Ingredients:

  • 2 ¼ cups All-Purpose Flour (spooned and leveled)
  • 1 cup Finely Chopped Pecans (toasted)
  • 1 cup Unsalted Butter (softened)
  • ½ cup Powdered Sugar (for dough)
  • 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • ¼ teaspoon Fine Grain Salt
  • Powdered Sugar (for rolling/dusting)

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly toast pecans until fragrant; cool completely, then finely chop or pulse in a food processor until crumb-like. Whisk together flour, chopped pecans, and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. In a large bowl, cream the softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy (about 3–4 minutes). Beat in the vanilla extract.
  3. Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined into a soft dough. Do not overmix.
  4. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and flatten slightly into a disk. Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour.
  5. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop the chilled dough (about 1 rounded tablespoon per ball) and roll firmly between your palms to form smooth spheres. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets.
  6. Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the bottoms are barely golden brown. The tops should remain pale.
  7. Let the butterballs cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before carefully transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
  8. Once completely cool, place a generous amount of powdered sugar in a shallow dish. Roll each butterball thoroughly in the sugar until completely coated. Re-dust as needed before storing or serving.