Butter Pecan Meltaways Recipe
Butter Pecan Snowballs
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.
…
Butter Pecan Meltaways Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: About 2 dozen cookies. 1x
- Category: Dessert, Cookies
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Southern
Description
Bites of butter pecan goodness. Perfect little cookie for Christmas or any time family and friends gather. Quick and easy to make.
Ingredients
1 cup All-Purpose Flour
1 stick Butter, softened. (1/2 cup)
1 cup Pecans, chopped fine, toasted
3 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Flavoring
1 cup Confectioners’ Sugar
Instructions
Toast the pecans, 8-10 minutes at 350F degrees. Let cool.
Place flour in a medium sized mixing bowl.
Add the butter.
Add the pecans.
Add the sugar.
Add the vanilla flavoring.
Work together by hand until fully combined.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into one-inch balls.
Roll each ball of dough between your hands into compact balls.
Place dough balls, one inch apart, on parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350F degrees for 10-15 minutes until set. Do not brown.
Remove from oven and let cool for a couple of minutes.
Place confectioners sugar in a small mixing bowl.
One at a time, place a cookie in the sugar and roll it to fully cover with sugar.
Place back on baking sheet or on a plate. Let cool completely.
When fully cooled, roll each cookie in the confectioners’ sugar again.
Enjoy!
Notes
Recipe can be easily doubled if desired. Store in air-tight container for several days, if they last that long.
Keywords: butter, pecan, snowballs, meltaways, Christmas cookies, wedding cookies, easy cookies
Your Comments:
Have you tried our Butter Pecan Meltaways? How did you like it?
Share your memories of this dish with us. It will only take a minute or two for you to leave your comments in the section below.
Just remember, all comments are moderated. That just means that I personally read each and everyone before they are approved for viewing on our family friendly website. Thank you in advance for sharing.
Sign Up For Our Free Newsletter:
While you’re here, be sure to sign up for our totally FREE NEWSLETTER. I’ll send you an Email every once in awhile to remind you when I post a new recipe, or when anything else of importance is going on around Taste of Southern. It’s totally free, and super easy to sign up. And, should you ever decide that you are no longer interested, it’s even quicker to unsubscribe. How cool is that? I’ll be looking forward to seeing you add your name to our list. The signup box is below and you’ll also find one in the top right hand corner of each page. I hope you’ll do it today.
Be Blessed!!!
Steve
..
You might also like: Tiger Butter Bark Candy Recipe
Or, maybe this one? Sylvia’s Foolproof Fudge Recipe
How about this? Pigs In A Blanket Wreath Recipe
.
Category: Desserts
Hello Steve
I haven’t talked to you in awhile, I was hospitalized this fall with a sneaky ailment known as polymyositis, an autoimmune neuromuscular disease. I’m better now and back at work! Many prayers answered! I love your Christmas cookie recipes, thanks so much! I will try the pecan meltaways for sure. Please remember me in prayer, thanks!
Hi Phyllis, I’m sorry to hear you were sick, but happy to know you’re doing much better and have returned to work. God is good. I do hope you’ll get to try the cookies. I hope you like them. You will definitely be on our prayer list. Smile. Thank you for your visit. I do hope you continue to improve and that you will stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Enjoyed the recipe. I used to make them years ago. I made mincemeat cookies this weekend for the ladies’ and men’s Sunday School classes yesterday. A lot of people didn’t know what mincemeat was. My husband always liked mincemeat pie but he’s happy with the cookies.
Hi Karen, I must admit that I’ve never tried anything Mincemeat. I bought a jar of it once, but ended up never even opening it. Go figure. I bet your cookies were good though. I guess I’ll just stick with the Butter Pecan Meltaways. Smile. Thank you for your visit today and for your support of our recipes. I do hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve. If I didn’t make these every Christmas, I think my son (age 59) would disown me. They’ve been his favorite since he was a kid. However, I’ve had many failures. Sometimes they crumbled completely when I tried getting them off cookie sheet with a spatula. Sometimes I managed to get them in powdered sugar and then they crumbled. Sometimes they turned out good. I’ve never toasted the pecans nor have I ever mixed the dough with my hands. Maybe that makes a difference. All recipes I’ve seen call for creaming with electric mixer. Different recipes call for baking anywhere between 350 to 425. I’m sure that makes a difference. I’ve tried them all. I’m going to use your recipe this year and I’ll let you know how they turn out. BTW, I always double the recipe so I can give my son half and keep half for myself because they’re my favorite also.
Hi Shirley, Thank you for sharing your comments with us. The cookies are very fragile, especially straight out of the oven. Perhaps you didn’t let them cool enough before you tried to handle them. Just a thought. I’m not going to claim I’ve made these bunches of time, so I can’t offer any real help with what might have caused your past failures. Thankfully, these turned out fine. I do hope you might try our version and I look forward to hearing how they turn out for you. Thank you as always for your support and your visits. I do hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Merry Christmas Steve!
I have made these many times, but substitute walnuts, my husband is allergic to pecans. We call it Sandies. It was my mother’s only cookie that she ever cooked. About the candy thermometer. I knew that in higher elevations, it takes longer to boil water but in my area, I never gave it a thought. But when my husband was in the Navy on the coast of Florida, I tried to make fudge without a thermometer, the drop of fudge in water to form a ball, but I must have waited too long, because the fudge had to be hit with a knife to even get it out of the pot. I talked about this with my husband and we checked the elevation of our town Mint Hill, NC, it is 781′. It was interesting to read about calibrating the thermometer. Don’t know if our elevation would affect it that much, need to do your boiling water test.
Hi Marilyn, Merry Christmas to you as well. It will be here before we know it. Smile. I wasn’t aware of the need to test out a thermometer to see if it’s running hot or cold. Learn something new everyday as the old saying goes. I do hope you might test yours and let us know what you find. I’d be curious to know. Thank you for haring your comments with us today. I always appreciate your visits and I do hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve