Sheila’s Pecan Snowball Cookies from Christmas in Chestnut Ridge
In the cozy mountain town of Chestnut Ridge, these melt-in-your-mouth pecan snowball cookies aren’t just a holiday favorite—they’re a little piece of community love. When Sheila teamed up with Tucker to bake a huge batch for the town fundraiser, they knew these cookies would help raise funds for the Jacob family who’d been displaced from their home in the fire at Thanksgiving.
Fair warning: there might be a friendly fight over these (no, they won’t get thrown…this time!). Light, buttery, and loaded with crunchy pecans, no one can stop at just one. Bonus: the dough freezes well so make extra a freeze for a batch in the future. So be sure to bake plenty—you’ll want to make enough for both sharing and sneaking a few yourself!
These pecan snowballs have the warmth of Chestnut Ridge baked right in. Enjoy, and remember, a little holiday magic goes a long way!
Ingredients: Yield 5 dozen
· 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
· ½ cup confectioner’s sugar
· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
· 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
· 1 cup very finely chopped pecans
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· ⅓ cup confectioner’s sugar, or more as needed
1. Preheat oven to 350° F
2. Place butter, ½ cup confectioner’s sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl and cream with mixer on medium speed until smooth.
3. Gradually add flour and mix on low speed until flour is just mixed in.
4. Add the chopped nuts and salt. Gently stir to combine.
5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place about 2” apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms are light brown. The tops will still be pale, but firm. Don’t over bake.
7. After baking, let the cookies rest on the baking sheet while you load the next batch in the oven. By then, you can transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool and set, but not cool completely.
8. Place the confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl or plastic bag.
9. Roll each baked cookie ball in the confectioner’s sugar while still a little warm so the sugar clings, and set aside until completely cooled.
10. Roll in confectioner’s sugar one last time before packaging them up to gift away!
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