Description
Christmas Mice Snowball Cookies are buttery, crisp, and nutty cookies shaped like fluffy white mice, perfect for the holiday season. With a delicate powdered sugar coating and a melt-in-your-mouth texture, these festive treats combine toasted pecans and almond slices for ears, finished with candy rope tails to create adorable edible mice.
Ingredients
Scale
Nuts and Decorations
- 1 cup pecans
- ¼ cup almond slices
- 30 pieces candy ropes (cherry licorice)
Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour (270g)
For Dusting
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Toast Pecans: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Spread the pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes, until they become fragrant and toasty. Watch closely to prevent burning. Remove and let cool, then crush or chop into small pieces.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl or stand mixer with paddle attachment, combine softened butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Mix until the mixture is creamy, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Incorporate Dry Ingredients: Add the all-purpose flour and cooled crushed pecans to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until a dough forms, being careful not to overmix.
- Shape Cookies: Using a cookie scoop, portion 1 ½ tablespoon of dough per cookie. Roll each portion into a ball, then pinch one side to form a nose shape. Press almond slices into the dough balls as ears.
- Bake: Place shaped cookies onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden.
- Decorate: Immediately after removing from the oven, dust the cookies carefully with powdered sugar. Use a toothpick to make a small hole for the tail, then insert a piece of candy rope while the cookies are still warm so the tails stick securely.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. The centers will continue to crisp as they cool. Serve and enjoy your festive Christmas mice snowball cookies!
Notes
- Toast pecans carefully as nuts burn quickly; remove as soon as fragrant.
- Use a cookie scoop for uniform cookie size and even baking.
- Press almond slices gently to avoid breaking but firmly enough so they stay in during baking.
- Insert candy rope tails while the cookies are hot to ensure adhesion.
- These cookies become crisper as they cool, so allow them to cool fully before handling.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- For a nut-free version, substitute pecans and almond slices with seeds or omit.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 16 mg
