Updated December 14, 2022

Cookie baking is practically an olympic sport in my family. My Aunt Dess was known for always having a full cookie jar whenever you visited her home. Baking Christmas cookies each year took a long weekend and a lot of hours. We would bake at least a dozen different kinds of cookies and by the end of the baking marathon there would be hundreds and hundreds of cookies to share with friends and neighbors. 

This cookie recipe is from my Little Grammy. She was a nurse, minister’s wife, and I believe who I inherited my gift of sight and mediumship from. Pappy was a Methodist Minister, so hospitality and entertaining was a big part of their lives. These cookies were something that Little Grammy would often put out for open houses and guests. Eventually they became a regular part of our Christmas baking as well. 

The best part about these cookies is that they only have 6 ingredients, and you probably have most, if not all, of them in your kitchen at this very moment. These come out sort of similar in taste and texture to a shortbread cookie. They're not super sweet, and they go perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea.

I usually like to use organic sugar in my baking, but you'll definitely want to go with the white, granulated sugar for these cookies. It's a lot easier to get the sugar mixed in with the other ingredients without overmixing which is a big no-no for these delicate babes. If you overmix the dough on these, they can come out a little too crumbly and do not hold their shape.

Can't find pecan meal? Me neither and no problem! I buy pecan pieces or whole pecans and throw them in the food processor. You want the consistency to be somewhere in between sand and gravel - just be careful not to make pecan butter.

The oven temperature on these is a little lower than what you see in most cookie recipes. We're baking them in what's called a "slow oven." By taking the temperature down a notch, the balls will keep their shape instead of flattening out like what we think of as a traditional cookie.

My other favorite part of this recipe is that they truly come out the best when you use your hands. That's right. No need for a stand or handheld mixer. Your hands are the only tool you need for these. Plenty of room for extra magick that way, too. 

To add a little magick into this baking ritual, tap into the gifts of abundance and gratitude offered by pecans. Think of something or someone you're grateful for as you roll each cookie. Like attracts like, so the more gratitude you hold the more prosperity will flow. Infusing the cookies with grateful energy also makes them feel like a warm hug for those who eat your sweet treats.  

Pecan Balls Recipe

Yields 4 1/2 Dozen

Hands-on Time 30 minutes

Total Time 90 minutes

Ingredients

2 C flour

1 C unsalted butter, room temp*

1/2 C granulated sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

2 C finely chopped pecans or pecan meal

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 F.

2. Sift together flour, sugar, and salt.

3. Cut your softened butter into 1-inch pieces and add to the flour along with the vanilla.

4. Mix with your hands until everything is well combined, and then add in the pecan meal. Mix again until everything is combined.

5. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. I use a small (2 tsp) cookie scoop to keep them uniform.

6. Place the balls onto a cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. I can usually fit 2 dozen on a sheet.

7. Cook for 30 minutes or until a light brown. The bottoms should be a little more golden brown, and you can see it on the bottom edges.

8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a rack.

9. Once cool, roll in granulated sugar. Enjoy!

Notes:

*You want your butter to be soft enough that you can mix it into the dry ingredients, but it should still be firm. If it's too soft or runny, it'll make the cookie dough difficult to work with.