These 5 ingredient toasted pecan snowball cookies are such an easy Christmas cookie to make and have a delicious nutty flavor and practically melt in your mouth. The extra step of toasting the pecans really brings out the best flavor, and then coating the cookies with powdered sugar gives them a beautiful sweet note, all around, these are one of my favorite Christmas cookies!
This week is all about Christmasy and holiday goodness: Graham cracker houses with a glue that dries super quickly, cocktails, sugar cut-out-cookies that hold their shape, and now these toasted pecan snowballs. Life is good!
And only 5 ingredients? You know what that means…they’re definitely perfect for my 5 Ingredient Friday series…but it’s a Thursday…but you’ll forgive me because we’re talking about cookies and it’s the holidays, right? And I have a super delish recipe coming tomorrow as well.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, I need to know: have you ever had a snowball cookie before? I think these were always a staple when making Christmas cookies. They’re just so easy! You literally toast the pecans, run them through a food processor, mix the other ingredients together, create balls, bake them, then coat them with powdered sugar and viola, you’re done!
The only hard part about these cookies is making sure you don’t eat them all before letting others enjoy them. This may or may not have happened at my house. I made these cookies and ate 1 (ok, fine, you got me, I ate 3-I have no self control around these bad boys) and then packaged up the rest to send to friends. I was showing my husband the pictures of these, and he goes “hey, when did you make those?” Oooops! Guess I know what I’ll be making this weekend!
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Butter 1 stick at room temperature
- 1 1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar 1/4 cup for cookie batter, 1 cup for coating
- 1 tsp Water
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 Cup Flour
- 3/4 Cup Pecans toasted and crushed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and toast the pecan halves for 5 minutes or until they become fragrant and toasted.
- Remove pecans from oven and then pour them into a food processor and pulsate until they are a fine and no big chunks remain.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and powdered sugar, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the water and vanilla, mix again.
- Add the crushed pecans and four to the bowl of the stand mixer and slowly mix together. The dough will be crumbly, just take pieces of dough and form into balls with your hands and then place on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes - or until bottom edges start to brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes, then drop them gently in a little bowl with powdered sugar and coat them. Place them back on a lined baking sheet and allow to cool, then enjoy!
Rajonda says
Can these be made gluten free?
Sweetphi says
Great question, yes! I’d recommend using Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
happyflpanhandle says
It’s two days after Christmas, and me & my girls finally made your recipe “Pecan Snowballs” together. It’s so much fun & easy clean-up too! I really like how low sugar they are. Pecans make it seem southern :)) I am part Russian & I do remember a similar cookie recipe from when I was younger I would make them with my sister. But this recipe is definitely easier and the toasted pecans make it yummy! My husband liked them! We didn’t roll the cookies enough before baking them so they kind of crumbled when we bit into them. All good! 🙂
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for your comment, it totally made my day! With the toasted pecans isn’t it just absolutely amazing? Happy holidays 🙂
Rachel @ Bakerita says
I used to make these all the time, but with almonds! They’re sooo delicious and buttery, you totally have me craving them!
Sweetphi says
Oh yum, these snowballs made with almonds sound great, I’ll have to try that! 🙂
Karis says
These are made every Christmas in my family (where they’re known as Russian Tea Cakes, it’s funny how the same cookie can have so many different names) but with walnuts instead of pecans. When my brother got married he switched to pecans, presumably due to his wife’s family traditions and my dad shakes his head every year when he tastes them which always cracks me up 🙂
Sweetphi says
Oh that’s so fun that these have different names and can be made with different nuts. I’m totally going to try these with walnuts 🙂
Susan Holdman says
Just read your recipe for pecan snowball cookies and they look so good! Thank you! I have many food allergies and can’t find a really good cookie recipe that does not have allergens, milk, or eggs. I just made chocolate chip cookies and they are runny with lumps and taste awful. You are a great cook!
Sweetphi says
Thank you so much for your comment Susan, if you can eat these, I think you’d absolutely love them!
Jennifer @ Show Me the Yummy says
Oh my gosh! These remind me so much of my mom’s recipe for log cookies (her family is Norwegian), except we use cocoa powder in there, too! These look fantastic, Phi! 🙂
Sweetphi says
Oh my goodness, I could totally see cocoa in these as well, I definitely have to find that recipe and try it out! Thanks for commenting girl!
Lynn Lovejoy says
I totally forgive you for posting this on a Thursday because these look absolutely scrumptious! You really do make the best cookies ever.
Sweetphi says
You’re so sweet, thank you! And thank you for pardoning my posting on a Thursday instead of a Friday lol 😉
Meg @ The Housewife in Training Files says
Snowball cookies are perfect for the holidays! My hubby loves the pecans and I love the powdered sugar. Match made in heaven 🙂
Sweetphi says
These snowball cookies are a match made in heaven lol, they just melt in your mouth!