Vegan pecan snowball cookies - light, crumbly, melt-in-the mouth pecan shortbread cookies with a snowy powdered sugar coating.
These Christmassy biscuits are easy to make with just 7 ingredients in one bowl and they taste amazing! You won't be able to stop at just one!

These vegan pecan snowball cookies are light, melt-in-the-mouth, nutty, buttery balls of deliciousness.
They are made in many countries around the world and are also known as Mexican wedding cookies, Italian wedding cookies, Russian tea cakes and butterballs.
They are made with a variety of different nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts or almonds, but pecans are my favourite.
They are great all year round but are particularly suited to Christmas time due to their snowy appearance. They are a perfect addition to any festive cookie tin!
What Do I Need To Make Vegan Pecan Snowball Cookies?:
Vegan block butter: Please, for the love of holy baking, use a block butter/margarine to make these cookies, not the spreadable kind in a tub.
Spreadable will likely make the dough too soft to roll out properly, and the biscuits may be more tough as it contains more water. I recommend Naturli Vegan Block or Flora Plant Butter.
Icing sugar: Using icing (powdered) sugar in the dough gives these cookies a light, melt-in-the-mouth texture. They also get rolled in icing sugar (twice) to give them that classic snowball appearance.
Plain flour: Just regular plain (all-purpose) flour is best here. I haven't tried making these gluten-free.
Vanilla extract: Use a good quality vanilla extract for the best flavour. If you have it then vanilla bean paste would be amazing instead.
Cinnamon: Not strictly traditional but I really like the flavour it adds.
Salt: A little bit of salt balances the sweetness and brings out the flavour.
Pecans: Toasting the pecans before chopping them up gives them a stronger, nuttier flavour. You can use walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, pistachios or cashews instead.
How To Make Vegan Pecan Snowball Cookies:
(Full measurements and instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page)
Place the pecans in a skillet or frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until they smell toasty and have started to brown slightly.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool then chop them very finely, either with a sharp knife or in a food processor.
Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt for a couple of minutes until creamy.
Add the flour and cinnamon and stir until no lumps of butter remain.
Add the pecans and stir until they are well distributed. The mixture should be clumping together into a dough.
Scoop up tablespoon amounts of dough and use your hands to roll them into balls. Place them slightly spaced apart on a lined baking sheet.
Pop the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes, or the fridge for 30, while you preheat the oven.
Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes until they are lightly browned on the underside.
Leave to cool on the tray for 5 minutes then roll the cookies in icing sugar and place on a wire rack.
Once the cookies are completely cold roll them in icing sugar again and store in an airtight container.
Top Tips:
As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
Chilling the cookies before baking them helps to ensure that they don't spread. I don't recommend skipping this step!
Make sure that you chop the nuts to a fine rubble, you don't want pieces bigger than about a grain of rice.
Toasting the pecans before chopping them really elevates the flavour.
Roll the cookies in icing sugar twice - once while they are still warm and again when they have completely cooled. Rolling them while they are warm causes the sugar to melt slightly so that the second coating sticks better.
This recipe makes a fairly small batch of 16 cookies but can easily be doubled if you need to make more.
Storage And Make Ahead Instructions:
These vegan pecan snowball cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about a week.
To make them in advance, prepare the dough and shape the balls as per the recipe then spread them out on a baking sheet and freeze until solid.
Transfer the frozen balls to an airtight container or freezer bag and keep frozen for up to 3 months.
The cookies can be baked right from the freezer, they just may need a minute or two longer in the oven.
The baked cookies can also be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost at room temperature to serve.
More Vegan Christmas Cookies:
- Vegan Linzer cookies
- Vegan gingerbread cookies
- Vegan biscotti with cranberries and almonds
- Vegan shortbread fingers
- Vegan chocolate pistachio biscotti
- Double chocolate almond cookies
- Vegan vanilla sugar cookies
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Vegan Pecan Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 75 g (2 ¾ oz) pecans
- 115 g (½ cup) vegan block butter (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli Vegan Block) slightly softened
- 35 g (¼ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- 140 g (1 cup + 2 Tablespoons) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- icing (powdered) sugar for coating
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
- Place the pecans in a skillet or frying pan over a medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring often, until they smell toasty and have started to brown slightly.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool then chop them very finely, either with a sharp knife or in a food processor. Aim for pieces about the size of a grain of rice.
- Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt for a couple of minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Add the flour and cinnamon and stir until no lumps of butter remain.
- Add the pecans and stir until they are well distributed. The mixture should be clumping together into a dough.
- Scoop up tablespoon amounts of dough and use your hands to roll them into balls. Place them slightly spaced apart the lined baking sheet.
- Pop the baking sheet in the freezer for 15 minutes, or the fridge for 30, while you preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
- Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes (mine take 18) until they are lightly browned on the underside, they will still be fairly pale on top.
- Sift some icing sugar into a shallow bowl. Leave the cookies to cool on the tray for 5 minutes then roll them in the icing sugar to coat and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cold roll them in icing sugar again and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details, storage and freezing instructions and step-by-step photos.
- As with all of my baking recipes I really do recommend using the metric measurements with a digital scale rather than the cup conversions. Cups are a wildly inaccurate measuring system and you will get far better, more consistent results using a scale, not to mention that it is also easier and less messy than cups!
- Chilling the cookies before baking them helps to ensure that they don't spread. I don't recommend skipping this step!
Anne Boyd
These cookies are fantastic!! thank you. I have added to my Christmas favourites. Excellent tip to freeze formed cookies before baking. Mine also took 18 minutes. I do love that they hold their ball shape and don't flatten down much. I made a triple batch to add to my gift cookie tins
Kevin
Thanks for this recipe. I made these tonight, and they turned out wonderfully! The result is a mildly sweetened, tender shortbread with warm, nutty flavour reminiscent of toasted nuts you get at stalls around Christmas. I really appreciate how they’re not overly sweet. I will definitely make them again.
I’m already thinking of adaptions for future bakes… perhaps dark chocolate chips, or dipping in chocolate? Or pieces of chopped toffee stirred throughout the dough?
Helen Foster
Oh my word...utter deliciousness. Melt in the mouth, with the toasted pecan flavour to boot. Easy and quick to make and they don't need many ingredients either. Thank you Hannah! 🙂