Snowball Cookies
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Buttery, nutty, and blanketed with powdered sugar, these nostalgic snowball cookies make a festive addition to any cookie tray.
Dusted in powdered sugar like fresh snow, snowball cookies are simple, shortbread-like cookies made with a mixture of flour and ground nuts, giving them a slightly nutty flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture.
This snowball cookie recipe is one of those treats that goes by many different names around the world. In Mexico, they’re called polvorones or galletas de boda (which means “wedding cakes” in Spanish); in Russia, they’re known as Russian tea cakes; and in Austria, the cookies are shaped into half-moons and referred to as Viennese crescents.
Despite the different names and sometimes different shapes, these cookies are all basically the same delicious treat with slight variations in the flavorings and types of nuts used.
“SO good, they melt in your mouth!”
What You’ll Need To Make Snowball Cookies
- All-purpose flour, almond flour & salt: The flour combo forms the base of the cookies; a pinch of salt balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter & granulated sugar: Creamed together, these ingredients form the rich, flavorful base of the dough.
- Vanilla extract & almond extract: Infuse the cookies with warm, fragrant notes.
- Confectioners’ sugar: This gives the cookies their signature snowy look and a sweet, melt-in-your-mouth finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.
Step 2. Cream the butter and sugar. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix until combined.
Step 3. Add the dry ingredients. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until a soft dough forms. Cover and chill the dough for 15 to 20 minutes, until firm enough to handle easily. (The time in the fridge also allows the butter to solidify, which keeps your cookies from flattening out too much while baking.)
Step 4. Shape the cookies. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange them 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets.
Step 5. Bake the cookies. Bake in a 350°F oven for 12 to 14 minutes, until the tops are pale and the bottoms are lightly golden. Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Step 6. Finish with powdered sugar. Once cooled, dust the cookies generously with confectioners’ sugar using a fine-mesh sieve. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; freeze for longer storage.
Jenn’s Pro Tips
- Cool before dusting. Completely cool the cookies before dusting with sugar, or it’ll melt on contact. Or….(see the next bullet point).
- Double-coat for that classic look. Want that thicker coating? Dust the cookies in powdered sugar once while still slightly warm (not hot!), then again once fully cooled. The first coat melts just a little and helps the second one stick better.
- Customize to fit the occasion. These cookies are super flexible—swap in finely ground pecans or walnuts for the almond flour, add a splash of citrus zest for brightness, or mix in a drop or two of red or green gel food coloring to the dough for a festive holiday twist.
- Freshen them up after freezing. The cookies freeze beautifully, but if you’d like to freshen them up after thawing, give them a quick dusting with more confectioners’ sugar.
- Mix up the flavor. Not an almond fan? Use all vanilla extract or try something different like orange zest, lemon zest, or even a dash of cinnamon or cardamom in the dough for a twist.
More Classic Christmas Cookie recipes
Snowball Cookies
With their delicate crumb and snowy coating, snowball cookies bring sweet holiday cheer in every bite.
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- ⅔ cup finely sifted/super-fine almond flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅛ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar, for coating
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, almond flour, and salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until the dough comes together. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the dough is firm enough to be easily handled.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If the dough is crumbly from chilling longer than the recommended time, knead it slightly with your hands to make it more pliable.) Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the cookies are pale on top and lightly golden on the bottom. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When the cookies are cool, use a small fine sieve to dust the cookies all over with confectioners' sugar. (Alternatively, gently roll the cookies in the confectioners' sugar until coated.) Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Dust the cookies again with confectioners' sugar before serving.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze the cookies after baking, let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 77
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 8 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 26 mg
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I made these several times and they are always awesome. I have to bake them twice as long though.
We were going to the Italian store to pick up supplies for Christmas, and my mother-in-law asked us to look for “the Italian Christmas cookies with powdered sugar but no nuts.” We weren’t sure what she was talking about and didn’t find such a cookie at the store. But a few days later, this recipe showed up in my Instagram feed. I sent it to my MIL who responded, “That’s it!” We made the cookies together on Christmas Eve, and my elated MIL said they tasted just like she remembered. I asked where she’d had them before. Apparently, her (Italian) mom used to make them but didn’t leave the recipe before she passed. Thank you Jenn, for our small, family holiday miracle.
The cookies are outstanding and easy to make. Out of habit, my MIL made them meatball-sized, rather than 1-inch in diameter. We had to bake them a bit longer, but they still came out beautifully.
How nice that they were able to bring back happy family memories. 💜
This recipe came in clutch at 8pm on a school night when my middle schooler reminded me that we needed to make Mexican wedding cookies for her Spanish class the next day. Your snowballs became “wedding cookies” & they were delicious, lightening fast to make, loved the packaged fine ground almond shortcut, I even had that in the pantry! Thanks Jen!
I made these cookies for a cookie exchange and they were a hit. They’re really easy to make, look cute and festive and have a nice buttery, nutty flavor. I will include these in my cookie exchange every year!
Hi Jenn,
LOVE your recipes. I remember these as a kid, but they had walnuts. Do you think I could just grind up some walnuts instead of the almonds? Same amount?
Thanks for your wonderful recipes.
Sure and it would be the same amount. Enjoy!