Place the butter and ½ cup powdered sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
Add the salt, vanilla, and water. Beat until combined.
With the mixer running, slowly add the flour. Mix until just incorporated. Stir in the pecans.
Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the tops are just beginning to turn light brown.
Remove from the oven. Immediately after removing the cookies from the oven, place the remaining 1½ cups of powdered sugar in a small bowl.
Roll a cookie (careful—they will be hot) on all sides in the powdered sugar and place on wax paper.
Repeat with remaining cookies. After each cookie is coated, roll each cookie in the powdered sugar again. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
You can substitute chopped walnuts for the chopped pecans. You can also substitute mini chocolate chips or even chopped toffee bars in place of the nuts.Rolling the cookies twice is the key to making them look snowball-like. Don't skip it! Using salted butter? Just omit the salt in the recipe.The cookies will keep for several weeks at room temperature, in a covered container. The cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months after baking. You can also freeze balls of dough.