Snowball cookies are nutty, buttery and oh-so-delicious. They require only five ingredients and also last much longer than your typical cookie!
What Are Snowball Cookies?
Snowball cookies are round sweet cookies made with a dough comprised of butter, pecans, and flour. The dough is then rolled into the shape of snowballs, baked, and covered in powdered sugar. The end result is a cookie with a nutty, sweet flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Can you think of a more perfect Christmas cookie?
You may have heard these cookies called “Russian tea cakes”, “Mexican wedding cookies”, or even just “Christmas snowball cookies.” All these names are accurate, but a generic name we like to use is “snowball cookie.” Although the exact origins are nearly impossible to find, it appears that the cookie hails from Europe. There is a very similar cookie that hails from Austria called an “almond crescent” that has a similar taste and texture to these cookies.
Chocolate lover? Here’s a chocolatey variation of this cookie where Nutella is stuffed into the center of the cookie. YUM!
Snowball Cookies Video
How To Make Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies take only five ingredients, 15 minutes of prep time, and 13 minutes of bake time to make. Make it even more hands-off by using a stand mixer or electric mixer — remember to mix on low speed! To begin, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Mix the butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, mix the room temperature butter and sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients: Add in the chopped pecans and flour, then whisk to combine.
- Form the cookie dough balls: Use an ice cream scoop to form small round cookie dough balls. Alternatively, use a tablespoon measuring spoon.
- Bake the cookies: Place the cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 13 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
- Roll in the powdered sugar: Allow the cookies to completely cool on a wire rack, then roll them all through powdered sugar or confectioners’ sugar. Enjoy!
Our Top Cookie Baking Tips
We all like feeling completely successful — so follow these tips to make cookie-baking the easiest, most successful thing you’ll do today!
- Use a food processor: The easiest way to finely chop the nuts is by using either a food processor or a blender. Chop it just enough that it is fine but not quite where it becomes pasty.
- Refrigerate the dough: If making multiple batches, refrigerate the dough in between batches. Cookies may becomes flat if the dough is too warm.
- Measure carefully: Measure the ingredients (especially the all purpose flour) carefully. Too much flour may result in a dry and crumbly cookie.
Substitutions & Additions
Occasionally, a little change is a good thing — even with cookies that are already delicious. Here are a few ingredients additions and substitutions to make these cookies your own.
- Vanilla extract: For a subtle vanilla flavor, add no more than a 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. Or, for a fruity, sweet flavor, add a drop or two of almond extract.
- Salt: Some snowball recipes call for a pinch of salt, so feel free to add a pinch of salt if you prefer.
- Mini chocolate chips: If you’re a chocolate lover, add in mini chocolate chips for a surprise treat in every cookie.
- Other nuts: The most authentic snowball cookie is made with pecans — however, if you prefer, substitute the pecans with almonds, pistachios, cashews, or walnuts. Make sure to finely grind whichever nut you use so the batter comes out smooth.
Making Ahead
If you like to prep ahead, make your dough a couple days in advance. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until you are ready to bake, then allow the dough to reach room temperature before shaping it into snowballs.
Storing Snowball Cookies
Great news! These cookies store crazy well! Store them on the counter, in the fridge, or in the freezer depending on how long you desire to have them on hand.
- One week: To store the cookies for up to one week, place them in an airtight container and store at room temperature or on the counter.
- Two weeks: To increase the storage to two weeks, place the cookies into an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Two months: To store for up to a two months, place the cookies in a ziplock bag and store them in the freezer.
Hot tip: If choosing to freeze the cookies, thaw them at room temperature. Once thawed, roll the cookies in powdered sugar again. If you want a “fresh out-of-the-oven” taste, reheat the cookies in the oven at 275° for 10-15 minutes before rolling in more sugar.
FAQ
Why did the powdered sugar dissolve?
Powdered sugar may dissolve if the cookie was too hot when it was rolled in the sugar. Ensure the cookies are completely cool before rolling them in the sugar.
Why did my snowball cookies flatten/spread out?
Snowball cookies may flatten in the oven if the dough was too warm going into the oven or the baking sheet was already hot.
How to make round snowball cookies?
An easy way to make perfectly round snowball cookies is to use a cookie scoop to measure out the size and simultaneously form the shape of the cookie.
More Christmas Favorites
- Sugar Cookies – A classic no-fail cookie that’s perfect for any occasion
- Madeleine Cookies – Beautiful French cookies that are simple, yet stunning, treats
- Kolaczki Cookies – Polish holiday cookies stuffed with jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – Festive chocolate cookies topped with powdered sugar
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 cups finely chopped pecans
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl, beat the room-temperature butter and sugar.
- Add chopped pecans and flour. Beat again to combine all ingredients together.
- Form the cookie dough into small round balls, you can use a small ice cream scoop to make this easier.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet. Bake for 13 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely and roll cookies in powdered sugar.
Hello! Would you be able to share the brand of nut chopper you are using? Thank you so much!
Hi Theresa, I actually use blender or a food processor. Just pulsing or blending for a very short time. Hope this helps!
They flattened when baked, they did not stay round.
Mine did not stay in ball form when baked.
Hey Stephanie- I'm not sure why this happened. My guess is that the dough was possibly too dry? Perhaps too much flour added? The balls of dough shouldn't fall apart when baked, nor should they flatten out.
Thank you so much for the recipe!! I did it and the cookies were delicious! 🤗
I'm so glad you loved them, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback!
Would it work to not use nuts at all?
Yes, it definitely would work. It will be missing that extra flavor but it will be good.
Can I substitute using almond flour and would it be the same amount?
Hey Cherise, I have not tried using almond flour but I believe so. Look at the texture of the dough in the recipe images, that may be useful.
I followed the recipe but my cookies came out very crumbly. You can hardly hold one. What did I miss?
You really have to press the butter into the dough…and rolling them into a ball between your palms really helps
Hey Anna, it is possible that the nuts were not chopped well or butter wasn't at room temperature? As they cool they do harden a bit.
Hello. I was just wondering if using salted butter would also work. Im new to baking and don't really know if that would ruin the recipe.
Hey Vita, it will work, it may add a bit of a salty flavor. Which may not be so bad!
I just made these but did change the ingredients to make them vegan keto friendly and they come out delicious. I used what I had in my kitchen - vegan butter, almond flour, keto friendly sugar and Brazil nuts and opted the powder sugar. The cookies came out rich and yummy with perfect balance of nuttiness. Thank you for satisfying my sweet tooth.
Did you use same measurements when using the almond flour?
Magda, thank you for sharing! I think this will help many that are doing keto! I appreciate all the tips!
My husband loved these!🤩
Yeyy 🙂 so glad to hear this!
Looks super easy and tasty! What if I wasn’t to use the pecans, would they tast good?? (My son has a nut allergy:( )
That would change the recipe completely. Just make sugar cookies 🙂