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 (walnuts work too)
- 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 350° 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 350° 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.
We’ve made this at XMas time and they were a huge hit. Love your recipe Jen. Keep on cooking. Thank you
OMGosh I just loved that video. I have a bag and a half of pecans and have been wanting to make these. I tried making some a year ago, but after tasting one, all but 4 went into the garbage can. Was NOT this recipe. I used a mixer. When those 4 last cookies had sat on my counter for a couple hours I tried one, and almost went into the garbage to grab the rest. Why oh why had I thrown them out!! But I am going to try this recipe and hand mix my batter.
For some reason mine spread. What am I doing wrong? Help!!
Please see my response to Kim below.
Merry Christmas Jenny!
As my name says, I improvise, almost to a fault.
Today I made these and they turned out great!
I used macadamia nuts instead of pecans
I used Amaretto 2x instead of vanilla
I had to make my own powdered sugar by putting sugar in the Magic Bullet (I almost never use sugar, so had to work with what I had)
And these turned out awesome!!
Please keep making cute delicious videos and recipes.
Best wishes and Happy Holidays,
Leslie
This is an excellent recipe! Loved using the meatball method to mix the dough. Only drawback is that it’s difficult to sneak a few when you’re wearing black 🙂
Johanna,
That’s why bakers wear white!
🤭🤪
Wishing you a Merry Christmas thank you for sharing your recipe, I’ve been baking these following your recipe for several years. My grandma and auntie baked these every Christmas but I lost the recipe.
Thank you 🙏
Sandy
Dear Jenny
Your such very sweet lady, wishing you a Merry Christmas thank you for sharing your recipe, I’ve been baking these following your recipe for several years. My grandma and auntie baked these every Christmas but I lost the recipe
Thank you 🙏
Sandy
Dear Jenny.
Merry Blessed Christmas. Thing of precious you. xxxoo
Pray all is well, as we press on each day. Thankful as always.
Have moved got a great kitchen. Finished that other one!
You have been on my heart. Much goodness always raining on beautiful you.
Always love Jacalyn Abram Band
You you are such a doll Jenny
You were my favorite talk show host…miss you
Such fun to see you cooking
⚘❤⚘
Tiffany from Cali
You you are such a doll Jenny
You are my favorite talk show host
Such fun to see you cooking
⚘❤⚘
Tiffany from Cali
Thank you for recipe and video. My mom use to make these years ago. Mine our in the refrigerator. Can’t wait to bake them.
Just finished making. So good.
My grandsons use this recipe every year and they look forward to making them every year too. We do this as a little family and give to family members. Thank you Jenny happy holidays;
Jenny- thank you for this delicious and simple recipe! I have people that count on me to make this each year and that makes me smile. I’m going to try your bread recipes next!
Dear Jenny.
I do this cookies every year, and it’s so good for Christmas gifts, everyone love’s it.
Thank you.
These cookies were exactly as promised, very easy to make and SO Very good!! Thanks for the awesome recipe.
How do I double Christmas snowball cookie recipe? Is it doubling each ingredient? Thank you!
Yes, it is doubling each ingredient.
I have been making these cookies for years! I love Jenny! Thank you!
I have made this cookie recipe for the last 5 years and they’re always soo good, easy and no need of a electric mixer
I just have a question, I see your cookies are round and mine are round but kind of flat on the bottom.
How can I have them like yours?
Thank you 😊
I just made my first batch and they are terrific. I’m making 2 batches for my son’s office staff. Thank you.
Great job on that video!! I did not expect that ending and laughed out loud. Making these for a work Holiday gathering. Hoping I have some left once I’m finished cooking them. Merry Christmas!!
My cookies flatten out. Why?
I can think of a few possible reasons:
-You didn’t follow the recipe exactly.
-You didn’t use real butter.
-You didn’t chill them long enough.
-Your baking pan was warm when you placed the cookies (from resting on the stove).
-Your oven was not preheated long enough.
I hope that helps.
I did everything correctly. I did put a silicone covering on cookie sheet. Maybe that did it? I’m going to try another recipe.
Thank you
Mine didn’t come out tasty either. Are they supposed to be like a cakey cookie inside?
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and it always turns out perfect.
The ending of your video is so funny! I’m glad you didn’t get choked on the powdered sugar! Your entire video was easy, pleasant, quick, clear to understand, no excessive talking. I’m looking forward to making these cookies. Thank you for sharing your recipe! Merry Christmas!
will it work if I use a stand mixer?
I always use my stand mixer when I make these.
Easy and delicious! Hubby hangs around like a vulture waiting to pounce on them.
Hi Jenny,am new to baking and have a silly question, is powdered sugar icing sugar,or just granulated sugar that is ground. Thanks.
Powdered sugar is icing sugar, also called confectioner’s sugar.
I made these for Christmas and I’m about to make some more today. I forgot to leave a review before so here goes… These cookies are wonderful! They are so delicious, easy to make, and they look so beautiful and festive in red and green mini muffin cup liners at Christmas. I toasted the walnuts a day or so ahead and kept them refrigerated to speed up the process on baking day! Thanks so much, Jenny!
Yhis is a really good idea!!
I’m gonna get the little paper Christmas cup cake liners. That will look soooo cute
Ohh and can use to collect the powered sugar lol
Hello Jenny! I just made these cookies and they are delicious. Thank you so much for all your amazing recipes. ❤️
This Recipe is quick, easy, and Delicious!! Ive always wanted to try baking these and I must say these are just wonderful!
As an aspiring Baker I’m learning to “weigh” ingredients -especially Flour. Measuring “Cups” are not equal in Volume and will lead to disastrous results in the finished product. I have had great success with weighing all dry ingredients with a digital scale. Ive learned that Baking is an exact Science. I Read comments on published recipes and print off the ones I end up trying. I hope this helps someone.
This one is a keeper!! 😍
We found this recipe last night (after running out of Holiday gifted pecan balls) and made our first batch tonight. Made them a little smaller and got 31. Easiest recipe ever made possible by a great video. They taste great and 15 minutes in our oven worked perfectly! Thanks!
Very yummy also very crispy. Will check on them earlier next time as 15 minutes is too long for my oven.
The only thing I would add is some fine sea salt. It just brings out the flavor more. This is the only recipe that mixes the ingredients by hand, like my mother did. Thank you!
I love this recipe! This cookies are delicious, thank you!!!!
I’m very disappointed in these cookies. Many of them fell apart when dusting with powdered sugar. My Moms recipe where very buttery and not dry like these. I wished I would have asked her for her recipe. This recipe doesn’t yield many cookies at all.
This was my experience also and it was very disappointing but they were very tasty.. Just not sure how to keep them from being so crumbling. I did have to cook mine and extra 3 minutes too.
I made these cookies tonight and my stepson absolutely loved them. He popped three in his mouth in a matter of minutes. Problem is I only got 16 cookies out of the recipe. I followed it exactly. The ingredients were crumbly. I had to use my hands to mold it into a dough ball which was only about the size of a softball before refrigerating. Was hoping someone can give me some tips for my next batch or is what I described above normal?
Hi Nicole! I had really similar results to you in the past. This time I changed a couple of things. I measured the flour by weight (120 g) and used butter that was softened but still pretty firm (just because we’re going through a cold snap and I can’t get the dang stuff room temp). Working the dough with your hands will get the butter the perfect consistency. I also made sure I used 1 cup of whole pecans, chopped, not one cup of chopped pecans, if that makes sense. They turned out so light and fluffy this time, and I had no problems at all with everything sticking together as it should. If you use two tsp of dough per cookie, they’ll be the perfect size and you’ll get closer to 30 per batch. Good luck!
Thanks you so much for responding Kate! I will try your recommendations tomorrow. Like you, I have a hard time softening butter at my house too! Thanks again and Happy Holidays!
Let your stick(s) of butter sit out overnight and you will have soft butter. There are people who never refrigerate their butter,and it doesn’t go bad.
Hmmmm. Yes, I obliterated the nuts in my magic bullet, then measured a cup. Maybe that the problem. I wasted a lot of nuts. I was raised with a Hungarian, and lived in MX….theirs both melted in my mouth, but not these. Is this a different cookie than those (usually crescent shaped)?
I mix all the ingredients in my stand mixer, they come out great.
I made these cookies with my 3.5 year old twin grandchildren. We had SO much fun and it will be a timeless treasure for all involved!
P.S. We came up with a creative way to put the powdered sugar on the cookies. We sifted it on. It worked great!
This was so much fun and yes, very easy to make 🤗. I made mine without nuts and they came out Great.
Thank you Jenny for the recipe.
Jenny,
My problem making these snowballs
I roll them the second time. Put them on a rack and turn around and their gone. Do they fall through the rack.
HaHaHa !!!!!
You have a wonderful sense of humor!! 😀
Is is supposed to be 2 cups of flour? Mine spread flat when baked.
The recipe is correct. Be sure to follow it exactly, chill the dough as noted, and make sure your baking pan is not warm, which can happen if you let it rest on a warm stove. Also, make sure your oven is fully preheated to 350 before baking and an oven thermometer is the best way to check it. This recipe has worked for me for years. Good luck!
My family loves these cookies. I use walnuts but think I will try the pecans. They really are very good
When will you start cooking/baking again? I’ve been through most of your delicious recipes many times <3
When will you start cooking/baking again? I’ve been through most of your delicious recipes many times ❤️
Jenny, my husband can’t eat nuts. Can I make this recipe without pecans? Thank you 😊
I make mine sometimes with or without the nuts with dried fruit, like cranberries, dates, strawberries, peaches or apricots. I dice up the bigger fruits. They’re delicious 😋
Jenny love your recipe, but I make some with powdered sugar, and some with cinnamon sugar every one enjoys both.
The recipe calling for powdered sugar is often called “Mexican Wedding cookies.
Name it what you want the tongue is going to be twisting and twirling!
Oh my goodness Jenny,
There was a party in my mouth. Toasting the pecan bring out a whole new flavor.
Thank you for the great tips and such an easy recipe for my grandchildren and I to make together ❤️.
Thank you so very much. As always your recipes are a favorite of mine.
Blessings
These couldn’t be simpler to make, and I had perfect results. These will be a huge hit on my cookie platter.
Just made the snowballs, can they be frozen !. if yes with or without the powdered sugar
Thanks
I freeze the cookies even with the powdered sugar I’ve been doing this for years
I made these cookies for the last two years and I love this recipe….EASY, EASY, EASY! I can hardly wait to make them again!
Made them last holidays everyone love them !!!😍 thanks for the delicious recipe 😄
Okay Ladies and Gentlemen….this recipe is Fabulous….I’m am a hardcore Keto baker, so I’m going to try this with Almond flour and granular/powdered Erythritol. Here goes….
Hi Okie, just wondering how the pecan balls turned out Keto-style ?
I have made these for years. Jenny, I just tried your version today.
It’s cold here on the East Coast, so staying inside and baking.
Your recipe is kudos—the best! All other recipes are now obsolete!
Turned out as perfect can be. Recipe needs or requires NO tweaking.
Thank you Jenny, so very much.
Did you have a BBQ restaurant named after you?
My colleague shared this recipe and I must say Jenny it came out fabulous. It was just melting in the mouth
I baked them yesterday. They came out good but no as round as Jenny’s
I, too like someone elso have cookies that are flat on the bottom after baking, and yours stay round! Any suggestions?
My reply is near the top of the comment list (Dec, 10, 2023) under Kim’s question.
I, too like someone elso have cookies that are flat on the bottom after baking, and yours stay round! Any suggestions?
Yes, but I’ve scolled and scrolled and can’t find solution you gave.
Requested solution to flattened bottoms after baking. I know I saw someone texted with same problem, but can’t find that comment now
.
My reply is near the top of the comment list (Dec, 10, 2023) under Kim’s question.
My reply is near the top of the comment list (Dec, 10, 2023) under Kim’s question.
🎄DELICIOUS! Thank you to my hometown gal, Jenny. (Yay London Ontario 🇨🇦)
Made today with all purpose gluten free flour and they came out GREAT. Thanks for the recipe! Merry Christmas Jenny. xx
Made these today and turned out great👍
Jenny! Yes you can cook! Bake too! Thank you for this recipe and the tip on roasting the pecans. Delicious!
I made them on 22nd giving away 26th where do I keep in fridge on counter
Hi Cathy,
An airtight container is best but it’s not necessary to refrigerate these cookies. They do freeze beautifully, if they make it there without being eaten. (LoL). Your friends and family will love these cookies!
🎀All the best to you and yours in 2022.
Need recipe. Cant save. Thanks so much
Merry Christmas.
Dangerously good cookies, Jenny! I used a small ice cream scoop to form them and it went sooooo fast!
Glad to see this, it’s what I am about to use, too!! A one T. scoop!! Thanks!!
What is the easiest way to chop pecans?
Put them in a plastic zip lock bag and run a rolling pin over them until they’re the right size. No mess and it takes a minute.
I made these today! Yummy but I should have doubled it! I had to use self rising flour since out of all purpose & no salt used. I also added teaspoon of almond flavoring for a little extra something! They are great!
Best cookie recipe, delicious!
Hi, Jenny! You made this recipe look so easy so I gave it a try last year.
They came out delicios!
They weren’t as pretty as yours but they sure were good.
As a matter of fact, I’m gonna make more this week but, this time, I’m gonna double the recipe ’cause those few that this recipe made lasy year didn’t last long at all! 🙂
NO, maybe I shouldn’t…but, I am! 🙂
Thank You!
Patrisha (Stepanski)…Yes, I’m Polish too.
Hi Jenny
Made these Christmas balls last year I figured you really needed to know.
Mine turned out good of course I had medicinal wine which really helped me during making these. I would recommend medicinal wine it really did help me. Jenny thanks for the recipe. Making more this year.
Hi Jenny. I am truly enjoying your videos. Not only do you have awesome recipes that even someone like me can make but you add your Witt and humor as well and it is truly such a joy to learn from you. I used to watch your talk show all the time. I loved it. You were the best. Who knew Jenny can cook? Thank you my ray of sunshine, may God bless you Jenny!
I made these last year and they turned out great but I just made them again and they were lousy. Could it be that there should be “powdered sugar” instead of granulated sugar in the recipe for making the actual batter. I know it’s powdered for rolling the cookies after they are made. Help, cause I loved these and I don’t want to waste any more ingredients. Thanks!
Yes use granulated sugar in the recipe
Nope, nope and nope. Follow exactly like she said / wrote. Nobody else had this problem.
Sure wish you would do a new video making a few Christmas cookies, even if they are old recipes you have done before. It would be nice to see you again and my grandkids would love following along with your simple, but delicious recipes. Merry Christmas Jenny!!
Thanks so much for this recipe. My grandmother made a similar cookie, Pecan Crescent. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays
Thank you for your easy delicious recipe.. have been making them every Christmas.. everyone loves them 😍