Delightfully buttery and tender, Snowball Cookies hold a special place as my favorite treat. This cherished recipe, once prepared alongside my grandmother during my childhood, now serves as a nostalgic link to the past. Fond memories arise of her welcoming, cozy kitchen, where together we meticulously prepared these delectable cookies (that she called Sand Tarts). While she expertly mixed the ingredients, I took charge of scooping, rolling, and positioning the dough onto the awaiting baking sheets. Once they were out of the oven, together we rolled each cookie in powdered sugar, creating a sweet, snowy coating.
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What are Pecan Sandies or Snowball Cookies with Pecans?
September 21st is National Pecan Cookie Day! My absolute favorite pecan cookies are my maternal grandmother’s Sand Tarts (also known as Powdered Sugar Cookies or Pecan Snowball Cookies) – scrumptious butter cookies filled with chopped pecans and rolled in powdered sugar. With only 6 ingredients, these tasty morsels are super easy to prepare, and packed with flavor.
Once you take your first bite, you’ll close your eyes with delight as it immediately melts in your mouth. Then, as if by magic, the texture immediately changes with a bit of crunch from the pecans. Powdery sugar will inevitably stay on your fingers, begging you to lick it off. Next you’ll have to have another one, and maybe one more . . .
Many Names for these Powdered Sugar Cookies
When I posted my Grandmother’s Sand Tarts recipe on social media, I quickly learned two things: one, these cookies are super popular! And two, they have dozens of different names. In fact, here is a sampling of the other names people told me they call these scrumptious cookies:
- Snowball Cookies
- Powdered Sugar Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Pecan Sandies
- Wedding Cookies
- Mexican Wedding Cookies
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- Danish Wedding Cookies
- Butterballs
- Melting Moments
- Nutty Buddies
- Russian Tea Cakes
Ingredients in Pecan Snowball Cookies
You only need 6 ingredients to create these delectable cookies (details including quantities are in the recipe card below):
- All-purpose flour, preferably unbleached
- Table salt
- Powdered (confectioners’) sugar, divided
- Salted butter
- Vanilla extract
- Chopped pecans, toasted
How to Make Snowball Cookies
These cookies are surprisingly easy to prepare. Here are the steps:
- Soften butter.
Remove butter from refrigerator and let set at room temperature until soft. When you pinch the sides of the butter stick, it should feel soft and make an indentation. If you are short on time, you can soften in the microwave, 30 seconds at at time at 30% power (look in your instruction manual if you don’t know how to set the power to 30%). - Toast the pecans.
Coarsely chop shelled pecans. Spread evenly (in one layer) on a rimmed cookie sheet and toast in a 350 degree oven for around 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until fragrant and lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. - Combine dry ingredients.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and 1/2 cup of the sugar. If you don’t have a sifter, you can use a fine mesh strainer. Sift it a second time. Set aside. - Combine butter and sugar.
Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and vanilla just until the butter is soft. - Finish making the batter.
With the machine on low, slowly add the flour mixture, beating until incorporated and the dough is starting to hold together. Stir in chopped pecans.If you don’t have a paddle attachment for your electric mixer, work the butter and vanilla into the flour mixture by hand until all the flour is incorporated (this is how Grandma did it!). Stir in chopped pecans.
- Prepare cookies for baking.
Using a small spring-release ice cream scoop (around 1 inch in diameter), scoop the dough into balls, pressing down to ensure the dough is staying together, and place around 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets. - Cook.
Bake cookies for around 12 to 15 minutes or until just lightly brown. - Cool, then roll cookies in sugar (twice).
Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet until lukewarm, around 5 minutes. Roll warm cookies in remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and place on a wire rack. Once completely cool, roll cookies a second time. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
“So delicious. Just like the picture.”
K wright
Variations on this recipe for Snowball Cookies
- Substitute 1/2 cup chocolate chips (or toffee chips) for all the pecans.
- Substitute 1/4 cup chocolate chips (or toffee chips) for 1/4 cup of the pecans.
- Substitute 1/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder for 1/4 cup of the flour.
- Add 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
- Stir around 1/4 to 1/2 cup finely ground peppermint candies into the 1 cup powdered sugar before rolling the cookies.
I store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
Yes, these cookies freeze extremely well, before or after baking.
To freeze before baking: Follow the recipe through the step of scooping out the dough into balls and placing on a cookie sheet. Freeze until hard (no need to cover), then remove and place in a zip top freezer baggie. When ready to bake, remove from freezer and place on greased cookie sheet around 1-inch apart and follow recipe directions for baking, adding a few more minutes to cook time of not thawed.
To freeze after baking: Completely cool cookies; do not roll in powdered sugar. Place in a single layer on a cookie sheet and freeze until hard. Place in a zip top freezer baggie. To thaw, remove cookie from baggie and place in a single layer on a cookie sheet at room temperature. Once thawed, roll in powdered sugar.
More Favorites from A Well-Seasoned Kitchen
Pecan Snowball Cookies (Inspired by Grandma Clayton’s Sand Tarts)
These cookies are the perfect dessert for any outdoor BBQ or picnic because you won’t have to worry about them melting the second they’re outside.
Prep Time: 25 mins
Rolling in sugar: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 1/2 to 3 dozen 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, preferably unbleached
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
- 1/2 pound (1 cup or 16 tablespoons) salted butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease two large cookie sheets (or line with parchment paper).
- In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and 1/2 cup of the sugar. Sift ingredients together a second time. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and vanilla just until the butter is soft.
- With the machine on low, slowly add the flour mixture, beating until incorporated and the dough is starting to hold together. Stir in chopped pecans.
- Using a small spring-release ice cream scoop (around 1 inch in diameter), scoop the dough into balls, pressing down to ensure the dough is staying together, and place around 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until just lightly brown.
- Remove from oven and cool on cookie sheet until lukewarm, around 5 minutes. Roll warm cookies in remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar and place on a wire rack. Once completely cool, roll cookies a second time.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Note: If you don’t have a paddle attachment for your electric mixer, work the butter and vanilla into the flour mixture by hand until all the flour is incorporated (this is how Grandma did it!).
- Category: cookies, desserts, make ahead, picnics, potlucks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Various
Can you make a day ahead and refrigerator until time to bake?
I’ve never done that, but it should work.
So delicious. Just like the picture. Thank you for posting
You’re welcome. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed our recipe!
I don’t understand and 1/2 cup duvet twice so does that mean total 1 cup
Sorry for the confusion! It’s 1/2 cup sugar at that step. You sift all the ingredients listed in that step twice – twice applies to the number of times you sift, not the amount of sugar.
My son favorites cookies, Thank you for share de recipe.
You’re welcome!