Dream up a white Christmas with sugary toasted pecan cookies
Packed with a toasted pecans and dusted with confectioners’ sugar, these buttery toasted pecan snowball cookies are a family favorite at Christmas. They are the perfect edible gifts for your loved ones during the holiday season.
When I was a kid, my mother needed Christmas presents to give to her co-workers. I volunteered to make the presents. I decided that I would try to marry my favorite cookie with something appropriate for a Christmas. My favorite cookie then and now is Toasted Pecan Snowball Cookies!
I decided to fill decorative jars with these delicious bite-sized cookies. I then wrapped the jars in nylon net and tied the nylon net and finished them off with curled ribbon and little Christmas balls. The cookies not only looked festive, but also were incredibly good!
Decorating the cookies
My recipe for Toasted Pecan Snowball Cookies is actually a variation of a recipe for pecan sandies. I seem to remember copying the pecan sandies recipe from a cookbook while I was babysitting. From day one, I made the Toasted Pecan Snowball Cookies as tiny as I could manage. The reason was to produce a little taste of heaven as each one was popped into my mouth.
Whether you keep the Toasted Pecan Snowball Cookies or give them as gifts, I think that you will find that they are better the next day, if that’s possible.
The Toasted Pecan Snowball Cookies stay fresh for a week when packaged in an airtight container. They make the perfect edible gift for the holiday season and are the perfect size to pop into your mouth.
Chula King is the blogger behind Pudgefactor.com. 1 1⁄2 cups (6-ounces, 170 grams) chopped pecans toasted
Additional confectioners’ sugar for dusting about 2 cups
Preheat oven to 350° F.
In a large bowl, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and water until fluffy, about a minute. Add flour and stir until well blended. Stir in pecans. Form into small balls (no larger than the diameter of a penny - the smaller the balls, the better the cookies). Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and immediately roll in confectioners’ sugar. When all cookies have been rolled in confectioners’ sugar, roll the cookies again in confectioners ‘sugar.
Store in an airtight container.
Chula’s Tips
● To toast pecans, spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Watch carefully to ensure that the pecans don’t over-toast or burn.
● I always double roll these amazing cookies in confectioners’ sugar. When I add the hot cookies to the confectioners’ sugar and roll them the first time, the heat of the cookies somewhat melts the confectioners’ sugar. That way, on the second roll, the confectioners’ sugar adheres nicely to the cookie!
● If I’m making the cookies for us, I store them in a Ziploc bag. However, if they’re going to be a Christmas gift, I place them in a decorative jar with a top, and then “wrap” the jar in nylon mesh tied with curly ribbon and tiny Christmas balls. I usually purchase the jars from a dollar-type store.