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This Classic Snowball Cookies Recipe is simple to make and are a Christmas favorite in this house. But these little cookies are great any time of year. Definitely be sure to add this one to your Christmas cookie list.
What are Snowball Cookies made of?
The dough is made up of butter, confectioner’s/powdered sugar, vanilla, all purpose flour and traditionally made with pecans but today, we’re switching it up with walnuts. They are twice rolled in even more confectioner’s sugar after baking. Yum!
What type of nuts should I use?
As mentioned above, this recipe traditionally uses pecans, but we are using walnuts today. Use whichever you prefer.
Can I make Snowball Cookies without Nuts?
Acknowledging that some may have nut allergies, you may ask… “Can I make Snowball Cookies without Nuts?” The short answer is yes. Although I have not personally tried this, I have seen several bloggers simply leave out the nuts in this recipe and it works just fine.
How to finely grind the nuts
I used a food processor to finely chop them quickly, but you can knife chop these as well. If you want to be fancy, you could invest in a nut grinder. We used to have one of these when I was growing up and it was my job to grind them 🙂
How to make the cookie dough
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Softened Butter
- Confectioner’s Sugar (also known as powdered sugar)
- Pure Vanilla Extract
- All Purpose Flour
- Chopped nuts (pecans/walnuts or keep it nut-free)
Add powdered/confectioner’s sugar to softened butter with vanilla and mix until combined. Then add the flour and finally, the chopped nuts.
I use this small cookie scoop (*affiliate link) to create small balls onto a lined baking sheet.
Roll the balls so they are smooth and bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until they are slightly golden brown. This will vary greatly based on your oven, so keep an eye on them.
Allow the cookies to cool for just a minute or two then remove to a rack to continue cooling. When they are still slightly warm but not hot, it’s time to roll in the powdered sugar. I just add them, one by one, to a small bowl, coat them in the powdered sugar and place back on the cooling rack.
They’ll look like this. Allow to cool completely and roll again.
They hold much more powdered sugar with that first coating. Here’s a comparison with the added sugar on the left. Big difference!
They are light and fluffy with a bit of crunch. A must for any Christmas cookie platter.
Did you make my Classic Snowball Cookies Recipe? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought! You can also tag me with your photos on Instagram @aimee_stock I love seeing what you come up with!
Classic Snowball Cookies Recipe
Equipment
- Stand (or Hand) Mixer
- Food Processor, Nut Grinder or Sharp Knife
- Small Cookie Scoop
- Lined Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp Butter softened
- 1/3 c Confectioner's/Powdered Sugar plus more for rolling
- 1/2 c Pecans/Walnuts very finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 c All Purpose Flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with either parchment or silicone mat. Set aside.
- Combine softened butter with confectioner's sugar until smooth.
- Mix in vanilla. Then add flour, mixing until well combined.
- Finally, stir in chopped nuts (if using).
- Using a small cookie scoop, place mounds of dough onto a lined baking sheet. These do not spread much so we did 24 per baking sheet.
- Roll each one until smooth and bake for 12-15 minutes (will depend on your oven). They should be lightly golden. Allow to cool for a minute or two and remove to a cooling rack.
- Once they are still warm, but not hot, roll in the additional confectioner's sugar. Place back on the rack to cool completely. Then, roll one last time.