Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1.5 cups (180g) powdered sugar, divided
  • 2 tsp (10ml) pure Mexican vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 cup (110g) pecans, finely chopped and toasted
  • 0.25 tsp (1.5g) fine sea salt

Instructions:

  1. Toast the pecans. Place 110g of pecans in a dry pan over medium heat for 5 minutes until fragrant and slightly darkened. Note: Stir constantly to avoid burnt spots.
  2. Pulse the nuts. Once cooled, pulse the pecans in a food processor until they resemble coarse sand.
  3. Cream the fats. Beat 225g of softened butter with 0.5 cups (60g) of powdered sugar and 2 tsp vanilla until light, fluffy, and pale.
  4. Incorporate dry ingredients. Gradually add 250g of sifted flour and 1.5g of salt to the butter mixture on low speed.
  5. Fold in pecans. Use a spatula to fold the chopped pecans into the dough until evenly distributed.
  6. Chill the dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Note: This prevents the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.
  7. Shape the balls. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls (about 20g each) and place on a lined baking sheet.
  8. Bake the cookies. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 15 minutes until the bottoms are just barely golden.
  9. First sugar roll. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes, then roll them in the remaining 1 cup (120g) of powdered sugar while still warm.
  10. Second sugar roll. Once completely cooled, roll them a second time until they have a thick, snowy coating.