Nutty, crumbly, not overly sweet and utterly delicious, these pecan snowball cookies are classic festive fare. And the best part? They're quick to prepare, egg-free and easy to make vegan. They also keep well and are ideal for gifting.
Cream butter, sugar, salt and spice until pale and fluffy.
60 g unsalted butter, 30 g golden caster sugar, 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt, ½ tsp allspice
Blitz the pecans in a spice grinder or blender until they form a coarse crumb. Make sure it doesn't turn into butter.
85 g pecan nuts
Mix into the butter mixture.
Add the flour and stir it all together until it forms a crumbly dough.
120 g wholemeal flour
Take teaspoonfuls of the mixture and roll into walnut size balls between the palms of your hands. If the kitchen is warm, you may need to refrigerate the dough for half an hour or so.
Place the balls on a non-stick or lined baking tray about two centimetres apart.
Bake in the middle of the oven for 12-14 minutes. The cookies should have turned slightly golden, but not brown.
Place on a wire rack and allow to cool for five minutes.
Sift the icing sugar into a wide shallow bowl, then place 4-6 cookies in the sugar and roll until they're covered. I do this by shaking the bowl, but you can turn them by hand or with the aid of a spoon instead.
3 tbsp icing sugar
Place the cookies back on the rack to cool completely. Repeat the process until all of the cookies are thoroughly covered. You should still have plenty of icing sugar left in the bowl, but if not sift in a little more.
Store in a tin or other air tight container for up to five days.
Notes
Swap the butter for coconut oil and you have a delicious vegan snowball cookie with an additional layer of flavour. If you need to melt the oil first, add an additional 10g.Can freeze the cookies for three months, either before baking or once baked.You’ll find additional tips and info about this recipe in the main body of the post.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.