Snowball cookies

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Spread 110 g pecans on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven at 175°C for about 6 to 8 minutes, then let them cool completely. Toasting brings out the buttery flavor of the nuts and makes the cookies far more fragrant. The nuts are ready when they've darkened slightly and your kitchen smells toasty.

   Bake at 175°C for about 6 to 8 minutes.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Put the cooled nuts in a food processor with two tablespoons of flour taken from the recipe's flour, and pulse in short bursts. A little flour keeps the nuts from turning into a pasty nut butter. They're ready when they look like coarse sand, with a few small bits left for crunch.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Beat 225 g softened unsalted butter with 60 g powdered sugar, 5 g vanilla extract and a pinch salt on medium speed for about two minutes. Powdered sugar dissolves quickly into butter and gives the cookies a fine, tender, crumbly texture. The mixture is ready when it's silky and paler than when you started.

   Suggested time: about 2 minutes.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Add the rest of the 250 g all-purpose flour and the ground nuts to the butter, then mix with a flat spatula or your hands until the dough comes together. Mixing just enough keeps the cookies tender rather than tough. The dough is ready when it holds together when squeezed, with no dry flour left, but is still a little crumbly.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about thirty minutes; meanwhile, preheat the oven to 175°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cold dough helps the cookies keep their round shape instead of flattening at the bottom. The dough is ready when it feels firm and rolls into balls without cracking.

   Suggested time: about 30 minutes.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Roll the dough into balls about three centimeters across and set them about two centimeters apart on the baking sheet. Small, even balls bake at the same rate and make the perfect single bite. The balls are ready when they're round and smooth, with no big cracks on the surface.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Bake on the middle rack at 175°C for 12 to 14 minutes. The cookies don't need to brown on top, just bake through, so they stay pale under the sugar. They're done when the bottoms are pale golden and the tops look dry, with no wet shine.

   Bake at 175°C for about 12 to 14 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Pour the 120 g powdered sugar onto a plate, let the cookies cool for about five minutes, then roll each warm cookie through the sugar for a thin first coat. The warmth melts the first layer slightly so it clings tightly and forms a base for the second coat. Move the cookies to a wire rack once each one has a hazy white coating.

   Suggested time: about 5 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done

9. Step 9

   Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll each one again in the remaining powdered sugar for a thick coat. This second layer won't melt, so it stays snowy white. The cookies are finished when they're fully covered in fine white sugar with no cookie showing underneath.

   Mark step 9 as done