It’s almost the middle of December and there’s hardly any snow in these parts. I always grew up having snow on Christmas, so I want it so snow! Luckily for me, we can make our own snow with these snowball cookies.
This is another one of these classic Christmas cookie recipes. They’re also called Mexican wedding cookies. But hey, we’ll call them snowball cookies for the sake of the holidays.
It’s not hard to see why these are called snowball cookies. They’re made with a super basic shortbread dough with some pecans mixed in. But man, oh man! These are so, so tasty. I love these little cookies. They’re perfect for Christmas cookie platters, neighbor plates, and even coworker treats. I bet Santa would even love these, too!
First, you start by creaming together the butter and the powdered sugar. You’ll want to mix this together for a minute or two, then you can add in the vanilla, then flour, salt and nuts. After they’re shaped and rolled into balls, you just pop them into the oven for a few minutes. Once they’re out and cooled off a bit, you roll them in powdered sugar twice. Yep, that’s right. They get a double dip in the powdered sugar. Mmmm!
These cookies melt in your mouth and are such a treat this time of year. One thing to note is that my recipe uses two cups of pecans. If that’s a little too many nuts for your taste, go ahead and reduce the amount by half or even a whole cup. Just keep in mind, however, that the cookie yield will be less.
I hope you enjoy these snowball cookies, and I hope your Holiday season is going great!

Snowball Cookies
These classic holiday cookies are perfect for this time of year!
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups toasted and finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
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Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 325 F.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and 1/2 cup of powdered sugar for about 2 minutes until creamy. Scrape bowl then add salt, flour, and pecans and mix until just combined and no dry flour remains.
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Scoop dough with tablespoon scoop into 1-inch balls and roll into ball. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the bottom of the balls are very lightly browned. Allow cookies to cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then remove onto a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar. Once finally cool, roll again in the powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!