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Gluten Free Pecan Snowball Cookies
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. 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?
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 gfJules™ All Purpose Flour
- 1/4 tsp. salt
Instructions
Among the yummy gluten free treats we prepared for our wedding, these Mexican Wedding Cookies were a highlight!
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.
Using an electric mixer or the food processor, beat together the butter and pecan mixture until fully integrated. Beat in the vanilla and the orange zest. Slowly add the 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.
My first batch is in the oven as I type this. My mom used to make these for Christmas and I loved them!!! The dough tasted amazing so the finished cookie should be a slam dunk!
Momma Mia, these are fantastic!!!!! Now I just need to STOP eating them!
YAY! Love to hear of another recipe win! Thanks so much for letting me know. Enjoy those cookies for me – now you’re making me want to make them again!
~jules
LOL you’re like me – I always have to taste the dough!
~jules
Sooo good!
I do Russian Tea Cakes: (little snowball cookies)
1 cup gfJules gluten free flour
1 stick of Eart Balance vegan butter stick (8 Tablespoons) at room temperature
1/2 walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup confectioners (powdered) sugar, plus more for rolling cookies
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
1. In a large bowl, cream 1 stick of vegan butter (or dairy butter works great), 1/3 cup of powdered sugar, and 1 tsp of vanilla, until smooth.
2. Gradually mix in the 1 cup of flour and 1/4 tsp salt.
3. Use a spoon to mix in 1/2 cup of walnuts until well distributed.
4. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet ~2 inches apart. Bake 10-15 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly browned.
*5. Fill a bowl with powdered sugar and Roll the balls in it while they are still warm.
*6. Once cookies are at room temperature, roll them in powdered sugar again to get perfect little snowballs.
**I like to skip steps 5&6, and just eat them plain or sprinkle with just a bit of powdered sugar.
Serve with tea 🙂
★★★★★
Usually makes like 2 dozens. And stay very round sphere / snowball shape!
Like same recipe 🙂 with very quick simple steps. Works without refrigeration too, but I guess if the butter is more colder or dough refrigerated, they are not as crumbly.
★★★★★
Good to know!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, Ana! I’m excited to try it – I can’t get enough of cookies like these!!!
~jules
So happy to find this recipe! My daughter can not eat gluten and is coming for Christmas. I just ordered your flour for the first time and it should arrive tomorrow so I can start my snowball cookies. I did have a question.
I DO NOt have a large food processor. I do have a mini.
Can I mix without a food processor.
Haha I guess that needs to be on my Christmas list!
Sherrie
Hi Sherrie – it’s not too late to add that to your Santa list! 😉 You can mix using a mixer instead, once you’ve processed the nuts in the small food processor. I hope that helps. Enjoy and happy baking!
~jules
Pingback: 50 Gluten Free Dairy Free Christmas Cookies Recipes
Finished making a double batch of these snowball cookies. Turned out perfectly. One question though, why do the GF flatten out versus pictures of regular snowball cookies don’t? These GF cookies have a wonderful taste and texture.
Hi JoAnn, I’m so glad you loved the recipe! If you want them to flatten less, you can roll into balls and then freeze them before baking. Happy holidays!
~jules
I don’t have coconut flakes. Can I eliminate the coconut without substituting with something else (more pecans or extra flour.
Hi Beatrice, you can skip the coconut flakes altogether and don’t need to add something to replace them. Enjoy the recipe!
~jules
Jules, can these be made nut-free as well? Thanks, and Happy New Year!
I haven’t made these cookies yet, but I just have to tell you how much fun my family has been having with this picture of the two cookies on the star plate. It’s an optical illusion! When I first looked at the picture, it looked like the cookies were not on top of the plate, but were dipped into the plate and the plate was convex shaped. Then, after a minute, it changed to two cookies on top of a plate, with the plate being concave shaped. I look back and there are craters. Then cookies!! It’s blowing my mind. MC Escher’s got nothing on GF Jules. 🙂 P.S. We love your flour!
LOL yes – I still have the same weird sensation when I see this picture, and I took it! Glad the photo is entertaining (ala Escher), but I know you’ll love the cookies, too!!!! Thanks for your comment, Karen – made me smile for sure!
~jules
Made these for Christmas – just wonderful – even our non-gf folks were delighted. Thanks Jules!
How fantastic, Susan! I’m so happy everyone loved them! Merry Christmas!
~jules
These cookies are the BEST GF cookies I’ve ever made. My family, who are not fans of my GF baking, did not know these were GF and when they tasted them and saw me taste them, they gasped, “No, mom!” My big smile told them they were Celiac mom friendly too. Thank you for this!
That is SO wonderful, Karina! What a great feeling! May your gluten free baking continue to bring such joy! Thanks for letting me know how much you and your family are loving my flour and this recipe, in particular!
~jules
I’ve always heard them called Italian wedding cookies–Mexican wedding cookies is a new term to me. I always loved how these cookies are so tender and crumbly. Thanks for coming up with a gluten-free version for those of us with gluten intolerance. 🙂
You are so very welcome, Joyce! I’m off to make another batch right now!
~jules
Italian Wedding Cookies are very different–much firmer, thicker, heavier, and always frosted. They’re often used to make traditional “cookie cakes” for wedding receptions in Italian communities. These are Mexican Wedding Cookies, but are traditionally formed into a crescent shape.
What non butter alternative would you use that is low fat?
Hi Jolanta, I use Earth Balance vegan Buttery Sticks, but they’re not necessarily low fat. Unfortunately, using something like applesauce as a fat substitute won’t make the cookies turn out with the same consistency.
~jules
These turned out terrific! No one could tell they were gluten free! Here is a tip: I found it easier to roll them in powdered sugar if I let them cool on the pan a few minutes first.
Thanks for the tip, Nancy! So glad you loved them!
~jules
Okay,I tried to make these substituting Coconut Sugar for confectioners. Did not get good results. They lost their shape and don’t taste good.
Any suggestions?
Hi Janet, granulated coconut sugar behaves very differently from confectioner’s sugar which is super fine and is typically blended with cornstarch. You could try making your own by putting 1 cup of coconut palm sugar and 2 Tbs. of my Jules Flour into a blender or food processor and pulsing until very fine – that should help the next time you make this recipe. Let me know how it goes! (measure out to whatever amount you need to add to each recipe)
I have been craving these cookies for about 3 years (about as long as I have been diagnosed w Celiac Disease). I finally found this recipe and made them for this holiday time. They were easy to make in my food processor and delicious! My kids loved them and so did my friends, and extended family. They will become a tradition. Thank you
That’s so wonderful to hear, Ann! So happy you have them in your recipe box to turn to every holiday season!
~jules