Fresh Milled Snowball Cookies
These Unsifted Snowballs are a buttery, toasted pecan shortbread-like cookie that is the perfect bite-sized treat. Once they’re rolled in powdered sugar they look like little snowballs. They only have a few ingredients so they mix up easy and freeze beautifully to make party prep a breeze!
Growing up my family used a similar recipe and shaped them into crescents, called Pecan Crescent Cookies. Our tradition was to make them at Christmas-time, but there's no reason these cant be a year-round treat! My boys love these and want me to make more as soon as our freezer stash runs out. Checkout all our variations below- you'll never get tired of these tasty treats.
Why We Love It:
- Delicious + easy to make!
- Easy to pull out of the freezer for early holiday prep
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PREP: 25 minutes
TOTAL: 45 minutes
YIELD: 25-30 cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cups Unsifted® Dessert Blend grain
1 cup whole pecans
1 cup unsalted butter, softened (2 sticks)
1 ¾ cup powdered sugar, divided
⅛ tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Mill the fresh flour
- Preheat oven to 350F
- Set WonderMill® dial to “Pastry”
- Mill 1 ½ cups Unsifted® Dessert Blend grain
2. Toast pecans + Chop
Pro Tip: Do not grind/chop the nuts to a powder. There should be very small bits still.
- To a dry skillet over medium-heat, add 1 cup pecans
- Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fragrant (about 2-5 minutes)
- Transfer pecans to cutting board + cool completely
- Using a knife, chop pecans into very small bits (you may also use a food processor, or put in a plastic bag and smash with rolling pin until a fine consistency)
- Measure 1 cup pecan bits and set aside (there may be extra pecans leftover)
3. Mix butter + sugar + salt
- In mixing bowl, add 1 cup softened butter
- Add ¾ cup powdered sugar
- Add ⅛ tsp salt
- Using an electric mixer, mix on high until smooth (about 1 minute)
4. Add pecans + vanilla
- Add 1 cup pecan bits
- Add 2 tsp vanilla
- Mix until thoroughly combined (about 30 - 60 seconds)
5. Add cinnamon + fresh flour
- Add ½ tsp cinnamon
- Slowly add all the unsifted flour
- Mix until just combined (do not overmix)
6. Shape + Bake
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper
- Shape dough into smooth balls, 1 Tbsp each (we use a 1 Tbsp measuring spoon to scoop)
- Place dough balls on lined baking sheet, 1” apart (do not flatten)
- Bake at 350F for 9-11 minutes
- Remove from oven when set but still soft; you do NOT want to brown them (they will still look a little doughy)
- Let cookies rest on hot pan about 10-15 minutes to set
7. Roll in sugar + Serve
- Add 1 cup powdered sugar to a small bowl
- After resting, coat warm cookie balls in sugar
- Set on parchment paper to cool
- Once cooled, coat cookies in powdered sugar again
STORAGE TIPS
Cooled pecan snowball cookies may be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 2-3 days or frozen for up to 3 months in a freezer bag. These cookies are best enjoyed the same day they are baked (unless frozen). Be sure to freeze immediately after cooling, the same day they are baked, to maximize freshness.
Frozen cookies thaw beautifully and are perfect to make ahead of time for events. We also love eating them cold, straight out of the freezer!
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CRESCENT SHAPING
In Step 6, roll 1 Tbsp dough into a thick log and add a slight bend in the middle to form a crescent moon shape.
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TROUBLESHOOTING
For crescents, or larger cookies, if your cookies are spreading more than desired, adjust the recipe as follows:
- In Step 1, use ¾ cup Dessert Blend + ¾ cup Basic Blend
- After Step 5, place dough in fridge to ensure butter is firm/cold
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THE UNSIFTED DIFFERENCE
We used our Unsifted® Dessert Blend here- our high-quality, custom grain blend crafted for exceptional flavor, nutrient diversity, and premium baking performance. It’s also pre-treated for pantry safety, making it the easiest way to keep convenient, nourishing flour at the ready.
Want this recipe on a beautiful, recipe-stand–friendly card? Snag the professionally printed, cardstock hardcopy and make flour-dusted memories in the kitchen with your kids. It’s the perfect tool for helping little bakers learn- easy to follow, durable enough for year of use, and packed with all the pro tips right in your kitchen.
Each recipe card also includes bonus variations of the recipe, so you’ll have even more ways to bake it your way.
Additional variations for this recipe:
- Walnut Snowball Cookies
- Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
- Pecan Snowball Cookies (sans Cinnamon, Traditional)
- Almond Hint Pecan Snowball Cookies
- Orange Zest Pecan Snowball Cookies
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