The day after Thanksgiving I always put up our Christmas tree. And this year I was feeling the Christmas spirit so much, afterwards I wanted to bake some cookies! I had all the ingredients for these snowballs. Yes, all four of them! 😉 And I’ll even tell you how you can make them without nuts. Some people call these Mexican Wedding Cookies or Pecan Sandies, but for the sake of the season, I call them Snowballs! So let’s get started.

What you will need…

Cookie sheet lined with parchment paper
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar plus 1 cup for dusting

Tip: I used pecan halves and then chopped them myself right before using and I feel it really brought out their flavor.
Tip #2: If you don’t want to add nuts, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract instead

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, mix together butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar (and vanilla if using). Add in flour and pecans and mix until a nice dough forms. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet.

Once cookie sheet is filled, place in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Then bake for 20-25 minutes until just beginning to brown.

As soon as the cookies come out in the oven, roll in cup of powdered sugar. I found that pressing the sugar on the cookies helped it stick. Let cool completely on a wire rack and enjoy! Store in airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for a crunchier cookie. Happy baking!