These simple, sweet and crumbly cookies are a holiday favorite! Whether you know them as pecan balls, Russian tea cakes, snow balls or Mexican wedding cookies, you should definitely give them a try.
Welcome to my last Christmas cookie blog post of the season! Pecan balls are one of my favorites because they seem to perfectly round out my holiday cookie platter. I have chocolate and peanut butter covered with my Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls, I have rich spices and sweetness covered with my Molasses Cookies, I have simple but festive butter cookies covered with Spritz Cookies, and I have the addictive cinnamon and sugar combo covered with Cinnamon Mounds.
My mom has been making this recipe for Christmas for as long as I can remember, so for me here is a lot of nostalgia packed into each bite of these pecan balls. They are so buttery and just melt in your mouth! The powdered sugar coating adds just the right amount of sweetness, and the crunch of the pecans gives the perfect texture.
So what better way to round off the Christmas cookie season than with a delicate, crumbly, buttery pecan ball? These cookies contain only 6 total ingredients and are tossed in a generous layer of powdered sugar. Now let’s dive in to the recipe. Happy Baking!
Pecan Balls
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup pecans finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Cookie Topping
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy (1-2 minutes).
- Add vanilla and salt. Mix until combined.
- Add flour, ½ cup at a time. Mix until combined.
- Add chopped nuts. Mix until combined.
- Lightly grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper and prepare 1 cup of powdered sugar in a separate bowl. Set aside.
- Roll dough into 1-1½ inch balls and lightly press on to prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes or until bottoms are light brown.
- Immediately toss warm cookies in powdered sugar and place on cooling rack.
- Let cool completely before storing them so that the powdered sugar doesn't melt.
Colleen says
Thank you! All your recipes are so easy to follow 🤩😍
Jackie says
Thank you so much! 🙂