Lemon Snowdrop Cookies with Pecans
Sneak Preview: These lemon snowdrop cookies are buttery pecan shortbread cookies coated with powdered sugar. They take about 1 hour 25 minutes, including 30 minutes of chilling, and an easy rack-and-sieve method coats the entire batch at once.
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What do you give a friend who refuses payment for a job well done? When my favorite Christmas tree decorator hinted that he might accept lemon cookies, I was happy to oblige.
I had made him lemon thumbprints the year before, so this time I chose these buttery pecan shortbread cookies flavored with lemon and covered in powdered sugar. Our family calls them lemon snowdrops.
The snowy coating looks festive, but applying it cookie by cookie can be tedious. Below, I’ll show you my wire-rack trick for coating the whole batch quickly—with no individual rolling required.
Ingredients & Substitutes
PECANS: Finely chop the pecans so they blend evenly into the dough. Walnuts may be substituted. Lightly toasting the nuts first adds more flavor but is optional.
UNSALTED BUTTER: Use unsalted butter at room temperature. If using salted butter, omit the added salt.
LEMON OIL OR LEMON ZEST: Food-grade lemon oil gives these cookies the strongest lemon flavor. Grated lemon zest works for a milder result. I tested lemon extract but found the flavor too weak, so I don’t recommend it.
An Easier Way To Coat Cookies with Powdered Sugar
Rolling warm cookies in powdered sugar one at a time can be tedious. This wire-rack method coats the entire batch with less handling and fewer broken cookies.
① Coat the bottoms: Set a wire rack over waxed paper or parchment. Place the warm cookies upside down on the rack and sift powdered sugar over them.
② Coat the tops: Turn the cookies right side up and sift powdered sugar over them again.
③ Add the final coat: Once the cookies are completely cool, dust the tops again. Press the bottoms into the powdered sugar collected beneath the rack.
Lemon Snowdrop Cookies 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, for the dough
- 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, as needed for coating
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, for the dough, 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 the cookies: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Divide the dough into 48 approximately 1-inch balls and arrange them on parchment-lined baking sheets. Leave them round or flatten them slightly.
- Bake: Bake for 20–25 minutes or until the bottoms are lightly browned. Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for 2–3 minutes.
- Apply the first coating: Place the warm cookies upside down on a wire rack set over waxed paper or parchment. Sift 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar, as needed, over the bottoms. Turn the cookies right side up and coat the tops.
- Apply the final coating: Once completely cool, sift more powdered sugar over the tops. Press the bottoms into the sugar collected beneath the rack.
Notes
Nutrition
All images and text ©️ Paula Rhodes for SaladinaJar.com
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.)
If you have leftover lemons consider these lSweet Mini Lemon Tarts with Homemade Shortbread Crusts, Microwave Lemon Curd, or Glazed Lemon Pull-Apart Bread made with bread machine dough.
— Paula, Home Economist
Homemade Food Worth Sharing
Need help troubleshooting?
Email me: Paula at saladinajar.com — photos help!
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