Pecan Butter Balls Cookies

4.35 from 26 votes

Light, nutty, and melt-in-your-mouth buttery, these amazing Pecan Butter Balls are a terrific cookie for the holiday season or any time of the year!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Chilling time30

Total Time1

Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cookies, easy cookies, nut cookies, nuts, pecan butter balls, pecan cookies

Servings: cookies

Calories: 152kcal

With a hand mixer or in a stand mixer, beat the softened butter, white sugar, and 1/4 cup of the confectioner's sugar until it is light and fluffy.
Add half the flour and mix on low until combined. Then add the remaining flour and salt. Mix on low to combine.
Add the pecans and mix on low until just combined. The mixture will be loose and crumbly.
Gently form the dough into two logs, about 1-2 inches in diameter. Wrap the logs in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 325-F.
When the dough is thoroughly chilled, slice it into 1/2-inch rounds and each slice into balls. The balls should be about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter.
Line the balls up on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Keep them about 1-inch apart.
Bake for about 20 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
Thoroughly cool the butter pecan balls and then toss them in sifted confectioner's sugar before serving.

Chef Jenn's Tips

Buy whole pecans and grind them yourself in the food processor. It's much cheaper than buying them already ground.
Use unsalted butter, but salted will work, too. Just don't add more salt.
Make sure these cookies are thoroughly cooled before tossing them in the sifted powdered sugar or they can get gluey.
Switch up the flavor and use ground almonds, instead!
Don't make them too small or they'll over cook, and if they're too large they could be still doughy in the middle. Aim for about 1-1.5 inch diameter cookie balls.
Test for doneness by cutting a ball in half. They should be cooked through and not moist in the middle.