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
These call for 2 tablespoons of sugar. it looks like you added more of that in the video. Could you please tell me how much sugar you add?
It’s just 2 tbsp! 🙂
Don’t know what all the fuss is about. The recipe is great if you follow it. Loved it all the different ways, but prefer the dunking in chocolate the best. I used both white and regular chocolate and they are great. HAVE MADE AT LEAST FIVE BATCHES THIS MONTH ALONE , SO THEY MUST BE GOOD.
So glad you like the recipe Edward! We love them in our house too!
How much does this make?
You should be able to get about 20 to 22 pecan balls.
I have a similar recipe that I make, mostly at Christmas time. Take a tablespoon or so of the dough and shape around a Hershey’s kiss and bake as above. Then roll in powdered sugar.
I love these cookies – my family has made them my whole life. Traditionally you roll them in powder sugar while still warm, 2 times. The 275 temp is correct but my recipe is for only 35 minutes- but depends on the size you make them I’m sure. One note my mom and I have made, these do better with margarine. I’m normally a butter girl all the way, but in this case the margarine helps to keep them from crumbling and has a lighter texture. Can’t wait to try them chocolate chips!!
Check other Pecan Ball cookie recipes. 375 for 12-15 min., but begin checking at 10 minutes. I’ve made these, also can be made into crescent shape.
Why not use walnuts? If you don’t like pecans….
This is a great recipe been using it for many years. But I always use chopped walnuts and coat in powdered sugar.
How much cocoa do you add to make chocolate recipe?
Easy recipe. Everyone loves these!
What a fantastic recipe….will try this weekend,even though it’s only June.!!!
Can these be made with an alternative flour such as almond or coconut?
I’ve never experimented with those types of flours and this recipe so I can’t answer that.
Try rolling in confectioners sugar with cinnamon mixed in..yummy. I think it is a tsp cinnamon to a cup of confectioners. Roll once when they are still barely warm and then a second when cookies have cooled all the way
These are AMAZING!!! Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! I immediately started planning to make them again! I’m thinking of trying them with half as many pecans and replacing the other half with mini chocolate chips. Some of the people who had problems getting them to work – I wonder if they didn’t cream the mixture long enough?
Perhaps you can’t count. There’s 5 ingredients and if I use chocolate, then there’s 6. Also baking 45 minutes??? Seriously!!! I think you need to revise this recipe.
It says 4 MAIN ingredients. And, you are rude
THANK YOU SO MUCH…GOING TO MAKE…
I think perhaps you should learn how to play with others lol
she was kind enough to share her recipe with you.
My microwave is so powerful. Melting or softening butter takes only about 8 to 10 seconds. So go slow with that!
A yummy alternative- instead of powered sugar, while still warm, try sugar and cinnamon! Yum!
Great! lovely recipe with simple ingredients 🙂
Love the recipe. So easy to follow and make. The pecan balls are a big hit in our home. I will be following you for all of your recipes. Thanks
I only have self rising flour, and wanted to make them now. Would that work?
I can’t guarantee results using self rising flour. The recipe calls for all purpose flour.
Addressed to no one in particular but I am always surprised at how many people continually say, “It didn’t turn out quite right. I added some of this and a little of that and why didn’t my cookies turn out?” Or point out, it’s 5 ingredients, not 4. It does take time to make these recipes and post them for everyone’s enjoyment.
If you need gluten free, don’t make this recipe. You don’t have to announce to everyone. Also it is often said on many recipes, “Are you sure this is right? Are you sure…yes, she’s sure, it’s her recipe. I would just like the bakers and cooks to be respected a little more.
Nicely said! 🙂
Well said.
I so agree Dwb!
Thank You❣️
I think hear are great ! Since I’m always looking for recipes for my GD she is vegan and I can use earth balance fo the butter thank you so much please post more cookies that don’t use eggs (although I use ground flaxfor the eggs )
Can’t you just use self rising flour and eliminate the salt.
Self rising flour also has baking powder in it, not just salt. This would not be a good flour to substitute with.
How do you think brown sugar would do instead of granulated sugar?
How many cookies does this recipe make?
I just made 4 batches and followed the recipie exactly as written. I rolled some in powered sugar and the rest drizzled chocolate over the cookies. They came out perfectly delicious Merry Christmas
I followed directions and carefully measured. These are awful.
Agree Linda Macy! I just made these for my son’s wedding and I was so embarrassed because they were so dry and tasted horrible even tough I followed directions! No sweetness at all! I wondered about the only 2 tablespoons of sugar it called for I got an even 2 dozen so I didn’t want to eat one before the wedding reception. Now I wish I had! They would have gone in the garbage. A big waste of expensive pecans!!!.
Just made these to take to church function. I have never had such a mess and followed the recipe to a tee. Don’t just say they are crumbly–say crumbly mess. The taste is there but impossible to pick one up and eat it without it ending up all over you. The recipe just went in the trash..
I’m sorry they didn’t work out for you Doris, I’ve never had that happen to me!
These are my favorite cookies since a child, but there’s too many nuts in this. When I bite them, the cookie crumbles because of them. I wish I would have decreased the amount by half. I think it also needs some vanilla for a little more flavor.
these are called mexican wedding cakes but need to be rolled in powdered sugar when hot and then a second time when cool. this gives them the sweetness they need. recipe has been around forever. my husbands favorte.
We always called them Russian Tea cookies. They are a dry cookie but very good. I do make my pecans much finer and they hold up real nice. I will try to drizzle the chocolate next time.
Do you use self rising flour?
The recipe calls for all purpose flour.
Made these last night and they flattened right out..
Made these today and mine flattened out too. The question wasn’t answered as to why? How do you keep them in a ball? Taste great though!
Mine melted down when baking. What went wrong
I followed the recipe exactly and followed the other suggestions and mine still turned out flat!
Could I use almond flour ??? Same amount??
I can’t guarantee results using the almond flour, sorry.
Already made these once and they were a huge hit.
I have a question though , can you mix everything up ahead of time and store in the fridge for later baking ?
Followed the recipe exactly and they flattened out????
my husband suggested using toffee bar pieces instead of pecans. I think I will try this
Just wondering, the video looks like 1/2 stick of butter while recipe calls for 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup). Would using 1/2 stick keep them from being soooo crumbly?
ANYONE??? Shawn??
The recipe correctly calls for 1/2 cup of butter (or 8 tablespoons). Hope that helps!
Y daughter has been baking a lot. Pecans are expensive so i am going ro use walnuts or even slivered almmd. I am bd going to use brandy.
HOW MANY DOES THIS RECIPE MAKE?
How many does this yield, please?
It shows 22… I just made 1 and 1/2x the recipe and got exactly 33.
How many pecan balls does this recipe make?
It made about 2 dozen one inch balls. The recipe mistakenly says half inch. They stay the same size as you make them even after baking. But in my opinion, don’t waste your time or your pecans. These turned out horrible and tasteless. And I even drizzled melted chocolate on the tops. I wondered about the very low sugar amount.
I roll my pecan balls in powdered sugar while they are still warm. Dee-lish!