👩‍🎨 Georgia O’Keeffe's Easy Pecan Butterballs with Honey & Chopped Pecans

A Taste of New Mexico History: The Iconic Artist's Favorite Cookie

While famed for her striking paintings of New Mexico landscapes and flowers, Georgia O'Keeffe was also a passionate home cook, valuing simple, wholesome ingredients. This recipe for Pecan Butterballs—often called Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies—comes straight from her personal collection, with a unique twist: a generous measure of honey that adds a distinctive, mellow sweetness and a wonderfully tender texture.

These melt-in-your-mouth cookies are incredibly easy to make, require just a few basic ingredients, and are the perfect, elegant addition to any holiday cookie plate or afternoon tea.

Recipe: Georgia O’Keeffe's Pecan Butterballs

• Prep time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 40–45 minutes
• Total time: Approximately 1 hour
• Yields: About 20-24 cookies
• Cuisine: American
• Difficulty: Easy

📝 Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• ¼ cup honey (use a good quality honey for the best flavor)
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups finely-chopped pecans (see tip below!)
• 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar), for rolling

👩‍🍳 Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Oven and Dry Ingredients

1. Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C). This low-and-slow temperature is key to the cookie's tender texture.
2. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour and salt. Set aside.

Step 2: Cream the Wet Ingredients

1. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine the softened butter, honey, and vanilla extract.
2. Beat the mixture (using a hand mixer, stand mixer, or wooden spoon) until it is light and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Step 3: Form the Dough

1. Gradually add the flour and salt mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until just combined and a soft dough forms.
2. Fold in the finely-chopped pecans until they are evenly distributed throughout the dough.
   

   💡 Pro Tip: For the best "melt-in-your-mouth" texture, the pecans should be very finely chopped or even lightly ground. To enhance the flavor, lightly toast your pecans before chopping!

Step 4: Shape and Bake

1. Roll the dough into small, uniform 1-inch balls (about the size of a large marble).
2. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. The cookies should be set and very lightly golden on the bottom, but they should not brown significantly. The low-temperature, longer bake time ensures a buttery, tender interior.

Step 5: The Sugar Shower

1. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. They will be fragile, so handle them gently.
2. Pour the powdered sugar into a small, shallow bowl.
3. While the cookies are still warm, gently roll each one completely in the powdered sugar until fully coated.
4. Transfer the sugar-coated butterballs to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. For an extra snowy appearance, once the cookies are completely cool, roll them a second time in the powdered sugar.

✨ Serving and Storage

• Serving: These cookies are wonderful served with a cup of coffee or hot tea. They are particularly popular during the winter holidays due to their "snowball" appearance.
• Storage: Store the completely cooled Pecan Butterballs in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week. They also freeze well (unrolled in sugar) for up to three months.

Enjoy this simple, buttery, and historically delightful cookie recipe!

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