Gluten Free Pecan Snowball Cookies, sometimes called “Wedding Cookies,” are delightful balls of crumbly, nutty, powdery yumminess, and are a traditional favorite you shouldn’t have to miss just because you’re eating gluten free.
The ingredient list is so short and sweet that you might be tempted to write these cookies off. But don’t! It’s one of those cases where simple really can be perfect!
I love these so much that I baked these for my own wedding.
But don’t wait for such an auspicious occasion to try this recipe — it’s super easy and loved by all!
This specific cookie’s ingredient combination is “just right,” delighting your taste buds with the nutty note of pecan, a hint of vanilla, inimitable coconut, even a tinge of orange zest if you like.
Dusted with confectioner’s sugar, these cookies thrill young cookie monsters as well as more discerning ones. See for yourself – no one will miss the gluten in this delicious treat!
You can mix the dough in a food processor or with a mixer. There are no eggs or dairy required, and of course no gluten, so you can even taste the dough as you go, just to be sure it’s coming along as deliciously as you’d expect (I can’t be the only one to taste-test cookie dough, can I??).
There’s just nothing not to love about this simple classic, made gluten free. One tip though: you might want to double it! Did I mention the dough is really tasty? And of course, the finished cookies are hard to resist off the cooling rack!
Gluten Free Pecan Snowball Cookies
Gluten Free Pecan Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar plus more for dusting finished cookies
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut (optional)
- 1/2 cup butter or non-dairy alternative room temperature
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. orange zest or peel (optional)
- 1 cup (135 grams) gfJules™ All Purpose Flour OR 110 grams gfJules Nada Flour*
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
- Using a large food processor, pulse the confectioner’s sugar, pecans, and coconut until the pecans are finely chopped and tossed well with the sugar.
- With an electric mixer or the food processor, beat together the butter and pecan mixture until fully integrated.
- Mix in the vanilla and the orange zest. Slowly add the gfJules Flour and salt, beating or pulsing until blended and a soft dough is formed.
- Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate until cold and firm, not sticky – usually at least 2 hours.
- Preheat oven to 325° F (static). Scoop cold dough into large teaspoon-sized balls and roll between your palms to form a round ball. Place each formed ball onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet 1-2 inches apart.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown slightly. Remove to cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.
- Sift approximately 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar into a small flat-bottomed bowl, then gently toss each cookie in the bowl to lightly coat with sugar and serve.
- Yield: 2 dozen cookies, depending on size.
Video
** Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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This is so close to my mother’s snowball cookie recipe, but mine seems easier, with fewer ingredients. I made hers this year using gfjules all purpose flour (weighed) and earth balance sticks. Cannot tell any difference in taste or texture. They were wonderful! Thank you for such great products.
That is wonderful news, Christine! Using family recipes again is what it’s all about! I’d love to give your mom’s recipe a try sometime, if you’re willing to share — fewer ingredients is a bonus!!!
~jules
I’m wondering what happened. I made these cookies today. I didn’t add the coconut or the orange zest but I did everything else exactly like you said. They totally spread out flat! They taste good but I’m very disappointed in how they look.
Hi Carolyn, did they look like my photos or totally spread out flat?
Did you refrigerate the dough until very cold? Did you weigh the flour or use measuring cups? Check out this article on measuring flour, as that can make a huge difference in results!
Otherwise, I’d say that if you have any dough left, add some more flour to the dough since you didn’t use the coconut and see if that helps. You just never know. Hopefully they still tasted delish, even though they weren’t as pretty as you’d hoped!
~jules
Yes, I did refrigerate the dough. No, I don’t have any left over. Yes, they are still delicious. The funny thing is, I made some using my original recipe with regular flour & they also spread. They haven’t done that before. I also made the candy cane cookies on Friday. I have made them several times & they have never looked like yours. But this time they spread even more than before. I don’t know what is going on. I seem to have lost my “white thumb”. Maybe cause I’m old. lol
I wonder if it was the butter you used? Or maybe your oven is baking too hot? Since all the recipes are doing the same thing, I don’t think it’s you, my dear, I think it’s something external like the oven! Do you have an oven thermometer?
~jules
Yes I do. I have tested it in the past & it was okay. I used Trader Joe’s organic butter for mine. For the ones with regular flour, I used Challenge butter (my husband isn’t as picky as me.) Some of the other cookies I made didn’t spread. I made the cinnamon pinwheel cookies that I told you about & cut out sugar cookies. Those didn’t spread. I also made the chocolate pinwheel cookies awhile back & they didn’t spread. Those 3 were all GF (& didn’t spread). It seems to be the ones that are a type of shortbread that spread. I made some other ones with regular flour & they didn’t spread either.
You may be onto something, although I don’t have any problems with my gluten free lemon shortbread cookies using vegan butter. If you’re still having spread issues, you could certainly switch to shortening to give more body to that particular cookie dough. The fat from the pecans coupled with the moisture from the butter may just be pushing it over the edge without enough to hold it together from the coconut and flour.
~jules
Can I freeze these snowball cookies?
Yes, absolutely!
~jules
Hi Jules! This is my 3rd year making this recipe party of my Chritmas cookie making for presents to neighbors. I love these cookies and so does everyone I give them to. I make them exactly as is, including the orange zest. I’ve had to double the recipe but next year have to triple it because they are so popular and I need more of them to give out and still make sure there are enough for us!! Can’t say enough about how much I love your flour!
Oh Carol, that makes me so happy to hear! We love this recipe around here, too! In fact, we don’t always wait for the holidays to make them, they’re just so good!!! Thanks for taking the time to let me know how much you enjoy the recipe, and thanks for sharing the gluten-free cookie love!!!
~jules
Can you make these nut free? I can’t have nuts. I once used chocolate chips in the center with a different gluten free snowball recipe.
Thanks!
Hi Nancy, you would need to replace the 1/2 cup pecans with something else, and I’d be guessing about what would work best, since it’s integral to the structure and taste of this recipe. I suppose if I was going to try, it would be something like millet flour, but that would be my first pass. If you’re up for experimenting, that’s what it’s going to take, since it’s basically re-working the entire recipe! Let me know if you do though — now you have me super curious!
~jules
Wow, these cookies are WONDERFUL! I didn’t use the orange and instead added maybe .5 tsp cinnamon, but I’ll definitely try them again with orange in the future. The cookies just burst apart in your mouth in the best way, and they are so tender. Thanks for a fantastic recipe!
So happy you’re happy, Jen! We love this recipe, too! It just makes your mouth happy! 🙂
~jules