Snow Ball Cookies (a.k.a. Mexican Wedding Cookies)

I call these Snow Ball Cookies because that’s what my little boy likes to call them.  When I was taking pictures for this post, he happily exclaimed, “Wow, snow balls!”  After he tasted one, he kept asking for more snow balls.  Of course, my Baby Girl got her fair shares as well.



By now, you probably have heard the other dozen names that these cookies also referred to. Such as Mexican Wedding Cookies, Italian Wedding cookies, Italian Tea Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, so on and so forth.  I thought I had many nick names when I was young. I can’t believe my record got beat by some cookies! LOL…Mind you, these are not just any cookies. These are some buttery, melt in my mouth, and highly addictive cookies.  I love the crunch and nutty flavor from the chopped pecans in them.  Another big plus of these cookies? They are super simple to prepare and your kids would probably want to help out in rolling the dough.  And it’s okay to let them taste the dough, it’s eggless.    



I've packaged these Snow Ball Cookies during the holiday to share with my friends and family as they are very popular during the holiday season.  But I’ve already made more batches afterwards because they are simply amazing.  After you've tried them, you would want to make them all year round too, and not just during the Holidays.







Snow Ball Cookies: (Printable Recipe)
Makes about 48 Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup pecans, toasted and finely chopped

In the bowl of the stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with a hand held mixer), beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and beat until well incorporated. Turn mixer to low, beat in flour and pecans, mix until just combined. Divide dough in half, form each into a flat disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in refrigerator until cold, about 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 325°F. With a small/mini ice cream scoop, scoop dough by one tablespoonful and roll in between palms into balls. Arrange dough balls on baking sheet lined with silpat or parchment paper spacing 1/2 inch apart. Bake until golden brown on bottom and pale golden on top, about 15 to 18 minutes.

Cool cookies on baking sheet for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Place remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a shallow dish; gently roll completely cooled cookies in powdered sugar to coat.