Easy Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies (Mexican Wedding Cookies)

Known by other popular names depending on the region, such as Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, Swedish tea cakes, polvorones, southern pecan butterballs, snowdrops, Viennese sugar balls, sand tarts and sometimes Italian wedding cookies, these nutty and buttery snowball cookies are round and bite-sized then rolled in powdered sugar so that they look like actual snowballs!

The origin of these cookies is not really known, but some historians believe that they were first made in the Middle East or Eastern Europe because of their high nut to flour ratio. They might have traveled to the U.S. by way of immigrants from Eastern Europe or Mexico. Regardless, cookies like these are still made in countries across the world today and are especially popular for weddings and the November and December holidays.

Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies are easy to make, delicious, and freeze well. If you don’t count the time that the dough chills in the fridge, you can have a batch ready in about 50 minutes. You can’t beat that! And, they’re perfect for adding to holiday tins because you can store them at room temperature.

Since the baked cookies are coated twice in powdered sugar, the cookie dough itself is not very sweet. The first coating of sugar happens right after the cookies come out of the oven when they are still quite hot, allowing the powdered sugar to stick. As they cool, this first layer of powdered sugar becomes very sticky. . This stickiness is what makes the second coating of powdered sugar cling on to the rich cookies and coat them fully.

These old fashioned buttery pecan snowball cookies are, quite honestly, irresistible. Once you try them at holiday time, you’ll soon realize that they are a perfect all-year-long cookie.

Here are the ingredients we will be using to make these easy Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies:

• Butter: Both salted or unsalted butter work. Butter gives the cookie richness and a buttery, tender crumb. The butter should be softened at room temperature before starting the recipe. Do not use margarine in this recipe as it will not create the same buttery cookie flavor and texture.
• Powdered Sugar (a.k.a., confectioner’s or 10x sugar): There is a small amount of (sifted) sugar in the cookie batter to sweeten it. Most of the sugar come into play when it is time to roll the just baked, hot cookies in the powdered sugar until they are coated thoroughly. Do not use regular sugar in this recipe as it will not give the cookies the right texture.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances the flavor of the cookies. Feel free to switch this out for almond extract if you prefer that flavor.
• Flour (sifted): The base of the cookie dough. Use all-purpose flour and measure it precisely by sweeping the top of the cup with a flat edge.
• Pecans:The nuts need to be chopped finely and should be in very small pieces for nutty bits throughout the cookies. If the nut pieces are too large, the cookies will be crumbly, so be sure to chop them pretty finely. Buy them finely chopped or pulse them a few times in the food processor. I often purchase finely chopped nuts if I am short on time. There’s no need to toast the pecans, but you certainly can if you prefer.
• Salt: Almost all baked good need a little bit of salt to balance the flavors.

To make these butter pecan snowball cookies, you’ll need the following:

• Measuring cups and spoons
• Food processor (optional, to chop nuts)
• Multiple bowls to hold prep
• Stand mixer
• Rubber spatula
• Cookie/baking sheet or sheet pan
• Parchment paper
• Oven mitts

More Great Recipes to Try

Sicilian Cheesecake with Ricotta, Orange and Almond

Anise Pizzelle Recipe (Classic Italian Wafer Cookies)

Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt and Nuts

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Easy Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies (Mexican Wedding Cookies)

Michele

Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies are beautiful, delicate and full of rich, buttery pecan flavor. Dusted in powdered sugar, they are such a great holiday treat and one of the easiest cookies you can make. Your cookie platter will not be complete without these melt-in-your-mouth cookies!

4.24 from 26 votes

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Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting/Chill Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Servings 80 cookies

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 cup softened butter at room temperature (2 sticks) + more for greasing pan
• ½ cup sifted powdered/confectioner’s/10x sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour (sifted)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cups finely chopped pecans
• 2-3 cups powdered/confectioner’s/10x sugar or as needed for coating the cookies

Instructions

 

• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350℉. Prep and gather all ingredients.
• Chop the nuts by pulsing them in a food processor if you have not purchased them pre-chopped. The nuts need to be chopped finely and should be in very small pieces for nutty bits throughout the cookies.
  2 cups finely chopped pecans
• Lightly grease a cookie sheet or sheet pan with butter. Alternatively, line it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• Place the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and cream them together using a paddle attachment until they are well-combined. (You can also use a hand blender.)
  1 cup softened butter, ½ cup sifted powdered/confectioner’s/10x sugar
• Add the vanilla extract, then mix in the flour and salt and blend well. Next, stir in the chopped nuts on low until incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  2 tsp vanilla extract, 2 cups flour, ¼ tsp salt, 2 cups finely chopped pecans
• Transfer the batter to a bowl and chill it in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for at least two hours and up to 12 hours.
• When ready to bake, remove the batter from the refrigerator. Scoop and shape the cookie dough into small round balls (about 1” diameter each), pressing the dough together in your hands. The dough is quite crumbly so you will need to press the dough into balls to hold a round shape instead of just rolling them between your palms as in forming a meatball. Place the formed balls onto the greased or parchment-lined sheet pan or cookie sheet about ½” apart. As there is no baking soda or powder in the batter, the cookies will not expand or rise while baking, so they can be placed close to each other on the pan.
• Spread out 1 to 2 cups powdered sugar on a sheet pan so that is it ready to be used to coat the hot cookies.
  2-3 cups powdered/confectioner’s/10x sugar
• Transfer the pan of raw cookies to the middle rack in a 350℉ preheated oven for about 15 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
• Roll cookies in powdered sugar: As soon as the cookies are removed from the oven, carefully pour them into the powdered sugar in the sheet pan and shake the pan back and forth so that they become coated in the sugar. Use a spoon or a spatula to help this process along. The cookies are very hot, so be careful if you try to use your hands for this! Be sure that the cookies get coated completely in the powdered sugar. Add more sugar as needed. Transfer the sugar-coated cookies back to the baking sheet.
• Allow cookies to cool completely, then roll them again in powdered sugar before serving or storing. Remove excess powdered sugar, then store cookies in a cookie tin. They will stay fresh for about one week at room temperature, if they are around that long!

Notes

• Either salted or unsalted butter can be used.
• If the nut pieces are too large, the cookies will be crumbly, so be sure to chop them pretty finely. Buy nuts finely chopped or pulse them a few times in the food processor. I often purchase finely chopped nuts if I am short on time. There’s no need to toast the pecans, but you certainly can if you prefer.
• Use a small cookie scoop to measure out even sized balls. 
• Store cooled cookies at room temperature for up to one week. I generally store my cookies in tins and not plastic as I feel they hold their crispiness better and will not become as soft as if they were stored in plastic containers.
• If you are making the cookies one to two weeks or more in advance of Christmas, I suggest freezing either the finished cookies or the unbaked dough. The finished snowball cookies can be frozen for up to three months in an airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to enjoy, thaw them at room temperature and roll them in a little powdered sugar again for the best presentation.
• You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough, ideally pre-portioned into balls. Simply roll out the dough into balls, then place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan so that they are not touching each other. Place the sheet pan in the freezer until the balls are frozen, then transfer the frozen balls to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, place the cookies on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and let them thaw as the oven preheats. Proceed with the recipe from here. The frozen cookies may require an additional minute or two of baking time.

 

Recipe by Mangia With Michele. Please visit my site for more great cooking inspiration!

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