This recipe, that originates from an Amish cookbook, has been a favorite of mine for years. The cookies are buttery, filled with crunchy nuts and rolled in confectioner’s sugar for a touch of sweetness. For Christmas we like to add these pecan shortbread cookies to our cookie platters because they look like snowballs and add a festive flair to the cookie trays. This recipe uses pecans, but some like to add crushed candy canes. If you prefer walnuts over pecans, you can also use them instead. Have fun and enjoy!
If you love Amish cookie recipes, scroll below the recipe card to see a list of our family favorites.
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Amish Snowballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups crushed pecans
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour, pecans, salt and vanilla extract, then mix until well combined and no streaks of flour remain. The dough should be rollable.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Roll the dough into balls and place several inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Chill the cookies for 30 minutes, then bake in the preheated oven for around 10-15 minutes until they begin to crack on the tops and the bottoms are golden.
- Allow the cookies to cool for 5-10 minutes, then roll in confectioners' sugar. Allow the cookies to cool completely, then roll them in confectioners' sugar again to get a thicker coating. *see note. Enjoy! Storage notes below.
Notes
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Additional Amish Cookie Recipes for you to try:
- Amish snickerdoodle cookies
- Amish Peanut butter blossoms
- Amish cream cheese shortbread cookies
- Amish soft and chewy molasses cookies
- Amish ranger cookies
- Amish Christmas themed sugar cookie whoopie pies
- Amish Christmas themed monster cookies
- Amish strawberry rhubarb cookies
Ingredients needed for these Snowball cookies: salt, butter, crushed pecans, flour, confectioners’ sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract.
Step 1: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add flour, pecans, salt and vanilla extract, then mix until well combined and no streaks of flour remain. The dough should be rollable.
Notes on texture of the dough:
For these shortbread cookies, the dough should be easy to roll. No worries if it feels a little sticky, because chilling the cookies in the refrigerator will help to firm them up. However, if the dough is too sticky to roll, you will need to add more flour.
Step 2: Roll the dough into balls and place them several inches apart onto two parchment lined baking sheets. The dough balls should be about the size of a walnut, or golf ball. Allow the dough to chill for 30 minutes to keep them from spreading while they bake.
Step 2-3: Bake the chilled snowballs in the preheated oven (350 degrees Fahrenheit) for around 10-15 minutes or until they are beginning to crack on the tops and are golden on the bottoms. Be sure not to overbake the cookies to keep them from drying out too much. Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes, then give them their first roll in confectioners’ sugar.
Rolling the cookies with little helpers:
My kids thought it was lots of fun to roll the cookies in confectioners’ sugar. Although it made a mess, it was worth it for me because it kept them occupied for a bit. If you plan to allow the kids to help roll the cookies, be sure to check that the cookies are no longer hot, especially for the first roll when the cookies are still warm.
Step 3 continued: Allow the cookies to cool completely, then give them a final roll in confectioners’ sugar to get that nice coating of powdered sugar on top. Now you can serve and enjoy!
Storage and prep ahead notes:
To prep ahead: The dough for these shortbread cookies freezes well which makes them a great option to prep ahead. You can mix up the dough ahead of time, then roll it into balls and freeze in an airtight container for several months. To bake the frozen cookies, allow them to come back to almost room temperature (still cold as if they had been refrigerated) or you can bake them frozen, simply add a few extra minutes for baking. To store: these snowball cookies can be kept at room temperature if tightly wrapped or in an airtight container for up to a week. You can store the cookies in the refrigerator or freezer for longer storage.
Happy baking! To save this recipe for later, click on the pin button in the recipe card. Be sure to tag me on Instagram to show off a photo of your creation and let us know in the comments how they turned out for you! Thank you for your support. -Marilyn Stoltzfus Peight.
