This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.
Sweet, nutty, and covered in powdered sugar, snowball cookies are a holiday favorite! Whether you know them as snowballs, Russian tea cakes, or Mexican wedding cookies, these sweet morsels are full of holiday nostalgia.
I promise this is the last of my Christmas cookie recipes this year. But I really needed to include this last one, because it’s a family favorite around here.
If you’re a big fan of classic Christmas cookies like molasses cookies, sour cream cookies, and clothespin cookies, these snowball cookies are practically a must-have.
We made these every year growing up and they remain at the top of my favorite cookie list. They are buttery, sweet and perfectly flaky. Try to stop at just one: I dare you!
My brother’s favorite Christmas cookies
The reason I’ve made these snowball cookies so many times is because they are one of my brother’s favorite cookie recipes ever. In fact, they are one of the cookies that made it to Santa’s plate at our house year after year.
My brother might be the pickiest eater ever – the only vegetable he eats is broccoli and it has to be covered in Cheez Whiz so he can choke it down. He also doesn’t like fruit unless it is followed by the word “Roll-Up”.
He even hates chocolate – that’s why I created my Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cookies!
However, give him a plate of these snowball cookies and he’ll eat every last sugar-coated crumb.
Snowball cookies are also called Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies, so you may have grown up calling them by a different name.
No matter what you call them, though, they’re easy to make and sure to make an impact on any cookie dish. What’s cuter than little snowballs in festive miniature ocean liners? You can even turn them into adorable ones snowman cookies!
How to make snowball cookies
As cute as these cookies are, they are super easy to make. And between rolling the dough into balls and rolling the baked cookies in powdered sugar, they’re a super fun recipe to get the kids or grandkids involved with.
Ingredients you will need
To make these snowballs you will need:
- 1 cup softened unsalted butter
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Pretty short list for a cookie recipe, right? I assure you: they are simple but absolutely delicious.
Before you get started, I suggest reviewing how to properly measure flour. We recommend using this method to measure flour and powdered sugar.
If you forget to put the butter to soften beforehand, don’t worry. I have several tips for quickly softening butter that you can use.
You will also need another 1/3 cup powdered sugar for rolling in the baked cookies. I like to sift the powdered sugar for rolling, just to avoid little clumps of sugar on the outside of the cookies.
Prepare these biscuits
Make the snowball cookie dough by creaming the butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth.
Add the flour, pecans and salt. Mix until the dough comes together.
Now roll the dough into 1 tablespoon or 1.5 tablespoon balls. I like to use the medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon) to portion the dough, but you’ll get more cookies if you make them smaller.
Arrange the dough balls on a lined baking tray. Since these won’t spread, you can place them quite close together.
Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 15 minutes. The color of the biscuits should not be much different than before baking: if they are golden, they are overbaked!
Let the snowballs cool on the baking sheet until they are cool enough to handle, then roll them in powdered sugar while they are still warm. Place them on a cooling rack; roll them once more in icing sugar after they have finished cooling.
Warehousing
Store snowball cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze them in an airtight container, separating the layers with a piece of baking paper, for up to a month.
Once the cookies are defrosted, check to see if they need a fresh layer of icing sugar before serving.
My best tips for making snowball cookies
Snowball cookies are really easy to make, but here are a few tips that I’ve found to be helpful over the years:
- Snowball cookies don’t spread, so you can place them next to each other on the baking sheet.
- Be careful not to overbake these cookies. After cooking the color will be slightly different than when they were raw. If they take on a golden color they are probably overcooked!
- Roll them twice in icing sugar: once while they’re still a little warm, and again after they’ve cooled completely to get that perfect white coating.
- If you don’t like pecans, feel free to use walnuts or almonds instead.
- Snowballs freeze well! Freeze them in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
-
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1/2 cup of icing sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and mix until smooth.
-
Stir in the flour, pecans and salt. Mix until the mixture is just combined.
-
Roll about 1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough into balls and place on prepared baking sheet. I like to use the medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoon) to portion the dough, but you’ll get more cookies if you make them smaller. The biscuits can be placed quite close together on the baking tray so that they do not expand during baking.
-
Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, being careful not to overcook: the color of the biscuits should not have changed. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet until you can hold them comfortably in your hands.
-
Sift 1/3 cup powdered sugar in a medium bowl. While the biscuits are still warm, roll them in icing sugar. Place cookies on cooling rack; once they have cooled completely, roll them again in icing sugar.
- Not a fan of pecans? Feel free to add another dried fruit like walnuts or almonds.
- The exact yield will depend on the size of the snowball cookies.
- Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to a month.
Serve: 1cookie, Calories: 119kcal, Carbohydrates: 11G, Protein: 1G, Fat: 9G, Saturated fat: 4G, Polyunsaturated fats: 1G, Monounsaturated fats: 3G, Trans fats: 0.2G, Cholesterol: 16mg, Sodium: 20mg, Potassium: 27mg, Fiber: 1G, Sugar: 1G, Vitamin A: 191UI, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Soccer: 6mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is calculated automatically, so should only be used as an approximation.
