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Sweet, nutty and rolled in powdered sugar, Snowball Cookies are a holiday favorite! Whether you know them as Snowball Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies, these sweet bites are full of holiday nostalgia.
So tell me, have you started your holiday baking yet?
This year, I seriously contemplated ordering a tray from my favorite bakery, but by the time I remembered to actually order them, they were sold out of all the good stuff!
Basically what I’m trying to say is that I’ve made not one single cookie. No pecan brittle. No fudge. Nothing.
In fact, I just pulled out a couple of pounds of butter from my freezer, so I can start whipping up some of favorites like these snowball cookies!
Luckily it is frigid here this year, so I can make a couple of recipes for the next few days, package them up in tins and store them in the garage until Christmas.
A giant garage freezer is pretty much the best thing about Ohio winters.
MY BROTHER’S FAVORITE HOLIDAY COOKIES
This fall and holiday season has been a season of classics for me.
From Peanut Butter Cup Cookies and Rum Balls to Old Fashioned Apple Crisp, Classic Pecan Pie and Parker House Rolls, I’ve been craving recipes rooted in classic flavors and full of memories.
So it seems fitting to share one of my brother’s favorite cookies, and one of the cookies that made their way to Santa’s plate at our house year after year.
My brother may be the pickiest eater ever – the only vegetable he eats is broccoli and it must be covered in Cheez Whiz in order for him to choke it down. He’s also not fond of fruit – unless the word Roll-Up comes after it.
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 a different name.
No matter what you call them, though, they are easy to whip up and definitely make an impact on any cookie platter. What’s cuter than little snowballs in a festive miniature liners? You can even turn them into adorable snowman cookies!
TIPS FOR MAKING SNOWBALL COOKIES
Snowball Cookies are easy to make, but here are a few tips I have realized are helpful over the years:
- Snowball Cookies don’t spread, so you can place them close together on the baking sheet.
- Be careful not to overbake these cookies. The color will be barely different after they’re baked than when they were raw. If they
- take on a golden color, they’re probably overbaked!
- Roll them twice in powdered sugar: once when they’re still a bit warm, and again after they’ve cooled completely for 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.
Snowball Cookies are my brother’s favorite holiday cookie and I can bet they’ll soon be a favorite of yours as well.
Snowball Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar sifted – for rolling cookies
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees 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 the powdered sugar until smooth and creamy. Add in vanilla extract and mix until combined.
- Mix in the flour, pecans and salt. Mixing until just combined.
- Roll about 1 tablespoon of dough (mine are a bit larger, see notes below) into balls and place on prepared baking sheet. The cookies can be placed quite close together since they do not spread during the baking process.
- Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes – taking care not to over bake. Allow cookies to cool on baking pan until you are able to comfortably hold them in your hands.
- Sift 1/3 cup powdered sugar into a medium bowl. While cookies are still warm, roll them in powdered sugar. Place cookies on cooling rack, once they have cooled completely, roll them in powdered sugar again.
Notes
– I used a medium OXO cookie scoop to form my snowballs.
– Yield will depend on the size that you roll your Snowball Cookies.
– Store cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze for up to one month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ok, ive read every review posted before mine..i pretty much followed the recipe to a t BUT, i only had salted butter so i just omitted the salt..and i have fibro so i used my food processor to do ALL the work…yays…i didn’t have any nuts so i added a block of white almond bark that i chopped super fine instead, i baked them for 13 mins, then i rolled them in the powdered suger…im still drooling over how yummy they turned out…gotta try ladies!
I truly forgot how much I loved these and well actually forgot the cookies altogether until I saw this post. I’m completely in the mood for a snowball fight now— meaning I’m making these and will fight anyone who tries to take them from me. :)
These were a staple in my house when I was growing up, and now I make them too. However, my mom came up with an ingenious holiday twist – subbing in crushed candy canes for the nuts! The candy canes tend to soften/melt during baking making their texture a delightfully chewy addition to the cookie. If you’re going to use crushed candy canes, I recommend parchment on the cookie sheets as the melted candy canes end up sticking like glue to your sheets otherwise – I learned from experience!
They look gorgeous! And the recipe is easy to make – perfect for the holidays.
I make these with walnuts–they’re a family tradition and a favorite of all. At Christmas I color them with red and green, and last Easter, my daughter convinced me to color them in spring pastels!
My German grandmother used to make these every Christmas. Even as she got older, she’d make them especially for me because she knew I loved them. I never got her recipe before she passed away, so thank you for this! I’m going to make some this weekend with my kids.
My grandma called them Christmas Crescents as she would shape them thus. No matter, the ingredients are the same and they are just as delicious no matter what shape they’re in :) I haven’t made these in years but I remember the texture and the melt-in-your-mouth buttery goodness. Can’t beat it for simplicity. Thanks for posting this as it’s brought back some fond memories of warm kitchens redolent with the aromas of family holiday baking sessions.
Cheers
Love this! They look so yummy…so happy to see so many cookies for the holidays!
I just made these in a cooking class I am taking but we called them Mexican Wedding Cookies. They are so delicious. I am making them for neighbors this Christmas season. When we made them in my class we rolled them in powdered sugar once they were cool enough to be handled but were still very warm. It created a nice glaze over the cookies. Then we rolled them in the sugar again once they were completely cooled and that is what gave our the powdered look. They melt in my mouth. :)
This is my favorite Christmas cookie! It is sometimes called Mexican Wedding Cookies in other places.