Melt-In-Your-Mouth Pecan Snowball Cookies

This pecan snowball cookie recipe is your new holiday go-to. Made with buttery goodness, a touch of sugar, all-purpose flour, and perfectly toasted pecans, these cookies burst with rich nutty flavor. Using a food processor speeds things up so you’ll have dough ready in a flash. After baking, rolling the cookies in powdered sugar gives them that classic snowball look—just perfect for Christmas celebrations.

This cookie starts as a classic shortbread with just flour, butter, and sugar. Then toasted pecans come in to give it that extra special crunch and flavor. If you adore pecans as much as I do, you’re going to fall hard for these little treats.

I’m not sure where these cookies originally come from, but you might know them as Mexican wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes, or simply snowballs. You can swap out pecans for walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds if you want. And if you want to switch things up, try my Peppermint Snowball cookies with crushed candy canes or Lemon Snowball cookies for a fresh twist.

These were a staple in my childhood Christmas baking, as my mom made them every year. We loved how she coated them in all that powdered sugar—it made them extra special.

Want even more cookie ideas for your holiday spread? Give my classic shortbread cookies, cranberry orange cookies, or brown sugar pecan cookies a try—they’re family favorites!

Baking Tip: Rolling your cookies in powdered sugar while they’re still warm helps the sugar partially melt onto the cookie, creating a sticky surface. This sticky layer makes the second sugar coat stick beautifully, making your cookies perfectly dusted and irresistible.

Here’s Why You’ll Love These Cookies

• Simple to Make: Only 6 ingredients and a few minutes in the kitchen—that’s it! These cookies are perfect when you’re busy but want to treat your family.
• Beautiful & Festive: The snowy powder sugar coating and buttery flavor will make your cookie platter shine this holiday season.
• Totally Addictive: That combo of buttery shortbread, crunchy pecans, and sweet powdered sugar will have you sneaking more than one—I won’t judge!
• Great for Gifting: Sending cookies to friends, family, or coworkers? These pecan snowball cookies are both pretty and durable for gift boxes or tins.

Pecan Snowball Cookie Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to whip up a batch of these festive cookies:

• Unsalted Butter: This forms the rich, tender base of your cookie dough. Using butter at room temperature helps it blend easily with the sugar and flour.
• Powdered Sugar: Also called confectioners’ sugar, this sweetens the dough and is the key to that classic snowball coating. We’ll roll the cookies twice in this for the best look and taste.
• Pecans: Use raw pecans and toast them yourself for the freshest, most flavorful nuts. Pre-toasted pecans can sometimes taste dry or even a bit burnt, so I always recommend toasting at home. Give a quick taste before you start to make sure they’re fresh and not rancid.

Full ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

How to Make Pecan Snowball Cookies

This recipe shines when using a food processor, but don’t worry if you don’t have one—you can also use a stand mixer. The recipe card includes directions for both.

Don’t have pecans on hand? No problem! You can swap them cup-for-cup with walnuts, hazelnuts, or pistachios. Each brings its own unique twist.

Step 2: Pop the butter, powdered sugar, and salt into your food processor bowl.

Step 3: Process everything until creamy and smooth—this creamy mixture is a key to tender cookies.

Step 4: Add the flour and pulse a few times until the dough looks like big breadcrumbs or small peas—that’s just right for that tender texture.

Step 5: Add your chopped pecans and pulse until the dough begins to pull together and form a ball.

Step 7: Scoop or shape your cookie dough into balls, place them on a parchment-lined sheet, and pop them into the fridge for at least 2 hours. This step is key for the cookies to hold their shape while baking.

Baking Tip: You can freeze the cookie dough balls straight from the baking sheet too. Just freeze for 24 hours, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag. These will keep for up to 2 months and you can bake them straight from frozen—no thawing needed. Talk about convenient!

When you’re ready to bake, just place the frozen cookies on a baking sheet and bake as directed—easy as that.

Step 8: Heat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Arrange the cookies on a lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, then bake for 10-12 minutes until the bottoms are just starting to get that pretty golden brown edge.

Step 9: As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, gently roll them in powdered sugar while they’re still warm but cool enough to handle. Place them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 10: Once cooled, roll the cookies again in powdered sugar for that perfect snowy finish.

How to Store the Cookies

Room Temperature: Keep your cookies fresh by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay lovely for up to 3 weeks. If you’re prepping ahead for gifting or a party, you can even reroll them in powdered sugar a few hours before serving so they look fresh and snowy.

Pro Tips for Success

• Weigh Your Ingredients: Using a kitchen scale for flour and sugar gives you consistent and perfect results. Too much flour can dry out your cookies, while too little can make them spread too thin.
• Room-Temperature Butter is Key: Butter should be soft but not melting (about 65-68°F). If it’s too warm, your dough won’t hold up well and cookies can spread too much during baking.
• Double Coat the Sugar: Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar first to create a sticky layer. Then, once the cookies cool, roll them again. This seals in that gorgeous white powder that makes snowball cookies so special.

If you give these pecan snowball cookies a try, I’d love to hear how they turned out! Please leave a rating and share your thoughts or tips in the comments below.

This Pecan snowball cookie recipe is a classic Christmas cookie.  Made with butter, sugar, flour, and toasted pecans, these cookies have a delicious buttery nutty flavor.  Treat yourself and your family to this yummy holiday cookie.