Snowball cookies

The amounts listed under each step are for your servings. Numbers written in the step text are for the original 20.

1. Heat the oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment. Finely chop the pecans while it heats.

   • 2 oz pecans

2. Beat the softened butter, the powdered sugar for the dough, the vanilla extract and the salt with a hand mixer on medium until smooth and creamy.

   • ½ cup unsalted butter
   • ¼ cup powdered sugar
   • 1 tsp vanilla extract
   • ¼ tsp salt
   Start 1 min timer

3. Add the all-purpose flour and the chopped pecans and mix on low just until a soft dough comes together and no dry flour is left. It should hold together when squeezed.

   • 1 cup + 3 tbsp all-purpose flour

4. Roll the dough into 20 balls about 1 inch across and set them 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. They barely spread.

5. Bake until the bottoms are light golden and the tops are set but still pale, 9 to 10 minutes.

   Start 9:30 timer

6. Put the powdered sugar for rolling in a shallow bowl. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 1 minute, then gently roll each warm cookie in the sugar so it melts into a thin coat, and set them on a rack.

   • ½ cup powdered sugar
   Start 1 min timer