Follow our complete, step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe to learn how to make these Butter Pecan Meltaway Christmas cookies. Printable recipe included.
These cookies are known by a variety of names. They are most like the Mexican Wedding Cookies in taste and texture, and are very quick and easy to make. Whether you call them Meltaways or Snowballs, they’re just good.
With Christmas right around the corner, you’ll want to make up several batches of these quick and easy little bites of buttery pecan goodness. They’ll go quickly, just about as quick as it is to make them.
You’ll get about two bites out of each of these if you resist the urge to just pop the whole thing in your mouth at one time. Smile. And, they do practically melt in your mouth.
Many folks may know these as Snowballs, Pecan Sandies, or Mexican Wedding Cookies. They’re all pretty much the same thing I think. So, get the kids in the kitchen with you and let them help you make up several dozen.
Mama use to buy bags of the Wedding Cookies when I was a youngster. I think she liked them more than most other cookies, but I don’t know that she ever tried to make any. Cakes and pies were more her thing. Smile.
Keep in mind that you’ll want to chop up the pecans pretty fine. And, don’t let them brown once you put the rolled up cookie dough in the oven to bake for a few minutes. They just need a few minutes to firm up and set, so don’t walk away and let them brown.
These will be a perfect little cookie for your Christmas get together or for any time you’re having family and friends over. Bake up a bunch, place them in tins, and give them as gifts. They’re perfect for homemade gift giving.
Ready to give them a try? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking!
Butter Pecan Meltaways – You’ll need these ingredients.
We’re going to lightly toast the pecans first. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Measure out the chopped pecan pieces and spread them out into a single layer on the baking sheet.
Place the pan of pecans in an oven that has been pre-heated to 350F degrees. Toast them for 10-12 minutes or just until they are lightly browned. Ovens vary, so be sure to watch them carefully. Don’t let them burn.
Remove them from the oven when done. Set the pecan pieces aside and let them cool completely.
Place the flour in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Add the slices of room temperature butter.
Add the cooled toasted pecan pieces.
Add the sugar.
Add the vanilla flavoring.
Mash and squish all the ingredients together until fully mixed. I like to use gloves to do this, it can get a little sticky and messy. Just keep working the dough until it comes together into one large ball. Be sure to work the butter in really good. You don’t want large pieces of butter in the dough.
Wrap the ball of dough in clear plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill.
After the dough has chilled, remove it from the refrigerator. I used a 1 inch scoop and scooped the dough out into balls. I went ahead and divided up all the dough at one time so I had it ready for the next step.
Place a scoop of the dough between both hands and roll it out into a neat and compact little ball.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a silpat if you have one. Place the rolled balls of dough at least an inch apart on the baking sheet. The cookies will not flatten out or spread out much, but you do need to space them apart a bit.
Place the baking sheet in your pre-heated oven. Bake at 350F degrees for 10-15 minutes until the balls of dough are set and firm. Watch around the bottoms. Don’t let them overcook. You do not want them to brown, just to setup so they will hold their shape. Remove from oven when done.
As you can see, mine did flatten just a bit, but not much. Let them sit and cool for a couple of minutes before adding the sugar.
Place the confectioners sugar in a small mixing bowl. One at a time, gently lift the cookies from the baking sheet and place them in the sugar. Gently roll them around to fully coat each one.
They’re kind of fragile, so handle them carefully. Fully coat each cookie with the confectioners sugar, then place them back on your baking sheet or on a plate.
They don’t take on a lot of sugar at this point. If you let them cool completely, you can go back and roll them in the confectioners sugar again. They seem to hold more of the sugar the second time around. Just saying.
Enjoy!
You can easily double this recipe if desired. I made 23 cookies from the batch that I made. And, as you can probably see, they do hold more of the sugar if you let them cool then roll them in the sugar the second time.
You can store these for several days in an air tight container. I found they were even better on the third day. They had dried out a bit more and were a bit more crunchy.
