Try this Pecan Snowdrop Cookies recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 19.5225280000035 g
- Cholesterol 9.76100001243739 mg
- Fat 5.35157800469208 g
- Fiber 0.451200012588501 g
- Protein 1.16406400004917 g
- Saturated Fat 2.48320520297155 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (28g)
- Sodium 38.0813000333206 mg
- Sugar 19.071327987415 g
- Trans Fat 0.360227600328463 g
- Calories 129 calories
Step-by-step
- Preheat oven to 325°
- Cream butter with mixer.
- Gradually add ½ cup of the confectioners sugar and the salt into the creamed butter.
- Continue to cream until light and fluffy.
- Add nuts and vanilla.
- Blend in flour gradually, mixing thoroughly.
- Shape by hand into teaspoon size balls.
- Place onto greased cookie sheet.
- Bake at 325° for about 15-20 minutes. Oven temps vary meaning cooking times will vary.
- Before removing from the cookies sheet, go ahead and lightly dust with confectioner's sugar.
- Remove from the cookie sheet and gently transfer to a wire cooling rack placed over a baking pan to cool.
- Once cool, gently toss into a Ziploc bag filled with remaining confectioners sugar. Coat well.
- Serve and enjoy!
Pecan snowdrop cookies emerge from the oven as tender, crumbly morsels enveloped in a powdery white coating that instantly dissolves upon contact with the tongue. Creaming the butter with half a cup of confectioner's sugar introduces microscopic air pockets into the fat matrix, a mechanical process that determines whether the final baked good holds its round shape or flattens out entirely during baking. Because confectioner's sugar contains cornstarch as an anti-caking agent, it absorbs moisture differently than granulated cane sugar, yielding a finer, more delicate crumb structure that melts rather than snaps.
Substituting margarine for the full cup of butter alters the moisture ratio and melting point, causing the dough balls to spread thinly across the baking sheet instead of maintaining their height at 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Standard all-purpose flour provides the necessary gluten network to bind the high fat content from both the dairy and the finely chopped nuts, though replacing it with a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend requires an additional resting period of thirty minutes to allow the starches to hydrate fully. Pecans deliver substantial oil content; swapping them for walnuts introduces higher tannin levels that impart a noticeably sharper, more astringent bitterness to the finished profile.
Baking at 325 degrees for fifteen to twenty minutes requires close observation of the undersides rather than the tops, as these cookies should retain a pale ivory hue without developing a dark golden crust. Ovens frequently exhibit hot spots, so rotating the baking sheet halfway through the cooking time ensures uniform heat distribution across all fifty teaspoon-sized portions. Pulling the tray out when the edges look matte rather than glossy prevents the interior from drying out excessively.
Applying the initial dusting of confectioner's sugar while the cookies remain hot on the metal sheet utilizes residual thermal energy to melt the sugar slightly, creating a secure foundational layer that anchors the subsequent coating. Transferring them to a wire cooling rack placed over a baking pan prevents moisture condensation from pooling underneath, which would otherwise dissolve the crisp exterior into a sticky surface before the final bag-tossing step.
