These classic Snowball Cookies are little balls of buttery shortbread, melt-in-your-mouth goodness with a powdered sugar coating. They are quick to fix, delicious, and freeze well.
You may even have the ingredients to make them in your house now. They are called Russian Tea Cakes, Italian Wedding cookies, butter balls, and Mexican Wedding Cookies, but in our house, we call them Snowballs. They are the delectable cookies with a thousand names.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Butter: unsalted or salted. If using salted butter, eliminate the added salt. Use natural, honest-to-goodness butter so your cookies taste yummy. I use Land O Lakes butter for all my cookies.
- Powdered sugar: also known as confectioners’ sugar
- Vanilla extract: pure vanilla extract, please
- Nuts: pecans, English walnuts, black walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and cashews.
How to make Snowball Cookies
These delectable holiday cookies are so very easy to make. First, using an electric or stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the butter and the powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
Then, turn the mixer to low speed and add the salt, vanilla, flour, and chopped pecans. Using a 1-tablespoon scoop, roll the cookies into balls and place them on a parchment-covered baking sheet with a bit of space between them. Bake until lightly browned.
Allow the cookies to cool just enough to handle them. Then, gently roll them in the powdered sugar. Place them on a wire rack to cool. When they are thoroughly cooled, roll in the powdered sugar again.
Preparation Tips
- Chop the pecans fairly fine. Remember, you can use different nuts.
- This a thick dough, so roll the cookies with your hands because the warmth of your hands will help shape the cookies.
- If you have time, do a test run with one or two cookies. This will help establish the baking time.
- Do not over-bake the cookies. These are a type of shortbread cookies with a crumbly melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- When measuring your flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a table knife to keep from adding too much flour.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
Try These Recipe Variations
- Roll the dough around an unwrapped chocolate kiss
- Add 3/4 cup chopped Andes Peppermint Crunch Baking Chips to the cookie dough.
- Add 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips to the cookie dough
- Mix 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder at the same time as the butter and powdered sugar. Also, add 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips stirred in at the end to make Chocolate Snowball Cookies
- Replace the vanilla with lemon juice, add 1-2 tablespoons lemon zest, and use finely chopped sliced almonds instead of the pecans to make Almond Lemon Snowballs.
- Substitute almonds coarsely ground in a food processor for the pecans and add 1/2 teaspoon of almond extract.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use English walnuts, black walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and even cashews. Just make sure the nuts are shelled, roasted, and finely chopped. Each nut gives the cookie a delicious, different, unique flavor.
Freeze the dough in a practice commonly known as flash freezing. Roll the dough and place it on parchment-covered baking sheets. Ensure the dough balls aren’t touching so they don’t freeze together.
Place the whole sheet in the freezer until frozen, and then transfer the balls to a freezer bag. Store that bag in a sturdy freezer container. When you are ready to bake, simply place the cookies on a parchment-covered baking sheet and let them thaw just a tad while the oven preheats. Frozen cookies may require an additional one to two minutes of baking time.
Pack the baked cookies in double Ziploc freezer bags, place them in a sturdy, glad-ware freezer container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies in the fridge overnight. Once the cookies have thawed, reroll them in powdered sugar. Place them in airtight containers and store them at room temperature for up to 5 days.
More Cookie Recipes
Snowball Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar confectioner’s sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup pecans or walnuts finely chopped
- 1 cup powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- In a stand mixer, using the paddle attachment on medium speed, cream the butter and powdered sugar. Turn the mixer to low and add the salt, vanilla, flour, and pecans. Roll the dough into one-inch balls using a 1-tablespoon scoop. Place on parchment-covered baking sheets a few inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until very lightly browned. Do not over-bake
- Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool just enough to handle them. Pour 1 cup powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Gently roll the cookies in the powdered sugar. Use a fork to scoop under each cookie and gently shake to remove excess powdered sugar. Place on cooling racks. Once completely cooled, roll in the powdered sugar again.
Video
Notes
- Use real honest-to-goodness butter so they taste yummy. I personally use Land O Lakes butter for all my cookies.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Chop the pecans fairly fine. Remember, you can use different nuts.
- This a thick dough, so roll the cookies with your hands because the warmth of your hands will help shape the cookies.
- Preheat the oven and load the baking sheet in the middle of the oven.
- Use parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- If you have time, do a test run with one or two cookies. It really helps to establish baking time.
- Do not over-bake the cookies. These are a type of shortbread cookies with a crumbly melt-in-your-mouth texture.
- When measuring your flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level it off with a table knife to keep from adding too much flour.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
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Vanessa
I put them in for 11 minutes, but they are still very soft.. do you think a few more minutes won’t hurt?
Beth Pierce
What did you up doing? They will be soft when you take them out.
Namita
Made these as a holiday gift for friends and they were a hit! Thank you for such a lovely cookie recipe.
Beth Pierce
My pleasure! So glad that they liked them! I hope you have a very Merry Christmas and happy New Year!
Namita
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🙂
Jilly
Hello, I just tried your recipe and even though I accidentally used salted butter they taste great! The only issue with my batch is that they are somewhat flaky and puffy. When I bite it, it doesn’t leave the bite mark as shown in your picture. I like my snowball cookies to be moist and dense in texture. Do you know what I could have done wrong?? I am not good at baking so I don’t have general baking knowledge or experience other than following a recipe and I followed your recipe exactly. Thanks in advance!
Jilly
Oops I meant to say “what I might have done wrong”! – Jilly
Beth Pierce
Did you use self-rising flour? I use all purpose and a lot of the readers swear by cake flour. Did you chop your pecans real fine? I would suggest for you and your taste that you cut the flour down to 2 1/4 cups. I have some people that absolutely love this recipe and others that don’t want them quite that flaky.
Tracy
My grandmother used to make these every Christmas, but she called them cocoons. I guess because she shaped them like a cocoons. She also backed them on a very low heat for about 40 minutes.
Beth Pierce
Good times and great memories!
Shirley
What make these flatten. I followed the recipe exactly. I notice someone else had the same problem. Any suggestions?
Beth Pierce
You know I have never had this happen so I did a little research and here is a great article on 8 reasons your cookies spread too much
TARA TATE
What about eggs
Beth Pierce
It is a shortbread cookie. Shortbread cookies do not have eggs.
Rhonda
Hi changed from my previous recipe which always flattened and followed yours exactly. The snowball cookies came out perfect!! Thank you and Merry Christmas
Beth Pierce
Wonderful! I love it! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Meredith
Found this recipe yesterday and made a double batch this morning. My family liked them so much I almost didn’t have enough to donate to my daughter’s cookie walk. I’ll definitely be making more again soon! Thank you for sharing!
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Meredith! I am so glad that they liked them. Thanks for leaving such a nice message.
Carolyn Franks
can you use margarine instead of the butter?
Beth Pierce
No I would stick with butter.
Bill G
I can’t figure what I am doing wrong. I used 2 1/4 cups flour, 1 cup butter, and all the other ingredients. I baked them 11 minutes. But they are very crumby. What did I do wrong?
Beth Pierce
Shortbread is a pretty crumbly. Have you let them cool? I wonder if you chopped the pecans fine enough?
Holly
I’ve loved these cookies for decades but have never tried to make them until now. They came out perfectly. In the future, I will make them a bit smaller so the “evidence” can be destroyed in one bite and have less powdered sugar dropping off.
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked them. Yes it is important to destroy the evidence. LOL! I needed a good laugh!
Sandy
I’ve made these since the 50’s or 60’s. For gifts I’ve made them a little smaller, occasionally adding a drop of food color to the sugar for special effects. If you use a tall, glass or plastic, container and put a generous bow on top, or wrapped around the container, it makes a memorable gift. I have received so many compliments for these as hostess gifts!
Beth Pierce
That sounds like a wonderful gift idea! Thanks for the ideas!
Carolyn Nirris
Add chopped, toasted hazelnuts
Renee
Can you use cake flour?
Beth Pierce
Yes you can. The readers have reported that they are better with cake flour. Happy baking!
Ellen
I have made this exact recipe since 1961. I received the recipe from my home ec teacher and have made them for Christmas and special occasions ever since. They are tender and delicious. Pay attention to how much flour is called for and how long you bake them. Too much of either will result in a dry cookie. Hope you enjoy them as much as my family and friends have
Beth Pierce
Thanks Ellen. Yes they are a delicious cookie. I would also add to finely chop your pecans.
Anita
On the “choc. chunk pecan cookies” it had a note that you could leave 1/2 the batch without nuts if desired.
But it sad just add 1/2cup….but not of what.
Could you tell me what the add 1/2 cup is…what ingred do you add if not the nuts?
Beth Pierce
It means if you are doing half of the batch with nuts and half without you will only need 1/2 cup of nuts.
Teri
I like almond extract in them
Beth Pierce
😉
Stacie
These cookies look wonderful! I am just wondering would you use salted or unsalted butter?
Beth Pierce
Thank you! Unsalted butter please!