Vivienne’s Snowballs

Do not skip the chilling step.

Makes about 10–12 large cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened

  • ½ cup confectioners’ sugar

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract

  • 2¼ cups all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup pecans, toasted, cooled, and very finely chopped

  • ¼ teaspoon salt

  • ¾ cup confectioners’ sugar, or more as needed, for rolling

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

  2. Toast the pecans. Spread the pecans on a baking sheet and toast for 7–9 minutes, until fragrant. Let them cool completely, then chop them very finely.

  3. Make the dough. Beat the softened butter and ½ cup confectioners’ sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts.

  4. Add the flour and salt and mix just until combined. Stir in the toasted pecans.

  5. Using a ¼-cup (4-tablespoon) trigger-style ice cream scoop, scoop the dough into large portions. Gently roll each portion between your palms to make a round ball.

  6. Arrange the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.

  7. Chill the shaped cookies for 20–30 minutes. This helps the giant snowballs hold their shape instead of slumping in the oven.

  8. Bake for 20–25 minutes, until the cookies are set, the bottoms are lightly golden, and the tops are still fairly pale. Because these are unusually large, start checking at 20 minutes and give them another few minutes if the centers still seem very soft.

  9. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes. They’ll be delicate while hot.

  10. While they’re still warm, gently roll each cookie in confectioners’ sugar. Set on a wire rack to cool completely.

  11. Once completely cool, roll them in confectioners’ sugar a second time, coating them generously.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Lasts 5–7 days at room temperature in an airtight container. They’ll usually still be safe a bit beyond that, but the texture and pecan flavor start drifting downhill. Put parchment between layers so the sugar coating stays prettier. Keep them somewhere cool and dry, not over the dishwasher or near the stove. If the powdered sugar gets absorbed after a few days, just re-roll or dust them again before serving. For longer storage, they freeze beautifully for 2–3 months. Freeze them after baking and cooling, ideally before the final powdered-sugar roll, then thaw and give them their snowy second coat afterward. ☃️