Snowball Cookies are melt-in-your-mouth good. They are nutty, buttery and oh-so-delicious. They only require five ingredients to make! Better yet, they stay fresh much longer than your typical cookie.
Chances are Snowball Cookies have graced a Christmas tray you have made or received at least once. These holiday staples are made with a sweet dough of pecans and flour. The dough is then rolled into the shape of snowballs and covered in powdered sugar. The end result is a perfectly festive wintertime treat!
My family loves Nutella so much! So, I created a Nutella Snowball Cookie that is stuffed with the choclately-hazelnut spread in the center. If that is more your style, give it a try instead. But, if you want to stick to tradition, read on to make these cookies in their original form!
Snowball Cookies
To make Snowball Cookies, you only need flour, sugar, pecans, butter and powdered sugar. You may have heard these cookies called Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies. All these names are accurate, but for the sake of the holiday season, let’s call them Snowball Cookies!
If you are a foodie history nerd, you may be wondering where these cookies originated from. After scouring the internet for answers, I couldn’t find anything too concrete. But, It seems as though this cookie hailed from Europe (I promise I am not being bias!). There is a very similar cookie that hails from Austria called an “almond crescent”. It has a dough that is made with little sugar and a ton of nuts, giving it a nice melting texture close to that of the Snowball Cookie.
Can I make Snowball Cookies With Walnuts or Almonds?
The most authentic Snowball Cookie is made with pecans. But, if you prefer, substitute the pecans for almonds or walnuts. Just be sure to finely ground whatever nut you use so that the batter comes out smooth.
Storing Snowball Cookies
Store Snowball Cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. You can also store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week. I love these cookies because they seem to keep a longer shelf life than others.
Refrigerating Cookies
If you like to prep ahead, you can make your dough a couple days in advance. Keep it refrigerated in an airtight container until you are ready to bake. Allow the dough to reach room temperature before you shape it into little circles.
Freezing Snowball Cookies
It is best to freeze your Snowball Cookies after they have been baked. After they have completely cooled, place them in a Ziploc bag. Freeze them for up to two months. When you are ready to eat them, allow them to thaw on the counter. Gently reheat them at 275 °F for 10-15 minutes to mimic that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste. Just to be sure to check on them so that they do not overcook or burn!
Other Cookie Recipes
- Sugar Cookies – This classic recipe for sugar cookies is no-fail. I can always depend on it during the holiday season and birthdays.
- Madeleine Cookies – These beautiful cookies go wonderfully with coffee or tea. Invest in a baking tin and impress your friends and family with these simple, yet stunning, treats.
- Kolaczki Cookies – These Polish holiday cookies are stuffed with jam and sprinkled with powdered sugar. Using just five ingredients, you can add another impressive holiday cookie to your gift trays.
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies – Chocolate Crinkles have been gracing holiday trays for years. These festive cookies are topped with powdered sugar, making them look snow-capped and wintery.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 cups finely chopped pecans
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. In a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar with room-temperature butter.
- To the mix, add chopped pecans and flour. Whisk again to combine all ingredients together.
- Form the cookie dough into small round shapes, you can use an ice cream scoop.
- Place cookies on a baking sheet. Bake cookies for 13 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely and once again roll all cookies through the 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 🙂