¾cuppecan piecesor 1 cup of pecan halves in a food processor, pulse 7 to 8 times to chop
½teaspoonsalt
¼teaspoonnutmeg
1cupunsalted buttersoftened to room temperature
½cuppowdered sugar
½teaspoonvanilla extract
½teaspoonalmond extract
1 ½cupspowdered sugarfor rolling after the snowmen are baked
For Decorating the Snowman Snowball Cookies
¼cuporange candy meltsor royal icing
¼cupdark brown or black candy meltsor royal icing
Instructions
Baking Snowman Snowball Cookies
Preheat oven to 400 °F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, chopped pecan pieces, salt, and nutmeg until well distributed.
In the stand mixer bowl, add the butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. Using a paddle attachment, cream together the ingredients until light and fluffy (about 4 to 5 minutes).
Add the dry mixture a ½ cup at a time, combining well, and scraping down the bowl between each addition. NOTE: If your dough is sticky, refrigerate it for 30 minutes.
Scoop out 2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, this will be the bottom of the snowman. Scoop out 1 tablespoon of dough and roll into a smaller ball, this will be the top of the snowman.
Continue scooping and rolling the bottom and top halves until you have an even amount, around 15 snowmen total.
Place the bottoms of the snowmen on the cookie sheet 1 inch apart.
Place the top above the bottoms, firmly pressing them together, creating a snowman. If they are not pressed together well the snowmen will break apart NOTE: If this happens to a few of the snowmen, you can "glue" them together with the melted chocolate or royal icing we use later.
Bake on the middle rack for 9 to 11 minutes or until you see the bottoms begin to brown.
While the snowmen bake, place 1 ½ cups of powdered sugar into a large shallow dish, set aside.
Remove the snowmen from the oven and allow them to rest on the baking sheet for 4 to 5 minutes.
Carefully remove the snowmen from the baking sheet one at a time and roll them in powdered sugar. Place them on a rack lined baking sheet and allow them to cool completely.
Once the snowmen have cooled completely, roll them in powdered sugar one last time.NOTE: Feel free to stop here and they will look like snowmen who have been covered in fresh snow!
Decorating Snowman Snowball Cookies
Prep the snowmen by scoring the cookie with a toothpick where the eyes, nose, and mouth will be. Removing any excess powdered sugar where you scored the cookies.NOTE: If there is too much excess powdered sugar, the chocolate will not stick.
Place melted chocolate (or royal icing) into two separate piping bags (or reusable sandwich bags). One will have dark brown/ black chocolate and the other orange. Be sure to tie the top off tightly.NOTE: Melt the chocolate with preferred method. I melt mine in a double boiler on the stove because I do not own a microwave (crazy right?!)
Cut a very small amount off the tip of each piping bag. Remember, more can be cut off if it is not a large enough hole.
Using the orange first, pipe a carrot nose in the middle of each snowman's face.
Using the black, pipe two coal eyes above the carrot and 5 more dots to make a smile underneath it's nose.
Allow the chocolate to harden before serving and enjoying.
Video
Notes
Storing Information:
Room temperature, in an airtight container or reusable bag, up to 5 days.
Refrigerated, in an airtight container or reusable bag, up to 2 weeks.
Frozen, in an airtight container or reusable bag, up to 6 months.
Repair Broken Snowman Cookies:
Use the melted chocolate or royal icing (whatever you are using to make their faces) to “glue” them back together. Pipe a good amount onto one side of the broke cookie, hold it together for a minute or two, carefully place it on a cookie sheet to dry and harden completely.
Decorate the Snowmen How You'd Like:
Don’t add the faces to leave them rustic.
Add scarves using Twizzlers or top hats with mini Reese’s cups.
Stick pretzels into the cookies before you bake them to make arms.
Snowball Cookies WITHOUT Nuts:
If for whatever reason you prefer to not use nuts, just add an additional 1/4 cup of powdered sugar to the cookie dough. This will give you the same great texture without the nuts.