place the dough back in the refrigerator between batches.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ball | Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 33mg | Potassium: 16mg | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 120IU | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutritional Disclosure

Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

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The Best Snowball Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my snowball cookie dough crumbly? ›

Not enough fat

If your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly, it might not have enough fat. This is a common problem with recipes that use all-purpose flour. To fix this, you can add more fat to the dough. This can be in the form of butter, shortening, or even olive oil.

Why are my snowball cookies going flat? ›

Why do my snowball cookies go flat? These snowball cookies should not flatten. If they do it's likely the dough wasn't chilled long enough and the ingredients were too warm to begin with so they spread. It's also possible you accidentally measured the ingredients incorrectly!

How long can you store snowball cookies? ›

How Long Do Pecan Snowball Cookies Last? Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days. Freeze for up to three months for longer storage.

How to get powdered sugar to stick to cookies? ›

Place the cookies on wire racks to cool completely. The confectioners' sugar will melt a bit and get sticky; that's ok. Once the cookies have completely cooled, roll in confectioners' sugar again. This is when the sugar will really stick.

What can I add to cookie dough to make it less crumbly? ›

To avoid this, try using as little flour as possible while preparing to roll your dough. Dry – “Dry” or “Crumbly” dough is a product of over-mixing or using too much of any ingredient during the mixing process. This can be reversed by adding one to two tablespoons of liquid (water, milk or softened butter) to your mix.

Why do my cookies come out flat and hard? ›

Over-mixing the dough can cause the cookies to become dense and flat. Box mixes often come with specific instructions on how to properly mix the dough to achieve the desired texture. Butter temperature: The temperature of the butter used in the recipe can also affect the texture of the cookies.

How do you keep homemade cookies from going flat? ›

If your cookies come out of the oven looking flat, you may not have adequately chilled the dough before baking. Chilling times may vary depending on the cookie you're making, but you should typically chill cookie dough in the refrigerator for at least two hours before you pop it in the oven.

Can you freeze cookies that are rolled in powdered sugar? ›

You can freeze filled cookies, such as thumbprint cookies and cookies that are coated in powdered sugar, such as Mexican wedding cookies either after they are baked or freeze the cookie dough.

Does freezing cookies keep them fresh? ›

Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months.

What happens if I use powdered sugar instead of regular sugar in cookies? ›

You'll end up with a grainy, unappealing texture. Lastly, store-bought powdered sugar generally includes corn starch, which prevents it from caking together. This can lead to unpredictable outcomes when you interchange the two.

Is it better to roll sugar cookies on flour or powdered sugar? ›

Use powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough: if you're like me and use every bit of your dough, I recommend using powdered sugar instead of flour to roll your dough. When I use flour it adds too much flour to the dough and makes it drier.

Is it better to use powdered sugar or granulated sugar in sugar cookies? ›

Powdered sugar has a much finer texture and a higher cornstarch content, which can absorb moisture and lead to a drier, crumbly cookie texture. If you use powdered sugar in place of granulated sugar, you'll likely end up with cookies that are more cake-like and less chewy.

What makes a cookie more crumbly? ›

There are several reasons why the cookies may have become dry and crumbly but the two most likely are that either the cookies were baked for too long or too much flour was added to the dough. The cookie should be baked only until the edges are slightly golden and the top looks a little wrinkled.

Why is my dough crumbly? ›

Too much flour and not enough water can cause crumbly bread – people often do this if the dough is too sticky and they add more flour rather than kneading through it. Other culprits can be overproving or not kneading enough – the things you need to do to get a good structure.

Why are my cookies so crumbly after baking? ›

Too much flour = crumbly cookies

If you don't want to measure by weight, try sifting your flour first and scooping flour into your measuring cup with a spoon, and don't pack it down into the cup. If all else fails, try reducing the amount of flour in the recipe by 10%.

Can you bake crumbly cookie dough? ›

Add more liquid

To fix dry and crumbly cookie dough by adding more liquid, start slowly by mixing in one extra teaspoon at a time. Add more of whatever liquid is in the original recipe, be it water, eggs, or milk (for example). Stop before it gets wet or too sticky and rest it before baking.

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