These Buttery Pecan Snowball Cookies are a simple yet elegant little cookie with ground pecans, butter, flour, sugar and vanilla.

Rolled in powdered sugar after they are baked to create the perfect “snowball”. These are a must bake Christmas cookie on most dessert platters.

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What are Snowball Cookies

Snowball cookies are small, buttery, and crumbly but dense cookies that use confectioners’ sugar or (powdered sugar) to create the famous classic snow topping we all know and love.

These best Snowball cookies are a very popular treat that instantly bring back nostalgic feelings in all of us during the holiday season.

Whether you know them as Snowball Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes , these sweet treats are always a hit during the holidays.

If you made crescent shapes you may also know them as Viennese crescents or Greek kourabiedes.

Melt-in-your-mouth with the nutty taste of pecans in every bite, these are really quite the special little cookie.

These classic cookies are holiday family favourites much like peanut butter blossoms, grandmas shortbread cookies, jam thumbprint cookies or snickerdoodle’s.

Why you’ll love these snowball cookies with pecans

Melt in your mouth buttery pecan deliciousness
Easy to customize using your favorite nuts
Simple 5 or 6 ingredients depending on whether you use nuts
Easy to make even for beginner bakers
Beautiful addition and contrast for any cookie platter
Holiday season traditional favorite cookie for many families

Ingredients & substitutions for Russian tea cakes

All-purpose flour
Butter, at room temperature
Granulated sugar
Vanilla
Finely chopped pecans or walnuts
Powdered sugar for rolling the baked cookies

A plate full of snowball cookies sitting on a red and black checkered napkin.

Step by step instructions for making Mexican wedding cookies

You start with butter and sugar, creamed to a state of fluffiness followed by vanilla, then flour and glorious chopped pecans. Isn’t that quick and easy!!?

Roll into 1″ balls and place onto cookie sheet and bake in 325°F oven for 12 to 15 minutes.

Roll them in powdered sugar as soon as they come out of the oven. I like to roll or coat them twice, again after they cool I have a small bowl of icing sugar beside the cookies to roll or coat them again.

Let the excess fall back into the bowl and repeat with the next cookie.

A redd dish full of snowball cookies. The cookies are sitting on a red and black buffalo check napkin.

If you haven’t tried these before, you’re in for a special treat. I bet you can’t have just one!

Top tips for snowball cookies with nuts

Use room temperature butter not melted as soft butter can cause the snowball cookies to flatten out.
Roll in powdered sugar twice to create the perfect snow coating once when warm and then again after they cool to ensure they are covered well.
You can make them with or without nuts but we feel that pecans really take these holiday favorite buttery cookies to the next level of goodness!
Some prefer using the powdered sugar in the dough we prefer the taste and texture of the granulated sugar, let us know what you prefer?

Storage & freezing snowball cookies

Store snowball cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 7 days.
Freeze them in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months.

Close up image of snowball cookies in a red bowl with Christmas decor in the background.

Can you make ahead and freeze easy Russian tea cakes?

Yes you can make them early and freeze snowball cookies to help with time management during the holidays.

After they cool place them gently in freezer bags removing as much air as possible, try not to let them touch each other.

Simply thaw these holiday cookies overnight in the fridge (you may have to roll them again in the powdered sugar) and serve, they still taste delicious!

Try more favorite Christmas cookies