Snowball cookies are a classic Christmas holiday cookie. A perfect little round, melt-in-your-mouth, buttery nut cookie.
About the Snowball Cookies
Christmas time means a lot of people are giving and receiving cookie treat boxes. What’s almost always in them? These easy snowball cookies! They are a classic Christmas holiday cookie. They have the perfect wintery look and they taste amazing… I could pop these in my mouth all day!
Snowball cookies are easy to make. Anyone baking for the first time can perfect these. They are fast and easy to make, taste great, and look great—they are perfect!
Snowball cookies have the hearts and stomachs of many. They go by many names though. They can also be called Mexican Wedding Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, and if using pecans, Pecan Sandies, and Pecan Butterballs. These are well-known cookies. This snowball cookie recipe is a classic.
Grab one of these, and powdered sugar coats your lips (and probably your hands too.) But that is the beauty of these cookies. The second you start chewing, they melt in your mouth. Their perfect little flavor becomes the highlight of your day. These have to be my favorite underrated Christmas cookies!
Snowball Cookies Recipe Tips
Why Are My Snowball Cookies Falling Apart?
If your snowball cookies are falling apart, it’s because the dough is too dry. This can be due to too much flour or overbaking the cookies. Try adding the flour a bit at a time until the dough comes together. The cookie dough should be pliable.
This recipe, if baked right, shouldn’t be crumbly. Weather conditions in every location are different. Some are more humid than others which plays a big factor in baked goods. Adjusting the flour to suit your local climate is the key to keeping these cookies melt-in-the-mouth.
As you eat the cookie, it should crumble a bit as you bite into it, but not to the point where the whole cookie is now in a sad pile on the ground.
Why Did My Snowball Cookies Flatten?
There are many factors that play a role in flat cookies. Over creamed butter and sugar, too little powdered sugar in the dough, too little flour in the dough, and even over mixed dough. Overmixing the dough allows more air into the cookie dough, which will deflate and flatten in the oven. Oven temperatures may also vary widely. Baking these cookies too low will also cause them to go flat. So what can you do?
Cream the butter and sugar for only 2 minutes or a little under.
Correctly measure the powdered sugar and flour. I packed the measuring cups for the flour and powdered sugar, then leveled the top. For best accuracy, we recommend weighing the ingredients.
Mix in the flour in parts, so that you can tell if the cookie dough is too dry or too wet.
Mix the dough until combined and stop once you can roll it into balls.
Check the temperature of your oven. It should be 400˚F for this recipe. Buy an inexpensive oven thermometer to ensure you are baking at the correct temperature.
If the cookie dough is for some reason too soft to form into balls, put the cookie dough in the fridge for a few minutes. Pull out once able to be formed into balls.
How Do You Make Powdered Sugar Stick to Cookies?
Roll the cookies when they are warm in the powdered sugar, and again once they have cooled. When they are first rolled while warm, the powdered sugar sticks and melts into the cookie, creating a softer outside, but also allowing more powdered sugar to stick to it. Rolling a second time when the cookies are cool gives them that iconic powdery look.
How to Tell When Snowball Cookies are Done?
The cookies should look lightly golden brown. Not too dark, not too light. If you are not sure, you can also use a spatula to lift up a cookie and look at the bottom. The bottom of the cookie should be a light golden brown. If it’s dark, it’s overbaked.
Snowball Cookies Recipe Ingredients
- Pecans – I love using pecans in these cookies, but you can substitute walnuts or almonds if you prefer. Whichever nut you choose, make sure they are finely chopped before adding to the dough.
- Powdered Sugar – The “snow” on the cookies is powdered sugar. I roll the cookies 2-3 times in powdered sugar to get a good coating on them. The first time rolling when they are warm causes the powdered sugar to melt into the cookie, and creates a softness and a good base for layering and sticking on the rest of the powdered sugar.
- Vanilla – I love to use Mexican vanilla extract! It’s my favorite.
- Butter – We use salted butter. But, if you only have unsalted butter, add an extra (scant) ½ teaspoon of salt to avoid undersalted cookies.
- All-purpose Flour – adds body to the dough. Any all-purpose flour works for these cookies.
- Salt – salt is the key to elevating any cookie recipe. I use fine sea salt.
How to Make Snowball Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- On a cutting board, finely chop the pecans.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar for 2-3 minutes. Not fully whipped, but a tad airier than usual creaming.
- Add the vanilla and stir until combined.
- Add the salt, flour, and chopped pecans. Mix together until completely combined and the dough is pliable.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop cookie dough balls into your hands. Roll the dough into small balls and place on a baking sheet, about 1.5-2 inches away from each other.
- Bake the cookies for 9-10 minutes, or until very lightly golden brown.
- Take the snowball cookies out of the oven and rest on the pan until they are warm. You don’t want to burn your hands… they just came out of a 400˚F oven!
- Take 1 cup of powdered sugar and place it into a bowl, for rolling.
- Let the cookies cool slightly until you are able to handle them. Pick them up and roll the snowball cookies in the powdered sugar until fully coated. Then place them on a wire cooling rack.
- Once the cookies are all cool, roll them again in powdered sugar once or twice more.
- Enjoy your snowball cookies!
I know you want to go make these snowball cookies now… so let’s go get your hands dirty with some sugar! If you haven’t tried these yet, just wait! I know they will be your favorite holiday cookie.
Looking for more delicious Christmas cookie recipes? Try these:
- M&M Christmas Pudding Cookies
- Chai Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Men Cookies
- Gingersnap Cookies
- Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies
Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies are a classic Christmas holiday cookie. A perfect little round, melt-in-your-mouth, buttery nut cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 C butter, softened
- ½ C powdered sugar
- 1 ½ t vanilla
- ½ t salt
- 1 ¾ C all-purpose flour
- 1 C pecans, chopped finely
- 1 C powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Chop the pecans finely and set them aside.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the vanilla and stir until combined.
- Add the salt and pecans. Then, add the flour a little at a time, to make sure that the dough isn’t becoming too dry. Mix, add the rest of the flour and repeat. Mix until completely combined and the dough is able to be formed into balls.
- Using a tablespoon, scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls into your hand and roll them into balls.
- Place them about 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
- Take the snowball cookies out of the oven and rest on the pan until they are warm and able to be touched without burning yourself.
- Place the 1 cup of powdered sugar in a bowl, for rolling.
- Set them on a cooling wire rack, and let them cool down. Once cool, roll them a second time in powdered sugar.
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