These Easy Snowball Cookies are buttery, tender walnut cookies rolled in powdered sugar for their classic snowy finish. They have a delicate melt-in-your-mouth crumb, warm vanilla flavor, and a double coating of sugar that makes them especially pretty for holiday cookie trays.
The Cookie That Somehow Gets Powdered Sugar Everywhere.There is no graceful way to eat a snowball cookie.
You take one bite, powdered sugar lands somewhere on your sweater, and you immediately reach for another one anyway.
These are buttery and crumbly in the best possible way, with finely chopped walnuts running through the dough and enough vanilla to make the whole batch smell warm and bakery-like.
The first powdered-sugar coating goes on while the cookies are still slightly warm, so some of it clings to the buttery surface. Then, once they’re completely cool, they get one more roll for that thick, snowy white finish.
If you’re putting together a cookie box, my Shortbread Cookies give you another buttery, tender texture, while Greek Cretan Biscuits bring toasted almond flavor and a slightly different bite.
For something with walnuts plus chocolate, try my Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies, and these little powdered-sugar cookies are especially good beside a mug of Homemade Hot Chocolate.
Table of contents
Ingredients
How to Make Snowball Cookies
- Finely chop the walnuts (as in, small pieces, not dust).
- In a bowl, cream the butter and powdered sugar until light and creamy. Add the vanilla, and mix again.
- Add the flour and salt. Mix until the dough looks crumbly, then continue mixing just until it starts to come together.
- Fold in the finely chopped walnuts and mix until the dough comes together. Finish bringing it together gently by hand if needed.
- Form the dough into small balls and arrange on a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them.
- Bake until the bottoms are barely golden and the tops appear set. Let cool so they firm up.
- Roll and coat each cookie in powdered sugar.
- For a more snowy appearance, roll again once cookies are completely cool.
What Are Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies are buttery, crumbly nut cookies rolled in confectioners’ sugar. Similar cookies can also be called Mexican wedding cookies, Russian teacakes, wedding cookies, or vanilla snowballs, depending on the recipe and tradition.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Using melted butter instead of softened butter.
- Adding too much flour, which can make the cookies dry.
- Trying to shape very soft dough instead of chilling it briefly first.
- Rolling the cookies too large, so they do not bake evenly.
- Overbaking them until they turn brown instead of lightly set.
- Rolling the cookies in powdered sugar while they are too hot.
- Storing them before they have cooled completely, which can make them sticky.
What to Serve With Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies are especially good with hot coffee, tea, or hot chocolate, which balance their buttery texture and sweet powdered sugar coating. They also work beautifully as part of a holiday cookie tray.
FAQs
Make sure the walnuts are finely chopped and mix the dough until it fully comes together before shaping. If the dough still feels very crumbly, gently bring it together by hand.
Yes. If you use salted butter, simply leave out the additional pinch of salt.
No, but a second coating gives the cookies a thicker, whiter snowball finish. Roll them once while slightly warm and again after they have cooled completely.
Yes. Cover the dough and refrigerate it until you are ready to shape and bake the cookies.
The bottoms should be lightly golden and the tops should look set but still pale. Avoid baking them until the tops become deeply browned.
Yes. Freeze the shaped dough balls until firm, then store them in a freezer-safe container. Bake them from frozen, allowing a little extra baking time if needed, and coat them in powdered sugar after baking.
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Easy Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Chop the walnuts into small pieces.
- Beat the butter with 60 g powdered sugar until creamy, then mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour and a pinch of salt. Mix until crumbly.
- Add the chopped walnuts and mix until the dough comes together (finish by hand if needed).
- Roll into small balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly golden and the tops are set. Let the cookies cool slightly before coating.
- Roll cookies in powdered sugar.
- Roll again after fully cooled for a thicker coating.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Chop walnuts finely so the dough rolls smoothly and holds together.
- For extra snowy cookies, roll twice: once slightly warm, then again when fully cool.
- If the dough feels too soft to roll, chill briefly, then shape.
- Swap walnuts with pecans or almonds if preferred.
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Let us know how it was!Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
