These Southern Pecan Snowballs are the perfect holiday cookie, lightly sweetened, buttery with a hint of bourbon.
The trick to gorgeous cookies is to be sure to dredge each of the cookies in confectioners sugar while they’re still warm, then coat again once they’ve cooled to give them a beautiful thick and even powdery “snowball” finish.
Southern Pecan Snowballs
You’ll Need:
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, plus additional for rolling
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/3 cups sifted All-Purpose Flour
1 cup very finely chopped pecans
About 3 tablespoons Bourbon, optional
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, combine butter, 3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, and salt. Beating at low speed, mix until well combined, then add vanilla; increasing the speed and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add the flour in small batches, beating at low speed with each addition until combined. Beat in pecans.
Using a cookie dough scoop drop dough balls onto parchment paper on baking sheets. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to bake.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Working with one baking sheet at a time, bake until edges just begin to brown slightly, about 15 minutes.
Place 1-2 cups of confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. While cookies are still warm, brush cookies with your favorite bourbon, then roll in confectioners’ sugar and place on a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies are completely cool, coat again with more confectioners’ sugar.
