Easy Christmas Pecan Balls
These snowball cookies are surprisingly easy to make. Pecans can be finely chopped or coarsely ground in a food processor and toasting them first makes all the difference. I could not find a way to make these with less butter, I tried! (RECIPE CAN BE DOUBLED) - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Makes: about 2 dozen
Ingredients:
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 stick butter (1/2 cup/4 ounces/113 g), softened (I use unsalted)
- 1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans (or coarsely ground)
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions:
- Put all ingredients except powdered sugar into a large bowl.
- Mix thoroughly by hand, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350Β° F. Roll cookies by hand into 1-inch balls.
- Place on ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheet an inch apart.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until set but not brown.
- Let stand on cookie sheet about 2 minutes, then gently roll each one gently in powdered sugar. Let cookies cool.
- Once they cool (15-20 minutes), roll again (gently) in powdered sugar. Store loosely covered.
To Toast Nuts: Place on ungreased baking pan and bake at 350Β° F for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye so they don't burn. Cool, then chop.
Want to Freeze Them? Click here to see how.
Thank you so much for this easy but delicious recipe! It has become a staple not just for Christmas but anytime!πͺ
Love it thanks so much You’re the best π₯°π₯°π₯°
I am thinking Kahlua instead of the vanilla. We called them Swedish Wedding Cookies. I think they are sort of universal and have all kinds of names and variations.
I am thinking Kahlua instead of the vanilla.
Hello Jenny,
I made these three times during the Christmas holidays and everyone was asking me to do more for the next family gathering. Thank you!! Love your energy and the work you do to make simple easy recipes for everyone to enjoyed!
Take it to another level….Try baking at 325 degrees for 30 minutes until bottoms are golden brown for a fabulous, melt-in-your-mouth texture and buttery taste!
Add cardamom ground to it. About a tea spoon and thank me later π. Thank you Jenny for making baking a fun thing. Always been intimidated by baking.
I love cardamon and that sounds amazing!!! Thank you!!
Love these. Would almond extract work as well?
Hello, I enjoyed making snow ball cookies. I enjoy watching you show us exactly how to make them. I am making tonight for my myself, husband and good friends who are coming over for Christmas tomorrow. I was laughing how you are eating the cookie and talking saying you want a cookies sorry they are all gone. I want to wish you a Happy & Healthy Xmas & New Year.
Laurna CalabreseβColuni 12/24/19
I followed the recipe exactly, but my dough was very crumbly and barely stuck together. Like very course beach sand. Now that they’re cooked, they’re extremely fragile. What on Earth did I do wrong?
I found that I could clutch the dough in my palm and the heat of my hand would soften the butter and allow me to compress it into a ball like shape. Not like working with Play Dough.
When butter marries pecans, only good can come of it. We call these “Russian Tea Cakes”. As easy as these are, I always go into slight panic mode over the powdered sugar ratios and the whole too hot/too cool dynamic with sugar not sticking if too cool and the 2nd roll of sugar gumming up because I didn’t let them cool before the second rolling and so end up rolling in too much sugar.
First roll, warm…second roll, cool…that’s the take away for me here!
I made them tonight, and realized the recipe has a few differences than Russian Teacakes…and I am going to say…THEY ARE BETTER!
Love and so easy to make with out breaking the bank. Thank you sooo much for sharing.
Merry Christmas
Thank u so much jenny,ur an awesome teacher, luv u always and much respect ππ,ur the best
Love U Jenny! For many years. β€
Make these snowballs just now in oven.
I luv them
Merry Christmas and thank you Beautiful β€οΈ
These Christmas cookies look so delicious and good.
I love these Christmas cookies they look so good
Thank you so much Jenny and that was actually Ava and yes I am going to well maybe make things I don’t know if I can. But thank you very much!!
Love your style! Can you dump stuff in a bowl? Of course I can-about the only thing I can do in the kitchen. These are yummy wonderful cookies. I am going to add chocolate chips to the walnuts for my next batch.
I love these cookies and always thought they would be too hard to make. I just tried them and it was sooo easy. They are delicious. Thank you!!!
I followed the directions how to make the Cookies,they came out hard?They went felt not round what did I do wrong?
Maybe you skipped the step of chilling them in the fridge?
Here is the Keto pecan bars that were a hit to the keto dieters here.
1/2 cup each of almond and coconut flour
4 oz or 1/2 cup softened butter OR 1/4 cup ea butter and cream cheese and one egg*
1 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
3 tbsp Xyla
1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
Powdered Xyla
* egg is needed to make ball less sandy. It might also make them more chewy.
Instructions:
1. Put all ingredients except powdered sugar into a large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly by hand, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350Β° F. Roll cookies by hand into 1-inch balls.
4. Place on ungreased or parchment-lined cookie sheet an inch apart.
5. Bake for 15 minutes or until set but not brown.
6. Let stand on cookie sheet about 10 minutes (the balls fall apart if touched in 2 minutes), then gently roll each one in powdered Xyla or your choice. Let cookies cool.
7. Once they cool (15-20 minutes), roll again (gently) in powdered sugar d substitute. . Store loosely covered.
To Toast Nuts: Place on ungreased baking pan and bake at 350Β° F for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye so they don’t burn. Cool, then chop.
Thanks so much for taking time to share this recipe. I also added it to the “Your Recipes” section of my blog. Merry Christmas! π
Jenny – you are awesome!!
I have been baking a few of your recipes and taking them into work. They are extremely popular with my colleagues. (I always share that I got the recipe from you!)
I would like a recipe like this using Sweetened Condensed Milk. I lost a recipe that I just loved.
Just made these with gluten-free flour and they came our perfect! They are so good! Thank you Jenny!
Can I make these with finely chopped maraschino cherries?
Can these be made with Almond flour or coconut flour?
It’s that ol’ Gluten thing. Yuck!
Have you tried Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour?
My sister has been quite happy with the results she has gotten with it.
See the keto recipe I posted
You are the cutest thing! My family has morphed into food snobs so I quit cooking. Since trying your recipes, I’m having some successes again! (My recipe box was lost when l had to move.) Anyway, you on are the best!!! Keep smiling!
My Grandma made the same cookie. She called them “Nothings”. She used what ever nut she had or what was given to her for free. Normally Black Walnut. This is a wonderful cookie.
I canβt wait to make these!!
I just love these there so easy to make thank you so much for the recipe please make some moreπππππππ
I made these today and when I picked them up to roll them, they fell apart. Any suggestions?
Did you use the right amount of unsalted butter? Important that itβs just left out to soften, not melted. And I chilled mine in a large zip lock bag shaped into a loaf when in the back. Easier to work with when itβs cold. Good luck!
You may have to bake them a bit longer.
If they don’t quite set up from baking them
They probably just need a bit more time in the oven.
The dough should be well chilled and then roll each one gently into a ball. Pressing them too hard when rolling might cause them to crumble. Also, follow the recipe exactly.
Jenny did mention to let them set for a minute or two after you take them out of the oven, so that they won’t fall apart. Perhaps this will help.
It was the ( raw) dough not holding together during the rolling process, before baking… not rolling them in the powdered sugar.
i just made this last night and also found the dough didn’t seem right. I wrapped it in plastic wrap and put in refrig for 40 min and it worked fine. I made a 2nd batch and worked the dough a little longer and the texture was better.
Let them cool longer I would say
This happend to me also, I believe they needed to cool more. After the first two broke and I had to eat them π, what I did was dusted them with powdered sugar, let them cool completely, then rolled them and they were fine……taste great too!!!!
Sounds like they’re too dry…you likely added too much flour or ground nuts, or not enough butter. That can happen with measuring cups, and spacing out. Also, did you maybe put the powdered sugar into the dough? That is meant for rolling baked cookies only….
Add one egg. OR, a few drops more of water or milk.
Could Almond flour substitute for the wheat flour 1 to 1?
Does anyone know if these can ge made without any nuts for soneine who is allergic to nuts?
I am also allergic to nuts. I would use pumpkin seeds, and some sesame seeds instead of the pecans. Toasted as well but probably not for as long. If you want to add another taste, use cranberries. I made a pumpkin seed and cranberry biscotti that everyone swore had nuts.
Yes! They absolutely can be made without nuts!
It’s how I make mine every year!
Whar Kind of gloves are you using?
I would like to have a receipe for embossed cookie
Are you talking about Springerle cookies? They are an anise/cardamum dough rolled out w/ special rolling pin that has reverse embossed designs that imprint the dough as you roll. Then you cut each into squares where the border edging is. My Mom made these 60-70 yrs ago.
I canβt wait to make these pecan cookies. I sent the recipe to my granddaughter. Like me, she likes cookies made with nuts.
I have made these for years and if you want to make them drop dead good, add a bag of Heath bits without the chocolate coating!!
Has anyone tried these with Gluten Free flour? If so how were they and which flour did you use?
I make these every Christmas. Mine are called pecan butter balls and when I make the dough into balls,I actually roll them in pecans as well as putting the pecans into the dough mix and then I cook mine for 25 min @325 degrees. It’s a hit with my family. βΊοΈ
One more thing,I DO NOT wrap these with plastic wrap nor put them in the fridge. There’s actually no need to do that. At least with my experience I didn’t and they always turn out so yummy.
YUM! I make these every year but this year I’m going to try this!
I have made these before but used 1/4 cop of wheat germ in place of 1/4 cup of the flour or 1/2 if you double the recipe. They are good no matter how you make them.
Love your videos and recipes. You are very entertaining! I think this is the recipe for Christmas cookies my mom used to make. She rolled them out differently. Iβm making them with my g-granddaughter soon.
Jenny;
Hi,wow your snowball cookies look so easy to make and I also just watched your video on how how make your cookies.I am going to copy down your snowball cookie recipe and I am going to make the cookies this christmas,and I will let you know how much i enjoy eating them as well as sharing them with my mom,niece and nephew and my friends.
Can I freeze these cookies after I bake them?
Kim
I made these at Christmas and you were right , they are so easy. Not to mention how DELICIOUS they are. Iβm making them again for Easter , one with pecans and trying one with walnuts…. We shall see who wins ! Ty ty ty
I make them this way using pecans, but my mom always use walnuts and they came out delicious,!
This recipe for Pecan Balls is my husbands favorite (and mine). I’ve tried a dozen versions and this is our favorite. Just made a batch for my husband’s bday. This was his only request. Thank you for the video. I’m not a great cook and every little tip helps. They always come out perfect.
I made about 13 different kinds of cookies this Christmas, these were, hands down, my very favorite!
These were fantastic!!!! Great tip to toast the nuts (it does make a big difference)! I made 1/2 of mine one day and the other half 2 days later and just kept the dough wrapped in the fridge. Your video was awesome and so easy to follow like all of your videos are. My husband said these were just like his Mom used to make.
Thanks Jenny!
These were so delicious! I took your advice…and ate most if them myself!
First time making theseFrosty Snowballsπwe had great fun and they tasted greatπdisappeared fastππ¨π¦
I made these for our Christmas luncheon. So easy and so delicious. I was inspired. My Mother used to make these every Christmas. Thank you for the video. Helped so much.These will be made throughout the year. I didn’t realize that you were “Jenny Jones”. Duh. I am going to try more recipes. Thank you so much.
Making these today for Christmas excited canβt wait going to make them right now
My mother-in-law made these but she used powdered sugar instead of granulated and crisco instead of butter. Have you used powdered sugar instead of the granulated sugar? I’m not sure of how much powdered sugar she used either. Of course, she definitely rolled in the powdered sugar, twice. Thank you.
This recipe is fabulous! Thank you for the tip on put the pecans in the oven first! Beautiful flavour!
This recipe looks mighty good, but can you substitute walnuts for the pecans?
I made those many times with walnuts or almonds and they were as good as the ones with pecans.
You can substitute any nut or seed.
I made these cookies for the first time today! Oh my goodness so delicious and so easy! Thank you so much for this great recipe. I have always like these cookies but never knew how easy it could be. Iβm making another batch tomorrow. I toasted the pecans too! Thank you so much Jennie! Really enjoy your cooking videos.
Fabulous, thank you for sharing!! I canβt wait to make these!!
If you are Alergic to nuts, can you use any liquid flavoring for them. ie: mint, peppermint, anise, etc. Thank you.
I am going to make these snowball cookies tonight! Love your videos Jenny! Even my kids like to watch!
Yes, Jennyβs videos are the greatest and most fun to watch! Thanks Jenny!
Chris Z.
Hi Jenny!
Wesolych Swiat!! Just made your snowball cookies and they came out great!
Do you have a recipe for Polish Kolaczki? When I make these, they puff up way too much and lose their pretty shape after baking. Would love to see a video of you making these!
Thank you!
Chris
made these with sunflower seeds aswell and tasted delicious. Everyone thought it was nuts.
made these last Christmas… they were delicious and so simple … making a double batch this year cuz they disappeared before I got to enjoy another one with a cup of tea after the day was done…
The dough would not come together…it is dry and crumbly. Should I add a tad of milk, maybe?
I’m not sure. What ingredients did you use? Please list them. Did you make any changes?
When I was young my mother made these but shaped them like little lady fingers. Our family hasn’t had them since she passed.I watched your video on YouTube. I’m making them tonight but I’m going shape them like yours. Thank You so much for sharing.
Merry Christmas !
These are fantastic and turned exactly as you showed in your video.
These are my favorite
Iam diabetic could I use almond flour and fake sugar. I love these cookies..ty so much.π πΌπ€Άπ»βοΈππ
I made a double batch of these exactly per Jenny’s instructions using toasted pecans which I then ground. They are perfection! Thanks, Jenny!
These turned out so delicate, with just the right amount of sweetness. Nice flavor from the pecans. They make a lovely gift! I made them vegan by using a dairy free, non-hydrogenated tub margarine straight from the refrigerator. Not exactly a health food but a great treat during the holiday season.
I used olive oil rather than butter since I have to watch my cholesterol so carefully. Worked very well.
Made these and came out perfect!! These will definitely be made again and again!!!
My daughter made this, and it was so yummy π. I wanted to keep it all for myself, but of course my grandkids wanted some too. Iβm saving your recipe so I can make them myself and share it with my sisters.
Thank you for the easy recipes!
All my family love it my cookie.
Hi Jenny, I love your channel and your way of showing it. it’s so easy to understand and encouraging. I bring food to church regularly for about 50 to 100 people so simple and easy recipes are important to me. In about 2 weeks, I will have to make Christmas cookies for about 75 perions. I checked different youtube postings and decided to try your pecan snowballs. Now my question is, since pecans are expensive, can I use walnuts instead?
For your information, I made your no-knead bread and cabbage rolls at Thanksgiving dinner for 11 people, everybody liked it with great comment.
This recipe has been handed down in my family for years and is always made with walnuts, not pecans. Delicious!!
Hi Jenny,
Certainly enjoyed your presentation and you humor!
I printed your recipe ,I thought, what I got was several pages
Of comments. A new printer so I guess Iβm out doing somthing right.
Cookies look delish!
I wrote the recipe out. Hope I do better with that.
Try using the “Print” button just below the photo.
Jenny
You are a HOOT! I Love to watch your videos and make your Yummy Desserts! I will definitely be making these for CHRISTMAS!
Please keep them coming!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
can you use margarine instead of butter
I looked this up copy/pasted it for you. Hope it help
When can I use margarine instead of butter? … In baking, melted margarine could work in recipes that call for melted butter, but in recipes that call for softened butter, swapping in tub margarine may change the texture; for example, cakes will be less tender, and cookies will generally spread out more and be less crisp
Jenny so good to see you! Loved your talk show but I love seeing you cook even more. This is a wonderful recipe, so easy and delicious. Iβm someone who doesnβt like to cook and you make it so easy that I actually enjoyed preparing this. Thank youβ€οΈπ
How long can these cookies go without refrigeration?
Can u use almonds
can you use margarine
My mom made these cookies every year at Christmas time. They are my absolute favorite cookie. I lost the recipe, so thank you for yours. My mom called them pecan sandies.
I just made these (got 21 from the recipe) and they are so good. I chopped up the pecans after roasting them according to the directions, and made sure the butter was room temperature. I even used a glove to mix them although the glove was a size too big. It worked! The cookies turned out beautifully. Thank you so much Jenny for your recipe. I will share it with family tomorrow at Thanksgiving brunch.
I just made these exactly as directed, they are delicious! Thank you Jenny for such great recipes. Getting ready to make the flatbread now.