Pecan Snowballs

Ingredients

• 0.5 teaspoon almond extract pure
• 1.8 cups powdered sugar 
• 2 cups flour all-purpose
• 0.3 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 cup pecans 
• 1 cup butter unsalted at room temperature (2 sticks)
• 0.5 teaspoon vanilla extract pure

Equipment

• bowl
• baking sheet
• oven
• hand mixer

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F.
2. Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 8 minutes.
3. Let cool and roughly chop.With an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until fluffy.
4. Mix in the vanilla and almond extracts and salt. Gradually add the flour, mixing until just incorporated.
5. Mix in the pecans.Shape the dough into tablespoon-size balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
6. Transfer half the balls to a second parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart.
7. Bake until lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes.
8. Let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes.
9. Place 1/2 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Toss the warm cookies in the sugar and return to the baking sheet. Sift the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar over the cookies before serving.To Wrap: An egg carton provides protection for light and crumbly snowballs. Snip off the carton lid, nestle the cookies in paper candy cups, and wrap the whole thing in a sheet of cellophane, Tootsie
10. Roll-style.To Freeze: Instead of refrigerating the balls of dough, freeze them on the baking sheet before storing them in bags for up to 2 months. To bake, follow the recipe instructions, baking from frozen, and use the upper end of the time range.