Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Dough
- 225 g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 60 g confectioners sugar
- 10 ml vanilla extract
- 120 g pecans, toasted and completely cooled
- 240 g all-purpose flour
Coating
- 120 g confectioners sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 169 kcal
- Protein
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- 16 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 5 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 4 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1 g
- Cholesterol
- 20 mg
- Potassium
- 34 mg
- Calcium
- 7 mg
- Iron
- 0.3 mg
- Magnesium
- 8 mg
- Phosphorus
- 27 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 64 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 0 mg
- Vitamin E
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 1 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.0 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.0 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.05 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.02 mg
- Niacin
- 0.2 mg
- Folate
- 4 mcg
- Water
- 3 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175 C or 350 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the completely cooled toasted pecans in a food processor. Pulse several times until finely ground, watching carefully to ensure they do not turn into nut butter.
In a mixing bowl, cream the room temperature butter and 60g of confectioners sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla extract.
Add the all-purpose flour and ground pecans to the butter mixture. Mix gently until a cohesive dough forms.
Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up the butter, making it easier to shape.
Scoop the chilled dough and shape into 2.5cm balls. Arrange them on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them slightly apart as they will not spread much.
Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes. The bottoms should be lightly browned, but the tops should remain pale.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. While still warm, dredge each cookie generously in the remaining confectioners sugar.
Transfer the coated cookies to a wire rack to cool completely, then dredge them a second time in the confectioners sugar for a thick, snowy coating.
Chef's Notes
- Ensure the pecans are completely cool before grinding in the food processor. Warm nuts release their oils too quickly and will turn into a greasy paste.
- Rolling the cookies twice in confectioners sugar is the secret to their signature snowy coating. The first layer goes on warm and melts slightly to form a sticky base for the second layer.
- Do not overmix the dough once the flour is added. Overmixing develops gluten and compromises the delicate, shortbread-like texture.
- You can swap the pecans for walnuts, almonds, or pistachios, but always toast them first to maximize their flavor.
Storage
Refrigerator: 2 weeks — Store in an airtight container to prevent absorbing fridge odors
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze baked cookies or unbaked dough balls in airtight bags
Troubleshooting
Cookies flatten and spread while baking
Cause: Butter was too warm or dough was not chilled adequately before baking
Fix: Cannot be fixed once baked, but they will still taste delicious
Prevention: Chill shaped cookie dough for at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator before baking
Dough is too crumbly to form balls
Cause: Flour was overmeasured or butter was too cold
Fix: Knead the dough warmly with your hands for a minute to melt the butter slightly and bring it together
Prevention: Measure flour by weight rather than volume
Cultural Context
Known globally under many names including Russian Tea Cakes and Snowballs, Mexican Wedding Cookies, or Polvorones, are a traditional staple at winter celebrations and weddings. Their high butter and nut content, paired with the absence of eggs, creates a characteristic shortbread-like texture that melts beautifully on the palate.
