buttery little snowballs

My mom used to hide these in the back of the freezer every Christmas because my brother and I would sneak them before dinner. She'd make triple batches and we'd still run out by New Year's.
These buttery little snowballs just melt on your tongue. The toasted pecans give them this warm, nutty richness that makes them impossible to stop eating. I watched her roll every single one by hand while we listened to old holiday records, and now I do the same thing with my own kids.
They're called Russian Tea Cakes, but we always just called them "the good cookies." You know, the ones you actually get excited about.
The dough comes together so fast, and your house smells like a bakery while they bake. That first roll in powdered sugar while they're still warm creates this delicate sweet crust, and the second roll makes them look like perfect little snow-covered truffles.
I made these last weekend and my husband ate six in one sitting. No shame.
**INGREDIENTS:**

* 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
* ½ cup powdered sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
* ¼ teaspoon salt
* ¾ cup finely chopped pecans (or walnuts)
* Extra powdered sugar for rolling (about 1–1½ cups)
**INSTRUCTIONS:**

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Cream the softened butter and ½ cup powdered sugar together until light and fluffy.
Mix in the vanilla.
Add the flour and salt, mixing until just combined.
Fold in the chopped pecans until evenly distributed.
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them on an ungreased baking sheet about an inch apart.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, until the bottoms are just lightly golden but the tops are still pale.
Let them cool for about 3–4 minutes, just until you can handle them without burning your fingers.
Roll each warm cookie gently in powdered sugar.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Roll them in powdered sugar one more time for that thick snowy coating.
Store them in an airtight container, and good luck not eating half the batch in one night.
Who else has a cookie their mom made every single year that just tastes like home?