Ever since I was little, baking cookies has been one of our holiday traditions.There were years when either time or money was short – sometimes both – but we still made cookies. One of the cookie recipes we always made were the old standby snowball cookie recipe.
Snowball Cookies are a classic, must have holiday cookie. However, they go by many names – Mexican Wedding Cake cookies, Russian Teacake cookies, and even the spiced variety known as Pfeffernusse. Whether your family knows them as Snowball Cookies, Mexican Wedding Cakes, or Russian Teacakes, they all have the same thing in common; the cookies are delicious.
Snowball Cookies are extremely easy to make, and they store well, too. They’re so simple that even the little kids can help out. I’d say probably kindergarten age and up, with good adult supervision. This is a great cookie on its own, but also pairs well with coffee, tea, or fruit. Try these with a peach sweet tea or on a platter with Lingonberry Thumbprint Cookies for something really special.
See the tips after the recipe for variations on making the cookies.
Snowball Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter, softened
- 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar, plus another 1 – 2 cups for coating
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Pecans, finely chopped
Directions
In a large mixing bowl, stir together the softened butter & 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Beat on high speed until combined and creamy. Add in in the vanilla extract and mix well. Scrape down sides of bowl.
Combine the flour and salt; with mixer on low, add flour and mix until combined. If it looks dry after adding flour/salt mixture, turn mixer to medium high and beat until dough has come together and flour is completely combined. Stir in the finely chopped pecans.
Let dough chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 days in the refrigerator (or up to 6 weeks in the freezer). Remove from fridge. If dough has chilled longer than a couple of hours, it will be very stiff; let it set out at room temperature for about a half hour before trying to form into balls.
Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
Form dough into uniform balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter – about the size of a small walnut. Place about 2-3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 10-15 minutes; edges should be lightly golden brown, and tops will be pale with no color.
While cookies are baking, fill a shallow bowl or pie pan with the remaining powdered sugar.
When the cookies are done, roll them in the powdered sugar while still hot. Place them on a rack, waxed paper, or parchment to cool. When they are cool, roll in powdered sugar again for a fluffy white coating. Store in an airtight container.
Snowball Cookie Tips and Variations
While snowball cookies are definitely in my top five favorite cookies, there are some variations that make these classic cookies even better. Try one of these variations for something really different, but yet still oh so easy to make.
Use a small scoop to ensure cookies are uniform in size.
Do not overbake. Cookies should be barely golden around the edges and still pale on the tops.
Cookie dough may be frozen as pre-formed cookies as well as a larger tub of dough. Just shape your cookies, freeze them on a cookie sheet, and when frozen, put them in a plastic resealable bag and label it. Take out the cookies you want to bake and let thaw in the fridge overnight, or at room temperature for an hour.
Vegan – Substitute Coconut oil or vegan butter for the softened butter. If you don’t want to use refined sugar, blend date or coconut sugar until powdery.
Chocolate – Sub ½ cup cocoa for ½ cup flour, and add ½ cup mini chocolate chips with nuts.
Lemon – Omit vanilla; add 4 tsp lemon juice plus 2 tsp lemon zest to butter/sugar mixture.
Cranberry Orange – Omit nuts; add ½ cup each finely chopped candied orange peel and craisins.
Classic Snowball Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Butter, softened
- 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar, plus another 1 – 2 cups for coating
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1/2 Cup Pecans, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the softened butter & 3/4 cup of the powdered sugar. Beat on high speed until combined and creamy. Add in in the vanilla extract and mix well. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Combine the flour and salt; with mixer on low, add flour and mix until combined. If it looks dry after adding flour/salt mixture, turn mixer to medium high and beat until dough has come together and flour is completely combined. Stir in the finely chopped pecans.
- Let dough chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 days in the refrigerator (or up to 6 weeks in the freezer). Remove from fridge. If dough has chilled longer than a couple of hours, it will be very stiff; let it set out at room temperature for about a half hour before trying to form into balls.
- Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two cookie sheets by lining them with parchment paper.
- Form dough into uniform balls about 1 ½ inches in diameter – about the size of a small walnut. Place about 2-3 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake about 10-15 minutes; edges should be lightly golden brown, and tops will be pale with no color.
- While cookies are baking, fill a shallow bowl or pie pan with the remaining powdered sugar.
- When the cookies are done, roll them in the powdered sugar while still hot. Place them on a rack, waxed paper, or parchment to cool. When they are cool, roll in powdered sugar again for a fluffy white coating. Store in an airtight container
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
48Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 70Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 43mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 2gProtein: 1g
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy, and may not be accurate.