Snowball Cookies made even better with brown butter! These Brown Butter Snowball Cookies need only a handful of ingredients and make a classic holiday treat!

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 15 minutes
  • Total time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 25 cookies
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks/ 226 grams)
  • 1 cup pecans (finely chopped, 106 grams)
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (260 grams)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon powder
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar (60 grams, also known as icing sugar/confectioners sugar)
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • more powdered sugar (for rolling, around 2 cups)

Method

  1. Start by making the brown butter. In a pan melt 2 sticks of unsalted butter on medium heat. It is a good idea to use a light colored pan here because we are primarily looking for that brown color and it's easier to see the color changes in such a pan.
  2. The butter will first melt and then start to foam. Keep stirring. After stirring for 6 around 7 minutes (may take more or less time depending on the intensity of heat and thickness of pan) you will see the butter will change its color and become brown. You can also smell the nutty aroma. Immediately remove butter from heat and pour into a glass bowl and place in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes so that it cools down.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange pecans on it. Roast at 350 F degrees for 6 to 8 minutes until the pecans are nicely fragrant. Remove from oven and chop the toasted pecans finely. Set aside.
  4. In a bowl whisk together all purpose flour, salt and cinnamon powder. Set aside.
  5. To the steel bowl of your stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or use your hand mixer), add the cooled & melted brown butter and powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and mix until combined.
  6. Start adding the flour mix in parts. Add half of it and mix. Then add the remaining half of the flour mix along with chopped pecans and mix.
  7. The mixture will come together and stick to the paddle attachment. It won't form a dough (will be crumbly) but will come together if you press with your hands.
  8. Now, make small round balls from the dough, around 1 tablespoon each (around 20 to 25 grams). I got around 25 cookies. Place them an inch apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F degrees for 15 to 17 minutes. I baked mine for 15 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and let them cool down for 1 minute. Once you can handle them with hands, roll them in powdered sugar while they are still warm. Roll all the cookies and then place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. Once they have cooled down completely, roll the cookies in powdered sugar for the 2nd time. Enjoy the cookies with a cup of coffee!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.