Snowball Cookies (Mexican Wedding Cookies; Russian Tea Cakes)
With just the right balance of buttery, nutty flavor and a delightfully crumbly texture, snowball cookies might just be my favorite holiday cookie.
I have only a handful of cookie recipes in my baking repertoire, main reason being, I prefer to bake cakes. But this doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy eating them. Having a limited number of recipes when it comes to cookies after trying many over the years, when one makes the cut, it becomes a favorite.
These snowball cookies are one of the first I learned to make as a newbie cook/baker and they’ve not lost their top spot on my favorites list. I posted the original recipe here twelve years ago and as with my previous post, this one needed a photo update and a wider audience than my oldest posts can provide.
Snowball cookies can also be called Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes–they’re essentially the same. They are buttery and nutty with a delightfully crumbly texture. They may be the most unassuming cookies on a holiday platter but I will always reach for them first.
Important Tip About Scooping Flour
I highly recommend aerating the flour before scooping out the two cups for this recipe. I take my scoop and take flour and pour it back in my container a few times to loosen it up so it’s not packed. When scooping (or alternatively, using a spoon to transfer to your measuring cup), don’t pack the flour in your measuring cup.
Snowball Cookies (aka Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes)
With just the right balance of buttery, nutty flavor and a delightfully crumbly texture, snowball cookies might just be my favorite holiday cookie.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar (plus more for rolling cookies) (See Note below for important tip)
- 2 cups all purpose flour, sifted
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup finely chopped, toasted pecans (toasting is optional)
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 325ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Cream the butter in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer (or stand mixer). Add the vanilla extract, mix again and slowly add the 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Gradually add the flour and salt while mixing. Add the pecans and mix until combined.
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Shape the dough into one-inch balls and place at least one inch apart on the baking sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and roll in powdered sugar while still warm. Cool on a wire rack and dust with additional powdered sugar before serving (optional).
Recipe Notes
Flour Tip: I highly recommend aerating the flour before scooping out the two cups for this recipe. I take my scoop and take flour and pour it back in my container a few times to loosen it up so it’s not packed. When scooping (or alternatively, using a spoon to transfer to your measuring cup), don’t pack the flour in your measuring cup.
i like to weigh my ingredients as it is more accurate than cup measurements i find. these look so pretty!
Thanks, Sherry. And I’m totally with you–weighing ingredients is best.