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Hazel and Pecan Snowballs That Melt in Your Mouth
Hazel and Pecan Snowballs with Buttery Melt in Your Mouth Texture
Why You Will Love and Enjoy These Hazel and Pecan Snowballs
- They’ve got that soft buttery texture that practically disappears once you bite into them.
- The hazelnuts and pecans give a richer flavour than standard snowball cookies.
- You can freeze the dough ahead, which makes holiday baking far less chaotic.
Hazelnut and pecan cookies with the softest texture ever
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7 Ingredient Hazel and Pecan Snowballs
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Refrigerate: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 50–60 depending on size 1x
- Category: Cake Cupcakes Cookies and Tarts
- Method: Easy baking
Description
These Hazel and Pecan Snowballs are buttery, soft, and packed with toasted nut flavour in every bite. They’re delicate little cookies with a snowy icing sugar coating that somehow disappear faster than you’d expect.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups – 340 g butter, room temperature
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 1 cup corn starch (maizena)
- 2 cups cake flour
- 2 pinches of salt
- 1 cup ground hazelnuts
- 1 cup ground pecans
- Extra icing sugar, for coating
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, cream the 340 g room temperature butter for 3 to 5 minutes until it’s very pale, fluffy, and noticeably lighter in texture, as it gives the cookies that delicate, melt-away texture.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the 1 cup corn starch, 2 cups cake flour, a double pinch of salt, 1 cup ground hazelnuts, and 1 cup ground pecans so everything is evenly combined before adding it to the butter mixture.
- Add the 1 cup of icing sugar to the whipped butter and mix on low speed until combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl because the butter likes to cling to the bottom and sides.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture while mixing on the lowest speed.
- Once combined, increase the mixer speed slightly and mix for another 2 to 3 minutes until the dough starts coming together into a soft dough. It should be soft but not greasy or wet.
- If the dough feels too soft to roll properly, cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge for about 1 hour.
- On warmer days, this really helps keep the cookies from flattening too much while baking.
- Line baking trays with parchment paper.
- Scoop about 12.5 ml portions of dough using a measuring spoon or a small cookie scoop and roll gently into balls.
- Place them on the lined trays with a little space between each one. They won’t spread much, but you still want enough room to lift them later without breaking them.
- For make-ahead baking, place the rolled dough balls in the fridge until firm or freeze them overnight in zip bags or airtight containers.
- Bake directly from chilled or frozen. If baking from frozen, they may need an extra 2 to 3 minutes in the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350⁰F (180⁰C).
- Bake chilled dough balls for 10 to 12 minutes, or frozen dough balls for about 13 to 15 minutes.
- The bottoms should be lightly golden, and the tops should look dry rather than shiny.
- Leave the cookies on the tray for at least 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack. They’re extremely fragile while warm and can crack if moved too quickly.
- Let the cookies cool another 15 to 20 minutes before coating them in icing sugar.
- If you coat them too early, the sugar melts into the cookies and turns sticky instead of powdery. If that happens, just let them cool fully and dust them again later.
- Once completely cool, give them a second generous coating of icing sugar for that proper snowy finish.
- Store the cookies in layers in an airtight container with extra sifted icing sugar between the layers to keep the snowy look intact.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Esme Slabs: SA Tasty Recipes – Saffas Daily Recipes and EsmeSalon Homemade Recipes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cookies
- Calories: 152
- Sugar: 4.7 g
- Sodium: 9.2 mg
- Fat: 10.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4.6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 13.6 g
- Fiber: 0.7 g
- Protein: 1.3 g
- Cholesterol: 18.3 mg
Additional Information
- These snowballs stay pale even when baked properly, so it’s easy to leave them in too long. Look for lightly browned bottoms and dry-looking tops instead of waiting for deep colour.
- Ground nuts matter more than expected: If the hazelnuts or pecans are too coarse, the cookies become crumbly and harder to shape. Finely ground nuts give a smoother, softer texture.
- Why did my cookies crack? The dough was either too cold when rolled or slightly overmixed. Let the chilled dough sit for a few minutes before shaping if it feels stiff.
- Would toasted nuts work? Yes, lightly toasted hazelnuts and pecans add a deeper flavour, but make sure they cool completely before grinding and adding to the dough.
- Can this be frozen? Yes. The unbaked dough balls freeze very well for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen and simply add 2 to 3 extra minutes to the baking time.
- How long can these be stored and how? Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Layer them carefully with extra icing sugar between layers because they’re delicate and can lose their snowy coating during storage.
Substitute Suggestions
- Swap hazelnuts with almonds or walnuts if needed
- Replace pecans with walnuts for a slightly earthier flavour
- Vanilla extract can replace almond essence if you want a softer flavour profile.
- A gluten-free cake flour blend may work, but the texture will be slightly more delicate
Hazel and Pecan Snowballs are soft, buttery cookies coated in icing sugar with rich hazelnut and pecan flavour. These freezer-friendly holiday cookies are perfect for cookie trays, gifting, and festive baking weekends.
Hazel and Pecan Snowballs are the kind of cookies people reach for more than once without even thinking about it. The buttery texture, soft icing sugar coating, and rich nut flavour make them feel special without requiring complicated baking steps. They freeze well, store beautifully, and fit perfectly onto holiday trays, making them an easy choice for anyone wanting a reliable festive cookie that tastes homemade in the best way.
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