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    Home » Desserts

    Author: Emily Krill | Published: Nov 21, 2019 | Modified: Sep 28, 2021

    Keto Pecan Snowball Cookies

    Jump to Recipe
    Pinterest Pin for Low Carb Snowball Cookies
    Pinterest Pin for Russian Tea Cakes
    Pinterest Pin for Russian Tea Cakes

    No holiday cookie platter is complete without these round, buttery, nutty shortbread cookies. Keto Pecan Snowball Cookies are a low carb take on a classic cookie.

    a top down view of 20 low carb Mexican Wedding Cookies

    Well hello!

    You’ve caught me in the middle of a flurry of baking.  The holidays are fast approaching, so I’ve been planning out the perfect holiday cookie platter. Don't want to leave these things to the last minute! 

    And, admittedly, I’ve got a lot of cookie recipes to choose from.

    But it occurred to me this morning, that I have never shared a recipe for Keto Pecan Snowball Cookies.  (You may know them as Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Pecan Susans or Butterballs.)  They are these nutty, buttery balls of pecan shortbread that melt in your mouth and fill your heart with holiday cheer.

    a hand holds a Keto Russian Tea Cake
    And luckily for us, there is not a lot to these cookies.

    You’ll just need chopped pecans, almond flour, butter, powdered sweetener, salt and vanilla.  

    Ingredients for Keto Snowball Cookies
    Do you need to use pecans in these Keto Snowball Cookies?

    Heavens no.  Any kind of nut will work.  You can try using macadamia nuts, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, almonds, or cashews.  Just steer clear of peanuts, (which are not nuts at all, but actually legumes) because they are not very tasty in Snowball Cookies.

    2 hands hold a tray of sugar-free Snowball Cookies
    How do you keep the cookie balls from flattening as they cook?

    First, we’ll use powdered sweetener instead of granulated, because it prevents the cookies from spreading as they bake.  And second, we’ll chill the dough until it’s easy to form into balls and then freeze the balls for 15 minutes before baking them, to help them stay good and round.

    a hand sifted powdered sweetener onto gluten free Snowball Cookies
    So what else is going on this fancy pants Keto cookie tray?

    This year my epic cookie platter will include low carb Gingerbread, Pistachio Shortbread, Chocolate Chip Meringue, Heart Shaped Valentine, Molasses, Shortbread, Almond Meringue and Brown Sugar Cookies.  Phew!

    Best get back to work.  Ciao! 

    a stack of low carb Snowball Cookies against a black background
    Big-Chef-Orange-Square

    Ok, chow for now!

    Big-Chef-Orange-Square
    (But let's keep in touch.)

    Print

    Keto Pecan Snowball Cookies

    a top down view of 20 low carb Mexican Wedding Cookies
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★★

    4.7 from 3 reviews

    No holiday cookie platter is complete without these round, buttery, nutty shortbread cookies.

    • Author: Emily Krill
    • Prep Time: 90
    • Cook Time: 11
    • Total Time: 1 hour 41 minutes
    • Yield: 20 cookies 1x
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Baked
    • Cuisine: American
    • Diet: Gluten Free

    Ingredients

    Units Scale

    Cookies:

    • 1 ½ cup chopped unsalted dry roasted pecans*
    • ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter, softened
    • ¾ cup Swerve Confectioners
    • 2 ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons super fine almond flour
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ⅛ teaspoon salt

    Outer Coating:

    • ¼ cup Swerve Confectioners

    Instructions

    Step 1.  Add pecans to a food processor or high powdered blender and process until chopped finely.  Don't process too much though, or it will turn into nut butter.

    Step 2.  In a large bowl, cream together butter, sweetener, salt, and vanilla with an electric mixer until light and creamy.

    Step 3.  Stir in pecans and almond flour and mix well to combine.

    Step 4.  Form dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

    Step 5.  Cover a medium-sized cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Use a 1 ½" wide cookie scoop to scoop up balls of dough and place on the cookie sheet.

    Step 6.  Roll the dough between the palms of your hands until they are ball-shaped.

    Step 7.  Freeze for 15 minutes.  

    Step 8.  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Bake for 9-11 minutes until tops are just beginning to turn golden.  The cookies will still be soft and somewhat uncooked but will firm up and finish cooking as they cool.

    Step 9.  Use a sieve to sprinkle powdered sweetener on top of the cookies.

    Step 10.  Cool completely, 1 hour.

    Step 11.  Pour remaining powdered sweetener onto a plate and roll the cookies in it to coat all sides.

    Notes

    *If you can't find roasted pecans, you can toast them yourself.  Toast them in a non-stick pan, without any oil, over medium heat for 3-5 minutes until fragrant.

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 cookie
    • Calories: 193
    • Fat: 19
    • Carbohydrates: 4
    • Fiber: 2
    • Protein: 4

    Keywords: Low Carb Snowball Cookies, Keto Snowball Cookies, Gluten Free Snowball Cookies

    Step 1 blend nuts
    step 2 cream butter for Snowball Cookies
    step 3 combine all ingredients of Low Carb Snowball Cookies
    step 4 refrigerate dough for Low Carb Snowball Cookies
    Step 5 Scoop dough onto cookie sheet
    Step 6 roll dough into balls
    Step 7 freeze dough balls
    Step 8 Bake low carb Snowball Cookies
    Step 9 Sprinkle powdered sweetener on top
    step 1 Cool Low Carb Snowball Cookies
    Step 11 Roll cookies in powdered sweetener

    IF YOU LIKED THESE LOW CARB COOKIES, THEN YOU MIGHT LIKE MY RECIPES FOR PEANUT BUTTER , MOLASSES COOKIES OR CHOCLATE MERINGUE COOKIES.

    « Snickers Pie
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jessica says

      January 16, 2022 at 3:44 pm

      I would describe these like shortcake! Texture was wonderful and was very easy to make, although I found the amount of sweetener too overpowering. Next time I will add 1/4 of the amount, and work my way up from there.

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Katy says

        November 26, 2022 at 8:31 pm

        The recipe my mom has used for decades has no sugar mixed in the cookie, only rolled on the outside. I don't understand why so many people are adding so much sweetener to the dough.

        Reply
    2. Christine says

      October 22, 2020 at 8:56 am

      Could you use coconut oil or coconut butter in these instead of butter? Really hoping for some dairy free holiday recipes!

      Reply
      • EmilyKrill says

        October 22, 2020 at 11:21 am

        No, I don't think you'll get the same result with coconut oil or coconut butter, because you need to cream the butter and sugar together. This evenly distributes the sugar, adds air to the mixture and binds the cookies together. If you want to make the cookies dairy free, I'd recommend substituting a butter spread alternative like Earth balance.

        Reply
    3. Serena says

      May 13, 2020 at 1:48 pm

      These were so good and crunchy!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    4. Frank M. says

      December 16, 2019 at 5:22 pm

      My grandmother used to make these every year when I was growing up! So happy to find a keto version of these cookies. They taste just as good to me,

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • EmilyKrill says

        December 16, 2019 at 5:29 pm

        My grandmother and aunts used to make these too. Lots of good Christmas memories.

        Reply

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    I'm Emily, the diabetic behind Resolution Eats. Many years ago, I made a New Year's resolution to switch to a low carb diet. It improved both my health and my outlook on life. Since then, I've come up with hundreds of Keto recipes for everything from soup to nuts. And this blog is a way for me to share the low carb love. Cheers!

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