Cranberry Pecan Snowball Cookies
These cranberry pecan snowball cookies are buttery shortbread cookies with ground pecans and cranberries. They are baked and then coated with powdered sugar. You won’t find a recipe easier than this because all you need is a bowl and a spatula. The dough takes 5 minutes to combine and 10 minutes to bake. Easy peasy and perfect for the holiday season.
I’ve always known these as snowballs, and, of course, I’m used to making them during Christmas because they remind us of snow. Mom made these with cashew nuts because in India, cashew nuts are widely available.
But did you know that these are also known as Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes? How amazing is that? Same concept, similar recipes, and different countries. Food brings the whole world together.
Why make these cookies
- I don’t know about you, but Christmas is a very busy time for me. So much to do and so many cookies to make. Which is why I always rely on simple and easy recipes like this one.
- The recipe uses powdered sugar, which means you don’t need any mixers to cream the butter and sugar. Just a spatula, but you can certainly use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- You can also buy ground pecan meals if you don’t want to make them yourself. You can also chop the cranberries finely with a chopping board and knife.
- Most of the ingredients in this recipe are easy to find or pantry staples.
- The best part is that these cookies are very versatile. You can switch the nuts to any other nuts you like. You can switch the cranberries to dates or raisins. Sometimes, I make date and walnut snowballs. You can also try almonds and cranberries. Have you tried the combination of figs with pistachios?
Ingredients and substitutes
- Unsalted butter – I like to use unsalted butter in all my baking, so I can control the amount of salt. And yet, if you must use salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe.
- All-purpose flour – I always use all-purpose flour with great success. You do not need any other flour.
- Powdered sugar – Also known as confectioners’ sugar or icing sugar. When looking for powdered sugar, always buy one made from cane sugar, not beet sugar.
- Vanilla extract – I like using vanilla extract. And yet, it also tends to color the dough. So, if you need a white or plain white dough, add clear vanilla extract or rose essence. That being said, always use a high-quality vanilla extract. I know it’s expensive, which is why I make my vanilla extract, vanilla bean paste, as well as vanilla sugar.
- Pecans – We love pecans, but you can also use other nuts like walnuts, hazelnuts, or cashews.
- Cranberries – The tartness of the cranberries adds a unique taste to these cookies.
Step-by-step: Snowball cookies
- Process – In a food processor, pulse the pecans until coarse, then add the cranberries and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.
Pro tip – The finer the ground nuts, the smoother the cookies. - Cream – In a large bowl with a whisk, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract and salt.
Pro tip – You can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, but a bowl and whisk work just fine. - Dry ingredients – Next, add the ground pecan cranberry mixture and flour mixture. Combine well, but do not overmix.
- Chill – transfer the dough to the fridge and chill for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350°F/ 177°C/ Gas mark 4
- Balls – Take about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and shape it into balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Bake – Transfer to the oven on the middle rack and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in the tray for 10 minutes.
- Coat – In a bowl, add the powdered sugar. Once the cookies are cooled, coat each cookie with powdered sugar and dust off any excess.
- Store – Cool them completely, then store them in an airtight container for up to a week.
Tips for Success
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and powdered sugar can be creamed until light and fluffy.
- And make sure the butter is at room temperature. Soft or melted butter will cause the cookies to spread too much during baking.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar well so you have light and airy cookies.
- Preheat the oven for a good 20 minutes, making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- Also, it is a good practice to place cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
Frequently asked questions
These snowball cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. You can freeze the dough for up to a month or freeze the cookies for up to three months.
These cookies are not supposed to spread. They do have a flat bottom but do not spread.
Too much butter or sugar in the recipe can lead to cookies spreading. Sometimes, too much baking powder or baking soda can also make cookies spread too much.
Place cookies on a cold, not hot, baking pan to prevent the butter from melting. And make sure the oven is at the right temperature, a cold oven will melt butter-spreading cookies.
For these snowballs, 10 minutes is all you need. It is always a good practice to refrigerate cookies while the oven is preheating. Chilling cookie dough helps solidify the butter in the cookies. This helps when baking by preventing them from spreading since chilled dough takes longer to melt compared to room-temperature fat.
These cookies have a good shelf life as dough as well as cookies.
The dough, if wrapped well, can usually stay in the fridge for 5 to 6 days before coating and baking.
You can also place the unbaked cookies on a parchment-lined tray, wrapped well with cling wrap, for about 3 to 4 days.
In addition, this snowball cookie dough can be frozen for a month or more if covered well.
Cranberry Pecan Snowball Cookies
These cranberry pecan snowball cookies are buttery shortbread cookies with ground pecans and cranberries. They are baked, then coated with powdered sugar. You won't find a recipe easier than this because all you need is a bowl and a spatula. The dough takes 5 minutes to combine and 10 minutes to bake. Easy peasy and perfect for the holiday season.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100 g) Pecans finely ground
- ½ cup (60 g) Cranberries dried
- ½ cup (113 g) Unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup (120 g) Powdered sugar confectioners sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cup (160 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ tsp Salt
- 1 cup (120 g) Powdered sugar for dusting
Method
- Process – In a food processor, pulse the pecans until coarse, then add the cranberries and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.1 cup Pecans, ½ cup Cranberries dried
- Cream – In a large bowl with a whisk, cream together the butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla extract and salt.½ cup Unsalted butter, 1 cup Powdered sugar, 1 tsp Vanilla extract, ½ tsp Salt
- Dry ingredients – Next, add the ground pecan, cranberry mixture, and flour mixture. Combine well, but do not overmix.1 ¼ cup All-purpose flour
- Chill – Transfer the dough to the fridge and chill for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350°F/ 177°C/ Gas mark 4
- Balls – Take about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and shape it into balls. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray.
- Bake – Transfer to the oven on the middle rack and bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in the tray for 10 minutes.
- Coat – In a bowl, add the powdered sugar. Once the cookies are cooled, coat each cookie with powdered sugar and dust off any excess1 cup Powdered sugar
- Store – Cool them completely, then store them in an airtight container for up to a week
Notes
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and powdered sugar can cream until light and fluffy.
- And make sure the butter is at room temperature. Soft or melted butter will cause the cookies to spread too much during baking.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar well so you have light and airy cookies.
- Preheat the oven for a good 20 minutes making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- Also, it is a good practice to place cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
I make something very much like these but with the addition of fresh orange zest and either a squeeze of fresh oj or a bit of orange extract. I think it combines nicely with the cranberries.
Thank you, Marisa. This sounds delicious. Happy you enjoyed these cookies.
Thank you for this recipe. It took me hardly any time to prepare this and turned our perfectly. I had to sample them straight out of the oven as they smelt to good! Thank you very much once again!
Thank you, Karen. Happy you enjoyed them
I just tried this recipe but in the instructions it does not say when to add the 1/2 tsp salt. I added it to the flour but just realized it’s never said.
Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Candee. Just fixed it.
Thanks much.
Wow! Very happy to run across this recipe. The cranberries were a perfect holiday twist and balance the sweetness perfectly.
Thank you, Katie. I am so happy to hear that
These are really a perfect treat for the holidays!
Thanks, Toni
I absolutely love these! So easy and the perfect holiday sweet treat!
Thank you, Kim
You had me at buttery shortbread cookies… such a great cookie recipe for the holidays!!
Thank you, Jessica.
Such fun and flavorful cookies! They are definitely perfect for the holiday season and are sure to be a hit with my family.
Thank you, Tara. Yes, perfect for the holiday.
These snowball cookies are my favorite, especially with the cranberries!
Thank you, Emily.