Cherry Pecan Snowball Cookies (The Best!)

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Cherry Pecan Snowball Cookies are pure melt-in-your-mouth decadence! Buttery shortbread dough is draped around a chewy candied cherry and then coated in fluffy powdered sugar. They are beautiful, delicious, and one of my favorite holiday treats! These “snowballs” will be the best part of your winter!

I bake a lot of cookies and treats during the Christmas holiday. I’m always on the lookout for unique sweets that add more to the table than the traditional sugar cookie. Cherry Pecan Snowball Cookies deliver a surprising fruity twist. The rounded shape make them a great cookie for popping into your mouth (no plate needed!) and their dainty size means half the calories of regular cookies. So, eat to your heart’s content with less guilt! 😋            

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How to make Cherry Pecan Snowball Cookies

These cookies are simple to make and take very few ingredients. I use pecans in this recipe, but walnuts work well, too. You can also use red and green candied cherries if you want to add more Christmas color to your snowballs.

Equipment Used

• Mixing Bowl – used to mix the ingredients and to coated the cookies with powdered sugar
• Cutting Board – used to chop the pecans (or buy bagged chopped pecans)
• Large Baking Sheet – used to bake the cookies

Ingredient List

• Dough – butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, all-purpose flour, salt, pecans (chopped)
• Fruit – red candied cherries (candied cherries can be found in the seasonal/Christmas baking section of your grocery store.
• Coating – powdered sugar

Recipe Preparation

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl cream the butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract. Keep out extra softened butter in case it’s needed for the dough (about 1 tablespoon).

• In another bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir until fully incorporated. The dough should “form” when pressed between fingers. If it is too dry, add another tablespoon of softened butter.

• Place pecans on the cutting board and chop into tiny pieces.

• Add chopped pecans to the flour/butter mixture and stir until well combined.

• Now it’s time to form the cookies. Using a tablespoon, scoop a rounded amount of dough and place it in the palm of your hand. Next, using the back of the tablespoon, press a “dent” into the mound of dough. Place a candied cherry in the middle of the dent. Now, make a fist to press the dough crumbs together and form dough into a ball around the cherry. Note: If you want to increase the amount of cookies this recipe makes, use less dough. My family prefers larger “snowballs.”

• Place balls of dough onto a large non-stick baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes. I do not use parchment paper for these cookies. This cookie dough has enough butter in the recipe to prevent sticking.

• When cookies are ready to come out of the oven, allow them to cool to a warm temperature (not piping hot). Add powdered sugar to a small bowl and place a platter nearby to place the coated cookies.

• Add the cookies, one or two at a time, to the bowl of powdered sugar. Using a fork, roll the cookie(s) around to coat on all sides. Lift Cherry Pecan Snowball Cookies out of the powdered sugar and place on the platter to cool. When all cookies are coated, I repeat the process. The first coating will “melt” into the cookies because they are still warm. The second coating sticks to the outside of the cookies. This gives you the melt-in-your mouth reaction.