Lemon Pecan Snowball Cookies

These buttery and crumbly shortbread style cookies dotted with chopped pecans then rolled in powdered sugar are simply irresistible! The addition of fresh lemon flavor makes these pecan snowball cookies even more scrumptious, you can’t just have one! They are traditionally baked as holiday cookies in the United States, but they are also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes with an added lemony twist – yum!

I’m totally obsessed with these delicious little bites of lemony goodness! I made a batch of these Lemon Pecan Snowball Cookies over the weekend and I had to tell my family to hide them from me as I cannot help but eat them!!! They were that good.

I know it’s really good when my son who dislikes anything with nuts (these Lemon Pecan Snowball Cookies – as the name connotes have nuts in them!) ate a lot of these and truly loved them!

I love how these cookies simply crumble and melt-in-your-mouth as you take a bite. Immediately thereafter, your tastebuds are treated to a delicious fresh lemony tang and then the yummy taste of buttery goodness plus the crunch from all that crushed pecans.

And all of that contrasts with the sweetness coming from the sugar. What an explosion of yumminess in your mouth.

These little bites of deliciousness are perfect with my morning tea (or coffee for that matter, if you’re more of a cookie drinker!).

What’s more, it’s a perfect addition to your batch of holiday cookies! Of course, if it’s no longer holiday season, I’ll simply call them as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies – so any time or any season of the year I have an excuse to make these!

But who needs an excuse really? Ha! I’ll probably just bake them when I am fancying them!!!

These Lemon Pecan Snowball Cookies make a great holiday gift, too. Simply place in a Christmas themed tin or package and you have a delicious homemade holiday treat that’s truly made with love! 

Ingredients for Lemon Pecan Snowball Cookies

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup butter (16 tablespoons)
• 3/4 cup confectioners’ or powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• zest of one lemon
• 1½ tsp lemon extract
• ½ cup pecans, finely crushed
• 1½ cups confectioners’ or powdered sugar, for rolling

Instructions for Lemon Pecan Snowball Cookies

• Whisk together in a bowl the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
• Using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Adjust the speed of your mixer to low and add the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, lemon extract and lemon zest. Slowly add in the flour mixture and the finely crushed pecans and mix just until combined.
• Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour (this would make the cookie dough harden a bit so it would be easier to handle). You want the cookie dough to remain a bit cold by the time you place them in the oven so they do not flatten or spread too much while baking and retain a good roundish mound shape. Preheat the oven to 350F at the end of one hour.
• Scoop the dough into 1″ balls; a small cookie scoop is quite handy for this and will produce uniformly sized balls. Place the balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet or silpat leaving enough space between cookies to allow them to expand. Bake the cookies for 13 to 15 minutes or just until light brown on the bottom.
• Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 4-5 minutes or while still warm. When the cookies are firm enough to handle but still warm, carefully roll the cookies in the powdered sugar. Place on a rack and let the cookies cool completely, then re-roll in the sugar. Make about 34 cookies.

So what are you waiting for? Make sure to make these delectable delights and your family will be so happy if you do!

Last updated on November 29th, 2023 at 04:04 pm