These easy 4-ingredient Pecan Balls (5 for a chocolate version) make a great game day snack, appetizer or anytime treat!
Happy September! It’s Kathryn from Family Food on the Table, back with another recipe for you.
And today I’ve got a fun game day/snack time/anytime appetizer for you.
This recipe comes from my Aunt Edith, who also is behind my 3-ingredient quickie crab dip (another great appetizer!)
It’s a traditional pecan balls recipe, with just 4 ingredients: butter, flour, pecans and sugar. I added a pinch of salt to help bring out the flavors.
The result is a nutty, buttery, crumbly cookie ball that just melts in your mouth. It’s not super sweet, but it really hits the spot.
Perfect for serving on game day as people are munching and milling about.
Oh, and looky there, I also added chocolate. 😉 Cause that’s never a bad idea, right?!
The chocolate makes these more of a dessert ball, so you can do some pecan balls plain and some with chocolate – whatever works for you!
Either way, these little pecan nuggets are an easy, make-ahead snack that would be great for tailgating, picnics, even holiday parties.
(I’m still adjusting to the fact that it’s September, though, so let’s not get too ahead of ourselves!)
A few notes on these pecan balls:
- If your butter isn’t at room temperature — mine never is — you can microwave it for about 20 seconds to soften it. You don’t want it melted.
- I buy pecan pieces – they are cheaper than whole, in-tact pecans, and they just need a rough chop to break up the big pieces for this recipe.
- The mixture is crumbly but the dough does stick to itself to be able to roll into balls. You can wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to you.
- These are crumbly straight out of the oven, too, so be sure to let them cool on the pan so they can set up. Then they’re ready to share or transport!
(They’re also ready to drizzle or dunk with chocolate, if you’re so inclined!)
If you are feeling all about the football food like me, you should also check out my cheesy baked black bean dip or Shawn’s scrumptious looking cheesy taco sticks and Mexican layered hummus dip.
Note to self: I need to have a party ASAP so I can make all this delicious food. 😉
Happy football season, friends. Enjoy!
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4-ingredient pecan balls
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 heaping cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Optional chocolate drizzle: 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
- Cream together the butter, sugar and flour with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
- Fold in the pecans and salt and stir until combined. The mixture will be crumbly but will stick to itself.
- Roll the dough into small balls (about 1/2-inch across) and place on an ungreased baking sheet. (You can wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to you.)
- Bake at 275 degrees F for 45 minutes.
- Let cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container. These pecan puffs keep for up to a week on the counter or in the pantry.
- To make the chocolate sauce: Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave in 30 seconds intervals until chocolate is melted and can be stirred together. Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled pecan balls or dunk balls in the chocolate sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin Bars
Rhonda
Mine are in the oven now and my balls have turned into flat looking cookies. What happened?
Dede Welch
45 minutes?? Really, or typo?? Seems like a very long time! Thanks 🙂
Jan
Only use 2 tablespoons of sugar? In the video it looks like more.
I’m just checking before I make these.
Thank you.
Regards,
Jan
Anna
Qt am ready Tom ask these today. I chopped my pecans very, very fine. Do you think they will fall apart more this way?
Shawn
I think you’ll be fine with them finely chopped! 🙂
Ginger
These look great! Please don’t think i criticize – i can’t boil water! but, what would happen if you use one egg in this mixture? how would that change the end result? where is Alton Brown when you need him?
Shawn
The egg would most likely make these cookies rise and have a different texture altogether.
Jeanne
I make these and roll in confectioners sugar. We call them snowballs.
Biverly Colley
I made these last night to take to a family Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday. I followed the recipe exactly except added a teaspoon of vanilla. They turned out perfect! I am going back and making another two batches as I don’t think the first batch is going to make it to Thanksgiving day.
Thanks for sharing
Cathy
my mom made these for Christmas all my life…now I make them. We always use walnuts instead of pecans. We rolled them in powdered sugar and froze them. Then when you take them out of freezer reroll them. Mom called them snowballs
Kerry
Is it 45 minutes…won’t they burn up, even at 275 degrees?
Kheng
Hi, Just wonder if it’s 275°F?
It looks yummy and I want to give it a try.
Lana
I make these every Christmastime. They’re the same as Italian wedding cookies only you use pecans instead of walnuts. They’re delicious with either. I’ve never heard of baking at 275° for such a long time.
Terri
What temp do you use and how long do you bake them? Thanks
Sarah Kendalk
Would this work with oats instead of flour to be gluten free? What about substituting brown sugar for white?
Wildcard
I go to weight watchers and am always looking for good and new recipes. These look and sound so very good for a holiday treat. But the recipe has no nutritional facts. So will have to pass.
Annie
Use the WW on line calculator with just ingredients. You don’t have to have the nutrition info. It’s a simple recipe.
Mary H Rosier
These are wonderful if you flatten them with a fork (criss cross) and then bake. When they are baked, cool enough to handle, and then cover the cookie with powder sugar and shake. Then use a second bowl of powder sugar and cover top and bottom and sides with powdered sugar…shake a bit so you dont have alot of excess sugar, then place on wax paper until cool. These freeze well also.
vonda
Also known as sandtarts. Cookies can be rolled into cressents are dipped and flattened slightly with a thumbprint and baked.
Bea
This was the German recipe my son had to make in high school for his class. The only difference was the half moon shape. I have had this recipe since then in my son’s written paper he had to turn in and it’s a lovely recipe! No crumbling with this shape. The temp is 300° for 30 minutes. If that might help anyone. Thanks for sharing!!
Hughlene Collins
The ladies who are having trouble with the cookie dough are probably not mixing enough before starting to form the balls! Use your hands to Mix and it will become moister from the warmth of your hands! Also try to make small , bitesized balls! They hold together much better!!! I’ve been making these for fifty plus years with great success!!! Enjoy!!!
Linda Nilson- Rogers
Not being a nut lover am presently using dried cranberries and orange zest, will drizzle semi wett chocolate when done!
Shawn
Sounds great!
Greta
Is it really 2 Tablespoons sugar?
Video sure looks like it’s more than 2 Tablespoons shows a bowl of sugar looks to be a cup or two
Shawn
It’s a small bowl! It’s just the two tablespoons!
MrsKenco
Sounds simple and good
Ruby
I am making right now and cant get them stick together before baking please help
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table
Hi Ruby, mine have always stuck together once I start rolling them. I do usually wet my hands to help them not stick to me. If that doesn’t work, you could try adding a small splash or two of water to the mixture to get it to come together more. You could also try sticking them in the fridge for a little bit to firm up before you roll them. Hope that helps!
Lindsay Sardinha
Hi Kathryn,
Can the cookies be frozen???????? I see this question asked a couple times but no response. I would like to bake them for xmas.
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table
Hi! I’ve never tried freezing them so I’m not sure how it affects their taste/texture.
Cherie
She did answer your question. Yes they can be frozen.
Lorie
Have you tried this recipe with a gluten free flour blend?
Sue
Would also like to know if you could just use salted butter and eliminate the added salt in the recipe. Another person asked but I didn’t see the answer.
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table
Hi Sue, I like to use unsalted butter because then I can control the exact amount of salt in the recipe. You can try it with salted butter, but I don’t know if it’ll come out exactly the same since it’s not as precise. Hope that helps!
Lynn
I made them this evening with salted butter and left out the extra salt and they tasted just fine. I’ve made them both ways, your original recipe and with salted butter, but no added salt and as far as my family can tell, they taste the same.
Holly Virden
HELP, Can they be frozen? I am having a big Christmas party and need to start now
Mary H Rosier
Yes. I make them and roll them twice in powdered sugar (while they are still quite warm) but I do not use chocolate on them. Mine have been frozen for weeks and they are still delicious.
Linda
How many balls does this recipe make?
Lynn
22
Marleen
It really only takes 2 tablespoon of sugar? Can’t wait to make them, my church is looking for fast easy cookie to make.
You wouldn’t have a sugar cookie that doesn’t need to be refrigerated would you.
Betty ONeill
Can’t wait to try pecan balls. Looks easy and yummy.
Beverly
Pam asks can you freeze? My question also?
Terri Hash
I also want to know if they freeze well!!
pam
can you frezze?
Ricki
Why not just use salted butter instead of unsalted butter and adding salt?
Jeannie Fitzgerald
Unsalted butter is fresher. Salt is a preservative .
Linda Tufte
I always wanted to know why or what the difference was. Thanks for sharing!
Judy Worthington
Please edit better so your great recipes print on one page or less. Three pages are too much, especially since the third page is sometimes a blank!
Leslie
You can edit the recipe yourself by downloading to word……
Waynette Miles
That was pretty rude even though you did say please. She provides the recipe, you should be able to edit and make it fewer pages on your own.
Liz
Not on an iPad. Had to save to ‘Notes’. Print was huge….no way to edit, no way to make smaller.
Lynn
Screenshot works perfectly!
Judith A Spangler
I just hit the print button on the recipe page and got just one page of very nice size print. I wonder if someone used Control print or print screen. Copy and print may also turn out to large.
Eileen Ellsworth
why don’t you use a pen and paper if you are so particular
Heather McFadden
Very rude!.
Phyllis
Can you use walnuts instead?
Esther Weinmaier
just made these with walmuts and they are fantastic!
Becky
Yes, you can use walnuts.
Donna Lewis
Wonder if they could be made with gluten flour?
Shawn
I’ve never tried it with gluten free flour, so I’m not sure.
staci
i just made them with gluten free flour and light butter came out absolutely perfect tastd great made today!!
Donna
What gluten free flour did you use
Carla
Made them…not to happy with results… Upon picking them up they just crumbled… Went by recipie exactly…
Kathryn @ Family Food on the Table
I’m sorry to hear that Carla! Did you let them cool completely on the baking sheet? I’ve found when I get too eager and try to move them or grab one before they’re entirely cooled, they do crumble. But if you wait, they set up better and stay together.
PJ
Would an egg help to hold them together? I want to make them tonight. I’ll try egg and a half teaspoon of vanilla. Which is making four ingredient pecan balls kinda crowded, lol!
jackie
to much flour
Laurie
Is it really 275? Is that a typo?
Shawn
Yes, 275 degrees! 🙂
nancy lynn
these are also good rolled in powdered sugar. try it.
Vivian
Do I let cool before rolling in powder sugar?
Shawn
Mine were still slightly warm when I rolled them. 🙂
kate Laffel
Roll them warm, let them cool and then roll again.
KareninStLouis
That’s how my great aunt made them: rolled in xxx sugar!!
Allison
Yes they are! I made them and took to a Christmas gathering at work. They were all devoured.
Mary H Rosier
Roll them in two separate bowls of powdered sugar while they are still quite warm so the sugar will stick. The first coating of sugar will kind of melt into the cookie but the second coating (cleaner bowl of sugar) will stick to the first melted coating and the sugar will look wonderful.
Lili @ Travelling oven
These look so delicious! I would love to have one or two now with my cup of tea! 🙂
Donny
Made these with the grandkids over the weekend and they were gone in a flash! Thank you!
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Beverly Little Lundergan
Ive never baked a cookie 45 minutes, is that a typo? I’d love to try them..
Pete (female)
I think 45 minutes because the temp is so low
Kathy Davis
I have to agree! 45 minutes even at 275 seems WAY too long. Did you make them?
Shawn
Trust me, the temperature and time are correct. You want to bake these low and slow.
Sue Banister
Suggest mini chocolate chip in cookies n Carmel drizzle for take on turtles
Carolyn Ann Newman
THEY ARE AWESOME!!!!!! TEMP IS CORRECT!!! TIME IS CORRECT!!!!
Carolyn Ann Newman
and Dont touch them till they cool!!!!! or they fall apart and your sad.
georgette lynch
I loved this recipe and could not wait to try it. I was so disappointed when after 28 mins in the over at 275 I smelt them, you know that ” I’m done ” smell. I checked the oven but did not remove the pecan balls because I did not want to mess up the recipe, however, at 35 mins I did have to remove them as the were browning too much. The cookies although well over done were ok, but next time I will remove them earlier. so yes, I think that was a typo.
Suzanne Scott
Use the recipe for Italian wedding cookies also called butter balls.
Olga Suhl
Not all ovens are the same. Sorry you had a bad experience. I’ve made a version of these called dandy pecans. Google will give you many versions of the recipe.