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Buttery pecan snowball cookies rolled in powdered sugar on a rustic wooden table

Snowball Cookies with Pecans: No-Chill Christmas Recipe

Snowball cookies with pecans are buttery two-bite cookies rolled twice in powdered sugar for a snowy finish. Six everyday ingredients, no chilling required — the old-fashioned Christmas cookie that's first to disappear from the tray.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 36 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar divided (1/2 cup for the dough, 1 cup for rolling)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup pecans finely chopped

Method
 

  1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Beat the butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar with an electric mixer until light and creamy, about 2 minutes; beat in the vanilla.
  3. Add the flour and salt and mix on low just until the dough comes together, then stir in the pecans. If it looks crumbly, press it together by hand.
  4. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls (about 36) and place 1 inch apart on the sheets.
  5. Bake both sheets at once for 14-16 minutes, rotating top to bottom halfway through, until set with barely golden bottoms. Cool on the sheets 10 minutes.
  6. Roll the warm cookies in the remaining 1 cup powdered sugar, cool completely on a rack, then roll once more in sugar.