Butter Pecan Meltaway Cookies

 These  Butter Pecan Meltaways are the perfect pecan cookies, full of delicious flavor that melt in your mouth. These butter pecan meltaway cookies make for the perfect last-minute sweet treats! The dough comes together quickly and easily with just five ingredients. This simple recipe is easy enough to make ahead and freeze, too! A classic cookie for the holiday season or any time of the year, I especially love them during Spring with a cup of tea! 

affiliate links are listed below

I recommend this hand mixer or this stand mixer, mixing by hand could be a little difficult.  If you’re doing a lot of baking, I highly recommend having some silicone baking mats on hand as well.

 

Ingredients:

1 c toasted pecan pieces

½ c unsalted butter, softened

⅓ c sugar

1 c all-purpose flour

1 t vanilla

1 c powdered sugar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and set aside.  

Begin by toasting the pecans.  Use a food processor to chop the pecans into very fine pieces.  You could also use a knife and a cutting board.

Spread the ground pecans on the parchment-lined baking sheet and toast for about 5-10 minutes in the oven until you can smell that distinctive “nutty” smell.  Set aside to cool until needed. 

In the large bowl of a stand mixer, combine the softened butter and sugar.  Cream until smooth. 

Add in the flour, and a teaspoon vanilla extract, and mix until combined with the butter mixture. 

Add in the toasted pecan pieces – even if they’re still a bit warm – and mix thoroughly.  Scrape the sides often and mix again.  

Measure out approximately one tablespoon’s worth of cookie dough and shape it into a ball.  Place on your prepared baking sheets at least an inch apart and a single layer.  

Bake in the preheated oven for approximately 10-12 minutes or just until the bottoms are slightly golden brown and the center is no longer glossy.  Allow to cool for a few minutes.  

Place the powdered sugar in a bowl.  While the baked cookies are still warm, but not room temperature and not too hot, dip them in the powdered sugar and toss to coat.  Allow to cool completely. 

Just before serving, coat the cookies a second time with a layer of powdered sugar.  

 

They make for the perfect little cookie!

Recipe Tips 

 

You are welcome to use a hand mixer if you don’t have a stand mixer.

A cookie scoop works perfectly for scooping out the dough

You can flatten the cookie balls slightly if you prefer.

It’s a good idea to make sure the pecans are chopped up well, as you don’t want large chunks of nuts on the outside. 

It’s important to roll the cookies in powdered sugar while they are still warm, to make sure it will stick to the cookies. 

You can freeze the unbaked dough for up to three months. I recommend you shape the cookies into balls before freezing. When ready to bake, let the dough thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then continue preparing the cookies as written in the recipe instructions.

It’s important that all of the cookies are the same size so they cook at the same time.

Storage:  Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days I don’t recommend freezing since they are so delicate.

 

 Known by different names such as:

These are of course a very popular cookie known by many other names

Snowball cookies
Mexican wedding cookies
Russian tea cakes
Pecan Sandies
Pecan snowballs
Pecan meltaways recipe
Christmas cookie

Looking for some new recipes, here are a few cookie recipes you might enjoy.