Description
These gingerbread snowball cookies are little bites of holiday cheer! They’re buttery and tender with a warm mix of spices, and each cookie gets a snowy coating of powdered sugar. Ideal for cookie swaps, gifting, or nibbling by the Christmas tree.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling after baking)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ cup pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Beat the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until the mixture looks pale, fluffy, and creamy. Stir in the vanilla extract.
- In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk to distribute the spices evenly.
- Mix the dry into the wet. Slowly add the flour mixture into the butter mixture, stirring just until a dough forms.
- Fold in the pecans so they’re spread evenly throughout the dough.
- Shape the dough into balls about 1 inch in size. Place them on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a bit of space between each.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the cookies look set on the outside but haven’t turned brown.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes right on the baking sheet, then roll each one in powdered sugar while still warm.
- Once fully cooled, give them a second sugar roll for that perfect snowy coating.
Notes
- Keep cookies in an airtight container for up to 7 days — though let’s be honest, they’ll vanish way sooner.
- These are wonderful for holiday gifting — pack them in festive tins lined with parchment and tie with ribbon for a homemade present.
- For extra flavor, lightly toast the pecans before chopping.