Lemon Snowdrop Cookies with Pecans
Sneak Preview: Lemon snowdrop cookies are buttery shortbread with pecans and powdered sugar—festive, tender bites for trays or gifts.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
What do you do when a friend refuses well-deserved payment for a service?
I came up with a plan when my favorite Christmas tree decorator hinted he might accept some lemon-flavored Christmas cookies as payment. I surprised him with lemon thumbprints last year but wanted something different this year–—lemon snowdrops, our family’s name for shortbread-style cookies with pecans and a snowy powdered sugar finish.
Even though we traditionally expect Christmas cookies to be extra work, I still love a clever time-saving hack. Keep reading, and I’ll show you my trick for coating a whole batch with powdered sugar en masse—no fussy rolling required.
Ingredients and Substitutions
PECANS: Finely chopped; walnuts can be used instead.
ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR: Bleached or unbleached both work.
UNSALTED BUTTER: Use salted butter if you reduce the added salt. Butter gives these cookies their classic shortbread texture—rich and tender.
POWDERED SUGAR: For the dough and the coating.
LEMON OIL OR LEMON ZEST: Lemon oil(paid link) gives stronger flavor; zest is milder.
SALT: Table, sea, or Kosher salt are fine.
Powdered Sugar Trick
Tired of rolling warm cookies in powdered sugar one at a time? Try this instead:
1. Set a wire rack over waxed paper, parchment, or a large tea towel.
2. Place baked cookies upside down on the rack and sprinkle powdered sugar over them with a sieve.
3. Flip and sprinkle again.
Once cool, give the cookies one more dusting and press the bottoms into the sugar that collected on the paper. It’s quick, even, and mess-free.
?Tips That Make a Difference
• Double coat for looks: A second dusting after cooling keeps the cookies looking snowy.
• Chop nuts finely: Small, even pieces blend smoothly into the dough.
• Use lemon oil for punch: Zest is lovely, but oil gives a brighter lemon flavor.
Lemon Snowdrops with Pecans
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups (125 g) pecans
- 2 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon table or sea salt
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon cold water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon oil or 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel for milder lemon flavor
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the Nuts: Using a food processor with a metal blade, finely chop 1¼ cups (125 g) pecans (lightly toasted). (Or chop with a knife.)Add 2 cups (240 g) unbleached all-purpose flour and ¼ teaspoon table or sea salt to pecans and pulse a few times until combined.
- Make the Dough: In a separate large bowl, add 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature) to a large bowl and beat with a mixer on medium-low until light and creamy.Reduce mixer speed to low and add 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon cold water, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, and 1 teaspoon lemon oil.Add chopped pecan-flour mixture to butter mixture in 3 portions, mixing just until combined. Don’t overwork.
- Chill the Dough: Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Shape and Bake: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C).Roll chilled dough into tablespoon-sized balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Optionally, slightly flatten each ball with a sugar-dipped glass. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the bottoms are lightly browned.
- Coat with Powdered Sugar: While still warm, place cookies upside down on a wire rack set over wax paper. Generously sprinkle 2 tablespoons powdered sugar over them. (I do this with a sieve full of sugar.) Flip and sprinkle the tops. When completely cool, dust again. Press the bottoms into the loose sugar on the paper for even coverage.
- Move rack off of the waxed paper and press each cookie into the remaining sugar on the waxed paper so that now the bottom also has two coats. (The sugar will melt slightly in the beginning, requiring more than one coat.)
- Storage: Store in a covered tin with wax paper or parchment between the layers. Freeze for up to a month after you have double-wrapped them.
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for Salad in a Jar.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Sprinkle cookies generously while warm, then dust again once cool for full coverage.
Store in a covered tin for up to a week, or freeze for a month.
Use them in lemon thumbprints, lemon tarts, or even homemade lemon curd
Final Thoughts
I hope you found the kitchen hack for coating the cookies with sugar helpful. You can always stick with the old-fashioned way–pressing each cookie, one at a time, into a bowl of powdered sugar, twice on each side. That method has its benefits. All that individual attention usually produces more broken cookies, unsuitable for anybody but the baker to eat. ?)
Need help troubleshooting? Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com—photos welcome!
If you want inspiration and exclusive tips, add your email and press the button. (Don't worry. I won't sell your email.)
Adapted from Great Cookies by Carole Walter (Clarkson Potter, 2003) (paid link).
the ingredient list says 1 c flour but below in the directions says 1 3/4 c flour. I followed the directions and obviously too much flour as i cannot form into anything but crumbs
Hi Susuan, Thank you for reaching out! I completely understand how confusing that must have been, and I appreciate you bringing it to my attention.The total amount of flour in the recipe is indeed 2 cups. 1/4 cup is added to the pecans, and the remaining 1 3/4 cups goes into the dough. It sounds like there may have been a misinterpretation of the ingredient list, and I’ll take a closer look to see if I can make that part clearer to avoid any future mix-ups. Is it possible that you only added one stick of butter instead of two?
I hate that your dough didn’t come together properly! If it’s still salvageable, sometimes adding a tiny bit of liquid (water, milk, or butter, depending on the recipe) can help bring it back together. If you decide to try again, I’d love to hear how it turns out!Thanks again for your patience, and I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know.
Hi , I just found you , and I can tell you I love your blog pretty much !!!
Adele
Thank you for your kind words, Adele.
After consulting with Bonnie, I made these as a Christmas gift for my neighbor. Of course, we kept some for ourselves. They were tasty and easy. Thanks for sharing. Next, I’m trying the bacon-wrapped Jalapeno Chicken Bites.
Wish I was your neighbor. 🙂 Thanks for writing.
By the way, you look and speak remarkably like your adorable sister, Bonnie. She has been my dear friend for more than 20 years and ANYTHING she prepares is good. She kindly brought me some of her roasted jalapenos when she stopped by last year and I will be using some of them for the chicken bites! Keep up the good work!
Snowdrop cookies are my absolute favorite!
Paula,
These cookies were wonderful!!! Rob decided it would be the right thing to do if he shared with the family. I finally had to move them out of site. Yummmm. All I have to say is anyone who make these won’t be disappointed! You’re the best.
Paula, these are so yummy looking – I love your technique and I love your tree! So pretty!
Mmmmm these look delicious!
I want to make some cookies for Christmas for my neighbours and I think these will be perfect. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and fun posts of the past year and I hope you and you family have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year!
The cookies look as beautiful as the tree!
A great idea for my Christmas gifts 😀
Happy holidays