Soft & Buttery Snowball Cookies Recipe for Holiday Magic

Sweet memories swirl around these delightful snowball cookies that melt in your mouth like childhood whispers.

Dusty white powder coats each tender morsel with a sugary embrace.

Crisp pecans nestled inside provide a delicate crunch that surprises and delights.

Grandmother’s kitchen always felt magical when these treats emerged from her oven.

Delicate and simple, these cookies require minimal ingredients but deliver maximum comfort.

Light as winter’s first flurry, they dance between sweet and nutty flavors.

Each bite transports you to cozy moments shared with loved ones.

Bake a batch and watch how quickly joy spreads across eager faces.

Snowball Cookies Made for Winter Snacking

• Requires just a few pantry staples like butter, flour, powdered sugar, and optional nuts, making it an incredibly accessible recipe for bakers of all levels.
• Delivers a festive, elegant treat that looks impressive and tastes delicious, ideal for Christmas parties, cookie exchanges, or winter celebrations.
• Creates melt-in-your-mouth cookies with a nostalgic taste that appeals to both kids and adults, guaranteeing smiles around the dinner table.

All Ingredients Required for Snowball Cookies

• Butter: Soft and creamy foundation that gives rich flavor and tender texture, use unsalted for better control of salt levels.
• Powdered Sugar: Provides sweetness and helps create a delicate, melt-in-your-mouth cookie texture.

• All-Purpose Flour: Structural base of the cookie that helps hold everything together, choose unbleached for best results.
• Salt: Small pinch enhances overall flavor and balances sweetness.

• Vanilla Extract: Adds warm, classic flavor depth, pure vanilla is recommended over artificial.
• Nuts (Optional): Pecans or walnuts provide extra crunch and nutty richness, finely chopped for best distribution.

• Powdered Sugar: Final dusting creates signature snowball look and adds extra sweetness, sift for smooth and even coating.

Directions for Mixing, Rolling, and Dusting Snowball Cookies

Step 1: Warm Up the Oven

Fire up your oven to 350F (175C) and cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. This trick prevents sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.

Step 2: Blend Butter and Sugar

Grab a big mixing bowl and whip the softened butter with powdered sugar using an electric mixer. Keep blending until the mixture looks cloud-like and fluffy, which takes around 2-3 minutes.

Step 3: Introduce Flavor Elements

• Chopped pecans
• Sliced almonds
• Crushed walnuts

Step 4: Create Cookie Rounds

Using your hands or a cookie scoop, roll the dough into tiny spheres about the size of a golf ball. Arrange these on the prepared baking sheet, leaving a small gap between each one since they won’t expand much.

Step 5: Bake to Golden Perfection

Slide the sheet into the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes. Look for light golden edges while keeping the centers soft. After pulling them out, let them rest for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.

Step 6: Snow Them with Sugar

While the cookies are still warm, lovingly roll each one in a mountain of powdered sugar. Coat them generously to achieve that classic snowball look. Allow them to cool completely before serving or sharing.

Tips to Help Snowball Cookies Hold Their Shape

• Prevent Dry Cookies: Avoid overmixing the flour to keep the snowball cookies soft and tender, which helps maintain their delicate texture.
• Nut Customization: Swap walnuts or pecans for different flavor profiles, or omit nuts entirely for a nut-free version that's allergy-friendly.
• Sugar Coating Technique: Roll cookies in powdered sugar while they're still warm for better sugar adherence and a more even, beautiful white coating.
• Chill for Easier Handling: Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes before shaping if it feels too soft, making the cookies easier to form and preventing spreading.
• Storage Success: Store cooled snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

How to Store Snowball Cookies Without Losing Texture

• Store cookies in an airtight container between layers of parchment paper for up to 5 days. Keep in the coolest part of the refrigerator to maintain freshness.
• Pack cookies in a freezer-safe container or freezer bag, separating layers with wax paper. Freeze for up to 3 months without losing flavor or texture.
• Remove cookies from freezer and let sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes. Dust with fresh powdered sugar before serving to restore their classic snowball look.
• Warm cookies briefly in the oven at 300F for 3-5 minutes if you prefer them slightly crisp. Avoid microwaving, which can make them soggy.

Delicious Matches for Snowball Cookies

• Indulge in a rich, velvety hot chocolate that complements the snowball cookies' delicate texture. The warm, smooth beverage highlights the cookies' nutty and buttery flavors, creating a comforting winter treat.
• Select a soothing cinnamon tea that adds a gentle spice to balance the cookie's sweetness. The warm, aromatic drink enhances the cookie's subtle nutty undertones and provides a cozy drinking experience.
• Enjoy a smooth vanilla latte that mirrors the cookies' vanilla extract notes. The creamy coffee drink provides a sophisticated contrast to the powdery, delicate snowball cookies, elevating the overall taste sensation.
• Sip on a cool, refreshing almond milk that harmonizes with the cookie's potential nut ingredients. The light, nutty beverage complements the cookie's texture and offers a pleasant, mild accompaniment.

New Ways to Add a Twist to Snowball Cookies

• Gluten-Free Snowballs: Replace all-purpose flour with almond flour or gluten-free flour blend for a celiac-friendly version that maintains the classic texture and taste.
• Chocolate Walnut Snowballs: Mix cocoa powder into the dough and use chopped dark chocolate or walnuts for a rich, nutty variation with deeper flavor complexity.
• Keto-Friendly Snowballs: Swap traditional flour with coconut flour and use powdered erythritol instead of sugar to create a low-carb, diabetic-friendly cookie option that's still deliciously crumbly.
• Vegan Snowball Cookies: Substitute butter with coconut oil or vegan margarine and use plant-based butter for coating to create a dairy-free version that keeps the same melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Snowball Cookies Recipe

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4.8 from 37 reviews

• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 24 1x

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Description

Delightful Snowball Cookies bring holiday magic straight from Mexican kitchens, rolling delicate pecan-studded dough into powdery white spheres of pure winter joy. Festive crumbly treats melt gracefully, connecting family memories with each heavenly sweet bite.

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Ingredients

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Main Ingredients:

• 2 ¼ cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (120 g) finely chopped pecans or walnuts

Sweetening and Flavoring:

• ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar (plus extra for rolling)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Seasoning:

• ¼ teaspoon salt

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Instructions

1. Prepare the oven environment by heating to 350F (175C) and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking and simplify post-baking cleanup.
2. Utilize an electric mixer to blend softened butter and powdered sugar, whipping the mixture until it reaches a light, airy texture with increased volume, approximately 2-3 minutes.
3. Enhance the butter mixture with vanilla extract and a subtle salt pinch, then methodically fold in all-purpose flour until just incorporated; gently integrate chopped nuts if desired.
4. Craft uniform dough spheres using hands or a cookie scoop, creating compact 1-inch rounds that maintain a consistent size and shape for even baking.
5. Arrange cookie balls strategically on the prepared sheet, maintaining slight separation to allow minimal spreading during the baking process.
6. Carefully monitor cookies in the preheated oven, removing when edges display a delicate golden hue, typically after 12-15 minutes, ensuring centers remain tender and not overly crisp.
7. Allow cookies a brief 5-minute resting period on the baking sheet to stabilize their structure before transitioning to a wire cooling rack.
8. While cookies retain residual warmth, generously enrobe each one in powdered sugar, creating a thick, elegant white coating that resembles fresh snowfall.
9. Permit cookies to cool completely, allowing the powdered sugar to set and the texture to reach optimal delicacy before serving or storing.

Notes

• Make butter softness crucial by leaving it at room temperature for 30-45 minutes before mixing, ensuring smooth, even blending without lumps.
• Choose finely ground nuts like pecans or walnuts for better texture and more consistent cookie coverage, enhancing the overall flavor profile.
• Create gluten-free versions by substituting all-purpose flour with almond flour or a gluten-free blend, maintaining the delicate, crumbly texture of traditional snowball cookies.
• Roll cookies in powdered sugar twice for extra thick, elegant coating – first while warm, then again after completely cooling for maximum snowy appearance and sweet dusting.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Desserts, Snacks
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 24
• Calories: 150
• Sugar: 1 g
• Sodium: 40 mg
• Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 3 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
• Trans Fat: 0 g
• Carbohydrates: 16 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 2 g
• Cholesterol: 30 mg