Description
These Christmas Mice Snowball Cookies are buttery, crisp, and nutty treats shaped like fluffy white mice. Featuring toasted pecans, almond ears, and cherry licorice tails, they’re perfect nostalgic holiday cookies coated in powdered sugar that melt in your mouth.
Ingredients
Scale
Nuts and Mix-ins
- 1 cup pecans
- ¼ cup almond slices
- 30 pieces candy ropes (cherry licorice)
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (270g)
Coating
- 1 cup powdered sugar (for dusting)
Instructions
- Toast Pecans: Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Place pecans on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes until toasty and fragrant, watching carefully to prevent burning. Remove and let cool, then chop into small pieces.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine softened butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Mix until smooth and creamy, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Form Dough: Add flour and cooled chopped pecans to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until a dough forms, stopping before overmixing.
- Scoop and Shape Cookies: Use a cookie scoop to portion 1 ½ tablespoons of dough each. Roll into balls, then pinch one side to form a nose shape. Press almond slices into the dough for ears.
- Bake Cookies: Arrange cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet spaced 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden around the edges.
- Add Tails and Dust: Remove cookies from the oven and immediately dust with powdered sugar. Use a toothpick to poke a small hole at the back for the tail. Insert pieces of candy rope tails while cookies are still warm to adhere well.
- Cool and Serve: Allow cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet. They will crisp up further as they cool. Serve once fully cooled.
Notes
- Toast pecans carefully to avoid burning as nuts cook quickly.
- Use a cookie scoop for uniform cookie sizes and even baking.
- Press candy rope tails in while cookies are warm so they stick effectively.
- For a nut-free version, substitute the pecans and almond slices with seeds or omit ears and tails.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- The powdered sugar coating can be added just before serving to keep cookies looking fresh.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 40 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 14 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 16 mg
