These delicious, sugary pecan balls SCREAM Christmas! Pecans and just 4 additional ingredients are rolled into a soft cloud of powdered sugar to create cookies that are light and delicious. These cookies are perfect for a cookie exchange or to share when friends and family come over for a holiday visit.
If you know me even a little bit, you know that I’m a cookie fanatic. I loooove me some cookies any time of the year, but especially THIS time of year. Varying kinds of cookies are zooming everywhere right now and that’s just the way I like it. Those sugary holiday trays are a dream!
I started making these pecan balls years ago. It was love at first sight and that love has endured over time. These little cookie bites are super EASY to make (SO easy!), irresistible, melt in your mouth delicious and you probably have all 5 (yes, just 5) ingredients sitting in your pantry right now. Add these to your holiday baking list to make family and friends happy!
HOW TO MAKE EASY PECAN BALLS
The size of a donut hole, it’ll be hard not to pop all of these into your tummy!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until fragrant. In a food processor, process the pecans until fine crumbs form.
In a large bowl, whisk together the ground pecans, flour and salt and set aside. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter, 1/2 cup of the sugar and almond extract on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Shape the dough into tablespoon-size balls using your hands and place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined or ungreased baking sheets.
Bake until just beginning to brown around bottom edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool completely to room temperature. Place the remaining sugar in a bowl and roll the cookies in the sugar to coat.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. Roll the cookies in the sugar to coat.
RECIPE NOTES
- Make sure your butter is taken out of the fridge about 30 minutes before you prepare the recipe. If you forget, you can place the butter stick on a plate in the microwave for about 20 seconds.
- If you don’t have a food processor, don’t fret! Finely chop the pecans as finely as possibly using a knife.
- Slow down and beat the butter and sugar mix to let it get light and fluffy. It’s worth the time!
- You can buy pecan pieces already chopped if you want to skip toasting whole pieces. It’s delicious and extra flavor though to toast them in the oven!
- These balls will come out of the oven a little fragile. Let them cool on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack or into a container to help them keep their shape. Then they’ll be ready to transport!
- Make a double batch easily and these are also easy to freeze.
WHY CHILL COOKIE DOUGH
It is not necessary that you chill the dough for this recipe, although you definitely CAN. The reason many cookie recipes require dough to be chilled is because refrigeration helps to solidify the fat. When the cookies are put into the oven chilled, the fat in the dough (the butter or oil) takes longer to warm up, causing less spreading.
CAN YOU FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH
Cookie dough is PERFECT for freezing! It’s one of the things I love most about it. Place prepared cookie dough into a resealable freezer bag and press as much air out as possible. Freeze for up to six months. When you are ready to make the cookies, allow the dough to thaw completely in the fridge overnight then bake as directed.
BEST COOKIES FOR HOLIDAY BAKING
Add these delicious cookies to your holiday baking list, too!
- These delicious Chewy Gingersnaps are the perfect chewy treat. Plus they are super easy to make. Flavored with molasses and spices and the finishing touch – topped with simple icing! Enjoy making these, as they are the perfect holiday baking cookie recipe!
- These are the BEST Sugar Cookies. They are super easy to make (using only seven ingredients) and they are perfect for decorating. You will never need another sugar cookie recipe again!
- Triple Chocolate Cookies with Peppermint Frosting are already a thick, perfect cookie but Nutella sets them over the edge in goodness. You can’t skip topping them with decadent peppermint buttercream frosting because it transforms them into the perfect dessert. It’s a fun holiday flavor and they look pretty too!
- These Chocolate Kiss Cream Cheese Cookies are a great dessert for gatherings any time of the year. They are light, creamy and sugary, with just the perfect kiss of milk chocolate!
- Hot Cocoa Cookies are like enjoying a cup of hot chocolate, except in cookie form. Chocolate oozes from the centers of these marshmallow-topped treats. These rich cookies are perfect for holiday parties and dessert trays!
- Oreo Balls are an easy no-bake dessert requiring only three ingredients! This easy dessert is great for the holidays or any time of year. Decorate with colored sprinkles to be festive and match the occasion.
IRRESISTIBLE HOLIDAY SNACKS
- Change it up by making candied pecans instead! These are a great snack and also the perfect addition to any leafy salad.
- Salty Toasted Coconut Chips are the perfect anytime snack, but they’ll also go fast on a party table!
- Transform the tart cranberry into a poppable snack by making these sugared cranberries. These come with a warning, though. They’re very hard to stop eating once you start.
- Holiday Snack Mix is one of my favorite snacks to bring to parties in the winter. Every time I do, it gets rave reviews!
- Double Chocolate Puff Corn is addicting and also gluten free!
- I don’t think this one needs any explanation: Baby Ruth Caramel Corn. Yep, the best.
Easy Pecan Balls
Ingredients
- 2 cups pecans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until fragrant. In a food processor, process the pecans until fine crumbs form.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in the preheated oven for 8 minutes or until fragrant. In a food processor, process the pecans until fine crumbs form.
- Add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. Shape the dough into tablespoon-size balls using your hands and place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets.
- Bake until just beginning to brown around bottom edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool. Place the remaining sugar in a bowl and roll the cookies in the sugar to coat.
I’m still waiting to hear if these freeze well!
Hi Judy! Yes, these would freeze great! Hope this helps!
Megan
Hi Marisa! I have never frozen these, but I imagine that would work just fine. If you try, would you report back? Thank you!
Megan
Do these freeze well?
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I will try this at home.
We gave these cookies out in cookie jars last year and they were a hit.
My grandmother too and then my mom also made these cookies. We just called them pecan cookies and instead of just balls we would gently press them down slightly with a fork before baking. We always made them at Christmas but never any other time of the year.
My grandmother made a very similar cookie to this every year for christmas she called them secret kisses. The recipe is almost identical except she used walnuts instead of pecans and she hid a hershey kiss in the center of each ball….
Delicious! I could go for 1 or 3 of these right now with some decaf chai!
What a way to bring in the new year. Wishing you the best. Your cookies look amazing
Sorry to hear about you harsh start off for 2012…I hope everything works out quickly. These little delights are fantastic!
I am sorry, also. Sounds like you have a great attitude, but it still rotten. I appreciate all of your posts and really love your blog!
I'm sorry for your tough start to the new year. At least these pecan balls are something to be happy about. They look amazing!