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
Gerry
Can these be frozen if making more than a week ahead of when need?
Kandi Fickes
These are crappy. The baking time of 45 minutes is too long.
Katrina Eaton
Delicious – love the low sugar content. They should come with a warning that they will absolutely crumble when you bite into them – may be best to put a whole cookie in your mouth – but then they explode in your mouth. It is a delicious explosion!
Candace
These are the bomb! ♥️ LOVE that they’re not full of sugar, some other recipes for similar cookies call loads of powdered sugar…. I used King Arthur’s 1:1 gluten free flour, added 1 teaspoon vanilla and baked at 375 degrees for 15 minutes as suggested by others. Yay! Thank you
Carol
How can these be 4 ingredients when there are 5 ingredients listed plus the 2 optional ingredients? Shouldn’t these be 5 ingredient cookies? They do look great!
Jackie
Majority of recipes that call for a short ingredient list will not include things such as, salt, pepper, water or oil because they’re a pantry staple & most folks have them. As for optional ingredients there’s only one, not two, & that’s the chocolate.
Sandy
My mom made these since I was small. About 70 years. Only difference baked for 15 minutes in a 375* oven. Cool slightly then roll in powdered sugar or granulated sugar.
Betsy
Can this be made dairy free gluten-free, using gluten-free one-to-one flour and Smart balance butter
Valérie
Made these for thanksgiving dinner and the host was skeptical when I told her it was a healthy-ish dessert. She and everyone else absolutely loved them!! I doubled the recipe and it made exactly 45 balls (I rezided them when I initally made them too big). I put them all in the same pan (silver pan) for exactly 45minutes. I made 4 versions: white chocolate, milk chocolate, mix of white and milk chocolate, and rolled in powdered sugar. 5/5 will make them again!
Jennifer
Love these soo much. But I don’t gave any unsalted butter on hand, so can I use salted butter & omit the salt
Debra G
We’ve rolled these in powdered sugar while they’re warm. Addicting.
Chris
Perfect recipe. Be sure to chop the pecans quite small. How can something so simple be so delicious?
CD Rowan
Just FYI, it’s 5 ingredients, not 4 (flour, butter, salt, pecans, sugar); 6 with chocolate. Yummy, though!
Shawn
Thanks for the heads up! 😉
jan
thanks Ms Smarty Pants
Jackie
Majority of recipes that call for a short ingredient list will not include things such as, salt, pepper, water or oil because they’re a pantry staple & most folks have them. The chocolate is optional so it doesn’t count.
Dianne
These are my wonderfully quick and easy go-to recipe when I want something not too sweet and heavy. Today, made for my sister & her husband and they loved. This time I used orange sugar coated pecans (I usually substitute with either walnuts or cinnamon sugar pecans but was out of both). The orange sugar pecans were awesome. Before baking, I roll them in turbinado sugar for a light, crunchy texture – not heavy with sugar at all. When I bake with just regular nuts, I add cinnamon in the batter. They are soooo delicious. Thanks for sharing!
Mari McGaughey
Can I use brown sugar for a butter pecan taste
Shawn
I haven’t tested this recipe using brown sugar so I’m not sure how that would work. If you give it a try let us know how it turns out!
Mona
I love the recipe
This my second time making them
But why does some of them flatten out and some keep there shape ..
Kate
I am guessing you didn’t pack the dough as tight on some of them. Use a tablespoon and press the dough until a little higher than level. When you’re rolling it into a ball, press the dough firmly so there will be no air pockets, which will cause some of the cookies to sink a bit. These are really good. I was only gonna have one….
Mona
Oh okay
Thanks! Good tip!
I made 7 batches they were delicious almond and pecans
Janie Mirtes
I can’t wait to try this recipe. It sound delicious!
Kaylene
How long will these keep? Should I refrigerate?
Shawn
They will keep for at least up to a week. If you refrigerate they’ll last even longer, but it’s not necessary.
Lisa Small
I can’t wait to try these. I remember having these or something like them when I was a kid! My mom may have bought them because I don’t remember her making these. I just remember eating them!
Joan Ostler
Are they really only 1/2 ” size? That’s so tiny. DId you mea 1 1/2 ” size balls.
Shawn
I wouldn’t make them 1 1/2″. 1″ would be the max, but really, it’s up to you!
Gail
I just want to ask a question to see if you think an idea will work, I hate when people try to change someone’s recipes. I can’t wait to try this, but for the holidays would it hurt soaking the pecans in bourbon and dipping the balls after they cool in chocolate for adults ? I had a recipe for bourbon balls and I lost it, I don’t have contact with the person that gave it to me since I retired. Please forgive if this is rude.for asking.
Shawn
I’m not sure how that would work out Gail, I’ve never tried that. If you do try it, let us know how it goes!
Glenda
I just want to ask a question to see if you think an idea will work, I hate when people try to change someone’s recipes. I can’t wait to try this, but for the holidays would it hurt soaking the pecans in bourbon and dipping the balls after they cool in chocolate for adults ? I had a recipe for bourbon balls and I lost it, I don’t have contact with the person that gave it to me since I retired. Please forgive if this is rude.for asking.
Kris
This recipe came from the original Joy of Cooking cookbook by Irma Rombauer (they are called Pecan Puffs in the cookbook). My mother made these 60 years ago and they are the best-as you said not too sweet but tasty. I have only rolled them in powdered sugar but will try the chocolate options next. This was fun to see in print-I make them every year for Christmas and they are always a hit!
Shawn
How fun!
Ani
If I wanted to double the recipe to make more of these pecan balls..would I still do 45 minutes in the oven?
Shawn
Yes, the cookies will need 45 minutes. Just bake in batches if they don’t all fit on your cookie sheet.
Vickie Brown
Really….? 45 minutes?
Shawn
Yes, really. 😉
Wanda Alexander
Just making these little jewels…I’m in the mood for baking…These are Christmas gifts for friends..Hope they enjoy them..Thank you for sharing..I Wash you Dry..
Shawn
So glad you found the recipe! Enjoy!
Kim
How could you make them a little moister
Siobhan
Was wonderng about using almond flour. Do you think that could work
Linda
Hello, did you ever get an answer to your question or try it with the almond flour? If you tried it, how did they come out? Did you have to adjust any of the ingredients or the cooking time?
Kathy
Does anyone know if gluten free flour can be used instead of all-purpose??
Thank you!
Ev
I really like these cookies.
Shawn
So glad you enjoyed them!
Jordan Hayes
Made these this morning! Mine were dry, almost like a shortbread. I loved the flavor after I got over the dryness! I wasnt sure if that’s the way they’re suppose to be or if I did something wrong. Help!
Shawn
Nothing wrong with the texture, they’re meant to be a shortbread crumble texture. 🙂
Monica Pena
Not sure if the question about switching to almond flour was answered. But I would like to know since trying to eat healthier, might try to switch to almond and swerve instead of reg sugar. Hope it works