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These easy 4-ingredient Pecan Balls (5 for a chocolate version) make a great game day snack, appetizer or anytime treat!
Happy September! It’s Kathryn from Family Food on the Table, back with another recipe for you.
And today I’ve got a fun game day/snack time/anytime appetizer for you.
This recipe comes from my Aunt Edith, who also is behind my 3-ingredient quickie crab dip (another great appetizer!)
It’s a traditional pecan balls recipe, with just 4 ingredients: butter, flour, pecans and sugar. I added a pinch of salt to help bring out the flavors.
The result is a nutty, buttery, crumbly cookie ball that just melts in your mouth. It’s not super sweet, but it really hits the spot.
Perfect for serving on game day as people are munching and milling about.
Oh, and looky there, I also added chocolate. 😉 Cause that’s never a bad idea, right?!
The chocolate makes these more of a dessert ball, so you can do some pecan balls plain and some with chocolate – whatever works for you!
Either way, these little pecan nuggets are an easy, make-ahead snack that would be great for tailgating, picnics, even holiday parties.
(I’m still adjusting to the fact that it’s September, though, so let’s not get too ahead of ourselves!)
A few notes on these pecan balls:
- If your butter isn’t at room temperature — mine never is — you can microwave it for about 20 seconds to soften it. You don’t want it melted.
- I buy pecan pieces – they are cheaper than whole, in-tact pecans, and they just need a rough chop to break up the big pieces for this recipe.
- The mixture is crumbly but the dough does stick to itself to be able to roll into balls.You can wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to you.
- These are crumbly straight out of the oven, too, so be sure to let them cool on the pan so they can set up.Then they’re ready to share or transport!
(They’re also ready to drizzle or dunk with chocolate, if you’re so inclined!)
If you are feeling all about the football food like me, you should also check out my cheesy baked black bean dip or Shawn’s scrumptious looking cheesy taco sticks and Mexican layered hummus dip.
Note to self: I need to have a party ASAP so I can make all this delicious food. 😉
Happy football season, friends. Enjoy!
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Last updated on May 28, 2024 8:46 pm
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4-ingredient pecan balls
Easy 4-ingredient pecan balls make a great game day snack, appetizer or anytime treat!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time45 minutes mins
Total Time50 minutes mins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 22 pecan balls
Calories: 62 kcal
Author: Kathryn
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1 stick, softened
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 heaping cup chopped pecans
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Optional chocolate drizzle: 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
Cream together the butter, sugar and flour with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
Fold in the pecans and salt and stir until combined. The mixture will be crumbly but will stick to itself.
Roll the dough into small balls (about 1/2-inch across) and place on an ungreased baking sheet. (You can wet your hands to keep the dough from sticking to you.)
Bake at 275 degrees F for 45 minutes.
Let cool completely on the baking sheet before transferring to an airtight container. These pecan puffs keep for up to a week on the counter or in the pantry.
To make the chocolate sauce: Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir and microwave in 30 seconds intervals until chocolate is melted and can be stirred together. Drizzle melted chocolate over cooled pecan balls or dunk balls in the chocolate sauce.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 62kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 6mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 129IU | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
Keywords: 4-ingreient, Balls, Cookies, pecan
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