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The BEST Snowball Cookies {Or Russian Tea Cakes. Or Mexican Wedding Cookies}

December 9, 2014 by thedomesticrebel | 29 Comments

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The Best Snowball Cookies posed with pecans on parchment paper and a blue backgroundAs I’ve mentioned before, no one cooked in my family while I was growing up. We had a very small handful of “family recipes” that were rarely cooked. The rest of the time, it was all about meals of convenience. I grew to love the ladies in the Carl’s Jr drive through.

And while I hate to point fingers buuuuuut my grandma was typically the worst cook of them all. And she actually liked cooking; she just stunk at doing it.

Like the time she microwaved a Wendy’s cheeseburger inside of its foil wrapper. I warned her that foil + microwave = flammable disaster, but she continued to microwave that death trap until it exploded into a predictable burst of char-grilled burger flames.

Or the time she brought us a plate of marshmallow brownies. I distinctly remember opening the door and seeing the paper plate filled with gooey, marshmallow-studded brownies and I could actually feel my eyes light up like a cartoon character. As I took a bite, anticipating the sweet, luscious goo from the marshmallow pockets, I was instantly greeted with a terrible punch in the taste buds that contorted my face into the most hideous expression imaginable that mimicked the pain I was feeling all over. That wasn’t marshmallow — it was sour cream. And grandma, bless her terrible-chef heart, neglected to stir the sour cream into the batter properly, leaving pockets of the rancid tang throughout the precious brownies.

Not to mention the countless rolls that have been torched, cookies that turned Cajun, and grilled cheese sandwiches that were topped with *shudder* mayonnaise. Like, I’m still scarred.

HOWEVER. Grandma did do something right, and that was her Snowball Cookies. In our house, we call them Snowballs, but you may know them as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Same difference! They’re all irresistibly tender pecan cookies rolled in powdered sugar and they taste like heaven. And if we’re being honest, they’re actually my favorite cookie ever. Like, ever-ever. I could eat an entire batch without so much blinking, they’re that much of a favorite to me! And Christmas isn’t Christmas without them.

The Best Snowball Cookies arranged on blue background with pecans

The Best Snowball Cookies arranged in a blue and white bowlWhile this is not my grandma’s recipe (frankly, she hasn’t made her cookies in years and I think it’s probably from a magazine), it is my favorite Snowball Cookie recipe EVER. It yields the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth, divine cookies, studded with pecans and a hint of vanilla in every bite. It makes a little over two dozen, which is excellent if you’re gifting them off (and not so much if you’re eating them all like me). You can also adapt these to make them more personalized, like by using more cinnamon inside to spice them up, adding a hint of orange zest, or rolling them in cocoa powder instead. The choice is yours!

Just… don’t use sour cream. That’s simply unforgivable.

The Best Snowball Cookie on a piece of parchment with pecans and a bowl of cookies in background

*recreated from this recipe from my archives

Print Recipe
5 from 7 votes

The BEST Snowball Cookies {Or Russian Tea Cakes. Or Mexican Wedding Cookies}

These are the EASIEST, most tender, melt-in-your-mouth Snowball Cookies you'll EVER have! Whether you call them Snowballs, Mexican Wedding or Russian Tea Cakes, your entire family is sure to love this phenomenal Christmastime classic.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time15 mins
Total Time25 mins
Course: Cookies
Servings: 25
Author: Hayley Parker, The Domestic Rebel

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks butter softened
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1/8 cup brown sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Pinch cinnamon
  • 2 cups ground pecans I use Diamond of California Pecan Bits, then grind them further
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and set aside.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the butter, white and brown sugars until fluffy, about 1 minute. Beat in the vanilla and cinnamon to combine. Lastly, add in the ground pecans and the flour until the dough comes together. The dough may be crumbly; that's okay -- just try your best to bring everything together into one soft, cohesive dough.
  • Using a cookie dough scoop, roll Tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them about 1" apart on the baking sheets. Bake for approx. 10-13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure an even cook. Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheets for about 10 minutes or until cooler to the touch. Immediately roll the cookies into powdered sugar to coat, and place the cookies to finish cooling on a wire rack.
  • Once cookies are cooled, send them through another light roll in the powdered sugar for a second coat. Then serve! Cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to a week.

The Best Snowball Cookies closeup on a piece of pecan to show detailI cannot reiterate how MUCH I LOVE these cookies! You won’t find a recipe for cookies this tender, soft, or perfectly spiced anywhere else! I hope you enjoy!

The Best Snowball Cookies AKA Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies collageHave a fantastical day!!

xo, Hayley

 

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Comments

  1. annabelle says

    December 9, 2014 at 5:08 am

    I make them with different nuts (Almonds, hazelnut, macadamia, etc) and sometimes filled them with chocolate kisses or guava. Yummy!!! Give it a,try

    Reply
  2. Laura @ Laura's Culinary Adventures says

    December 9, 2014 at 3:00 pm

    Phew! She sounds like rough cook! These look delicious though 🙂

    Reply
    • Cathy F says

      March 29, 2021 at 7:58 am

      5 stars
      Rough cook??
      What do you mean?

      Reply
      • Tilar says

        September 13, 2021 at 7:28 am

        Haha I think they mean Grandma! (Compliments of the kitchen horror stories) ?

        We are studying Russia in our class and this recipe is our ‘cuisine feature’
        Thank you for the recipe!!

        Reply
  3. LauriM says

    December 9, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    5 stars
    These are also my absolute favorite cookies! My grandma makes them every Christmas. I even have a batch to bake sitting on my counter right now.

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      December 9, 2014 at 6:54 pm

      Lauri, when are they ready and WHEN can I come over?! 🙂

      Reply
      • LauriM says

        December 10, 2014 at 9:52 am

        Sorry to disappoint, but these were destined for the freezer and then Christmas at my grandma’s. We bake them as well as sugar and gingerbread cut-out cookies and then freeze them until Christmas.

        Reply
        • Lynn Pieron says

          February 15, 2019 at 12:44 pm

          I want to make these ahead of time for my son’s wedding. How do you recommend freezing them? And thawing them? Thanks!

          Reply
          • thedomesticrebel says

            February 18, 2019 at 7:00 pm

            Hi Lynn, you could totally freeze these – however, I wouldn’t recommend coating them in powdered sugar before freezing because when it thaws it’ll be sticky and weird. I would freeze the cookies and once thawed, dredge in powdered sugar.

      • mary ann says

        December 15, 2022 at 11:03 am

        Is the white sugar granulated or powdered? Thanks.

        Reply
        • thedomesticrebel says

          December 21, 2022 at 8:04 pm

          Hi Mary Ann, in the cookie recipe I am using granulated sugar for the cookie dough and powdered to coat the finished cookies.

          Reply
  4. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says

    December 11, 2014 at 12:04 pm

    bahahaaaa ohemgeeee your grandma! those brownies! ah!

    I’m glad she at least got snowball cookies right and you prob. got them even right-er with this recipe! They’re the most tender snowball cookies I’ve ever seen!

    Reply
  5. Farah says

    January 17, 2016 at 7:28 pm

    Loooove them! And P.S. I never comment on recipes

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      January 17, 2016 at 7:31 pm

      Haha, well thanks so much for your comment Farah!! Enjoy!!

      Reply
  6. Nicki says

    December 14, 2017 at 3:41 pm

    5 stars
    These are perfection! Glad I searched for an alternate recipe after trying another. These are cookie swap worthy!

    Reply
  7. Blanca says

    December 23, 2017 at 5:50 pm

    5 stars
    These cookies are amazing!!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Liz says

    January 9, 2018 at 7:53 pm

    I think the best part is the double rollong in powdered sugar, once hot and once cool. That’s what separates the good from the great!

    Reply
  9. Jean says

    November 20, 2018 at 7:43 pm

    Are these cookies dry?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      November 21, 2018 at 6:38 am

      Hi Jean, yes they’re more on the drier side but they’re so delicious! They melt in your mouth!

      Reply
  10. Gianna says

    December 17, 2018 at 8:12 pm

    Can the dough be made ahead and refrigerated?

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      December 18, 2018 at 8:08 am

      Hi Gianna, I don’t see why not! Just maybe let it come close to room temperature before baking. Since it’s already a crumbly kinda dough, you want it to be softer than really firm in the fridge.

      Reply
  11. Denine says

    December 15, 2019 at 3:20 am

    5 stars
    These Snowball cookies are amazing! Very easy to make and absolutely delicious!

    Reply
  12. Elizabeth Walker says

    December 7, 2020 at 9:34 am

    5 stars
    These really are the best! I have always loved these cookies but just made them myself for the first time using this recipe. So easy and delicious!

    Reply
  13. paige miller says

    January 29, 2021 at 6:53 am

    I am super excited to make these! I wanted to double-check and see if the type of butter matters (salted or unsalted) thanks in advance <3

    Reply
    • thedomesticrebel says

      January 31, 2021 at 8:52 am

      Hi Paige! Any time I am baking with nuts I like to use unsalted butter since the nuts themselves can be a tad salty.

      Reply
  14. AmyJ says

    December 11, 2022 at 1:00 pm

    5 stars
    These are perfect versions of this cookie! They don’t fall apart and taste exactly the way I wanted them to. I doubled the recipe, used a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and got just over 7 dozen. Happy baking!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. My Top Fave Recipes of 2014 | The Domestic Rebel says:
    December 29, 2014 at 1:01 am

    […] The Best Snowball Cookies. Yes, yes yes. Need I say more? My favorite cookie, ever. Period. End of story. […]

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    The BEST Snowball Cookies Or Russian Tea Cakes. Or Mexican Wedding Cookies | The Domestic Rebel

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About me

Welcome to The Domestic Rebel! My name is Hayley and I am the 31-year old writer, photographer, recipe developer, taste-tester and creator of this blog. I’m so glad you’ve stopped by my little slice of sprinkly, butter-laden heaven on the interwebs. If it wasn’t apparent, I like to bake… a lot. Read More…

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