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Best Snowball Cookies

These snowball cookies are soft, buttery treats that melt in your mouth. This is my grandmother's recipe, which she made for years. With a rich, nutty flavor from finely chopped pecans and a sweet white coating from confectioners' sugar, these delicious cookies are perfect for the holidays!
Print Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Snack
Cuisine eastern europe
Servings 60 people
Calories 3805.6 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Electric Mixer Stand mixer or hand mixer
  • 1 Large Mixing Bowl
  • 2 Baking Sheets Ungreased
  • 1 Wire Racks For cooling cookies
  • 1 Shallow Bowl For rolling in powdered sugar

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup very finely chopped pecans
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ⅓ cup powdered sugar or more as needed

Instructions
 

  • Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Beat butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Gradually mix in flour, pecans, and salt until completely incorporated. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Roll dough into walnut-sized balls and place 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Bake in the preheated oven until bottoms are light golden brown but tops are still pale, 12 to 15 minutes. (Try not to let cookies get too brown: it's better to undercook them than to overcook them.) Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Remove cookies from the oven and let sit on the baking sheets briefly before removing to wire racks. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Place 1/3 cup powdered sugar in a shallow bowl; roll hot cookies in sugar to coat, then return to the wire racks to cool. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Once cooled, roll cookies in the powdered sugar once more. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios

Notes

Ensure butter is properly softened but not melted to achieve the ideal creamy texture when beaten. Finely chopping the pecans is crucial; large pieces can make the cookies crumbly. Do not overmix the flour once added, as this can develop gluten and lead to tough cookies. The key to these 'melt-in-your-mouth' snowballs is careful baking—watch for just a hint of golden on the bottom, keeping the tops pale to retain their tender quality. The double rolling in confectioners' sugar is essential for that signature snowy appearance and enhanced sweetness; roll the second time when completely cool for a thick, stable coating.