These Easy Pecan Balls are a holiday favorite. Perfect for cookie swaps or dessert platters, they can be dressed up by rolling in confectioners’ sugar or drizzling with melted chocolate.
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There are dozens upon dozens of holiday cookies around these parts, but one obvious classic missing from the roundup is good ol’ pecan balls. I have to admit I am new to this delightfully easy confection, however, one taste of these bite-sized sweets sent me back to a very distinct culinary memory: Mexican Wedding Cookies!
The ingredient lists for both recipes are nearly identical, and the results are absolute twinsies in the taste and consistency departments. The lack of eggs yields a much drier cookie, so if you’ve never had pecan balls (or Mexican Wedding Cookies), don’t be alarmed!
While crumbly in texture, the taste couldn’t be more buttery or nutty. Because the ingredient lineup is so simple, the flavor of the pecans (and a hint of vanilla) really shines through.
Whether you call them pecan meltaways, snowball cookies, Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes, these little bites are simple and elegant and are sure to be a crowd favorite.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy to shape. No cookie cutters required, just roll the dough into a ball with your hands.
- Delicate texture and nutty flavor.
- Can be fancied up with chocolate drizzles or powdered sugar.
- Simple ingredients. Only six common items are used in the recipe.
- Butter: A stick of butter is the only “wet” ingredient holding the dry ingredients together.
- Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioners’ sugar, is used instead of granulated sugar for a crumbly, delicate texture. Roll the cookies in more confectioners’ sugar if desired.
- Vanilla extract: Vanilla gives a rich flavor to these pecan cookie balls.
- Flour: All-purpose flour is the main ingredient, giving structure and texture to the cookies.
- Salt: A touch of salt brings out the sweetness.
- Pecans: A half-cup of chopped pecans adds crunch and nutty flavor. Have leftover pecans? Make pecan pie bars or pecan monkey bread!
- Chocolate chips: Semisweet, dark or milk chocolate chips are melted to decorate with a festive drizzle.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
When it comes to dressing up these bite-sized beauties, you can opt for two embellishments:
- A drizzle of melted chocolate (any variety, but milk chocolate is my fave for this recipe)
- A quick roll in confectioners’ sugar (most similar, again, to Mexican Wedding Cookies)
Making these pecan cookie balls is quick and easy.
- Preheat the oven. With the oven racks spaced evenly, preheat the oven to 300˚F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and confectioner’s sugar. Scrape down the sides as needed with a spatula, and mix until well combined. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Fold in the pecans with the mixer on low or by hand with a spatula.
- Form the cookies. Scoop about 1 ½ teaspoons of dough and roll with clean hands into one-inch balls. Arrange on the prepared baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through so they’ll brown evenly. The cookies will not brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a baking rack to cool completely.
- Decorate. When the cookies are completely cool, roll them in confectioner’s sugar or drizzle with melted chocolate (or both!).
Pro Tip: For a more pronounced nutty flavor, toast the pecans in the oven or in a dry pan for a few minutes (make sure they don’t burn!). Cool completely before adding to the dough.
- Start with softened butter. Make sure to let your butter soften at room temperature for an hour or so before you start mixing ingredients. As I explained in my recipe for Soft and Chewy Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies, cutting the stick into cubes will soften butter more quickly, as will putting the butter in a bowl set over a warm water bath.
- Be consistent. For uniformly sized cookies, use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough before rolling.
- Don’t overbake. Most cookies will turn golden brown when they’re ready, but these will not change color. Trust me — take them out of the oven after 15 minutes so they’ll be perfectly tender.
- Stress-free melting. To melt the chocolate, start with a perfectly dry bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between. Or melt it in a double boiler set over barely simmering water.
Store pecan cookie balls in a covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Make sure they are completely cooled and the chocolate is set before putting them in an airtight container. Layer between sheets of wax paper or parchment paper.
Cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to three months. If you’re drizzling them with chocolate, freeze them before decorating and drizzle with chocolate after they’ve thawed.
Frequently Asked Questions
They won’t be “pecan balls” anymore but you can absolutely change up the nuts for a different flavor. Finely chopped walnuts or pistachios can successfully be used in this recipe.
If your pecan balls are flattening during baking, it could be due to several reasons like overly soft butter, dough that’s too warm and inaccurate flour measurement. To fix this, make sure that the butter is appropriately softened, chill the dough for 30 minutes and measure flour accurately. Check the oven temperature, use room temperature baking sheets and avoid overcrowding.
This dough will be very crumbly but should hold together when rolled into a ball. Make sure to start with softened butter so that it helps to hold together the dry ingredients. If the dough is falling apart, let it sit on the counter for a while to allow the butter to soften, then try forming the dough balls.
- Candy Cane Cookies
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- Christmas Tree Shortbread Cookies
- Cake Mix Grinch Cookies
- Glittering Nutella Sandwich Cookies
- Marshmallow Christmas Wreaths
- Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Chocolate chips, for decorating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and confectioners’ sugar until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the vanilla extract and beat until combined.
- Add the flour and salt and beat just until combined then fold in the chopped pecans.
- Using your hands, scoop out about 1 ½ teaspoons of dough and roll it into 1-inch balls. Arrange the cookies on the baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake the cookies for 15 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. (They will not brown.) Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are fully cooled, drizzle them with melted chocolate or roll them in confectioners’ sugar and serve.
Kelly’s Notes
- Make sure to let your butter soften at room temperature for an hour or so before you start mixing ingredients. Cutting the stick into cubes will soften butter more quickly, as will putting the butter in a bowl set over a warm water bath.
- For uniformly sized cookies, use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough before rolling.
- Most cookies will turn golden brown when they’re ready, but these cookies will not change color. Take them out of the oven after 15 minutes so they’ll be perfectly tender.
- To melt the chocolate, start with a perfectly dry bowl. Melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between. Or melt it in a double boiler set over barely simmering water.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
Rotate the cookie sheet 1/2 turn
Should you put the pecans in the oven before chopping them?
You can, but it isn’t necessary. :)
Easy and delicious
I’m thrilled you enjoyed the recipe, Tina!
Does rotate mean turn the pan or flip the cookie
Rotate the baking sheets :)
Super easy and very good thank you!!
You are so welcome, Heather! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I want to try this! However, I am wondering what will happen if I add 1 egg?
Hi Wendy – I’ve never tried that, but I’d be curious to know your results!
So simple and so beautiful ! Thank you so much for sharing !