Adorable, easy and delicious, this Snowball Cookie Recipe is the perfect Christmas treat to make with kids. These festive snowball cookies use sprinkles and white chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chips, instead of nuts. Everyone loves this holiday treat!
Snowball Cookie Recipe
Do you have your holiday baking all planned out yet? These easy snowball cookies make a great addition to any cookie tray. With creamy white chocolate chips baked into a buttery cookie, Snowball Cookies are a hit with kids and grown-ups alike.
These cookies only require a handful of ingredients to make, which makes them an easy option for young bakers, with supervision of course. They are like a buttery shortbread, not soft and chewy, but not hard and crunchy. They have their own unique texture which stands out from other Christmas cookies.
Snowball Cookies Without Nuts
Snowball cookies are often made with nuts. I love a good walnut snowball cookie or a pecan snowball cookie but these days you just never know who might have nut allergies.
When I’m bringing cookies to a party, I love having nut free options so that everyone can enjoy the treats. These snowball cookies are made with white chocolate chips and sprinkles, or mini chocolate chips, instead of nuts.
Use red and green sprinkles to keep things extra jolly!
Biting into these rich, shortbread like butter cookies flecked with sprinkles is sure to put a smile on your face. Bring Snowball Cookies to all of your holiday parties and get-togethers and watch how fast they disappear.
Can I add nuts to snowball cookies?
If you want to turn these into a more traditional snowball cookie, feel free! Just add half a cup of your favorite chopped nuts in with the dry ingredients. Walnuts and pecans both work well.
You can turn these into Peppermint Snowball Cookies by using peppermint flavored sprinkles or stirring crushed peppermint bits in with the sprinkles. Have fun making the snowball cookies your own!
Christmas Cookies
Christmas baking season is just around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited. Every year, I look forward to baking batches of Soft Gingerbread Cookies, Sugar Cookies and Hot Chocolate Cookies to share.
This snowball cookie recipe has been a favorite in my family for years. Here’s my daughter making them about ten years ago, they are her all time favorite cookie. She’s currently looking over college acceptances and picking where to spend her next four years. Time flies!
After you make these snowball cookies, you can “warm up” so to speak with some Hot Chocolate Cookies. For decorating fun with kids, don’t forget to bake some Gingerbread Men this year, too. Don’t forget to save some for Santa!
Easy Snowball Cookies
This cookie recipe comes together quickly and easily. It’s a great one for kids to help with. Here is a quick run through the ingredients and recipe steps. Remember, the full printable recipe with measurements and detailed instructions is at the end of the post.
Ingredients At A Glance
- Butter – Salted or unsalted, your preference, but this is not one where I’d sub margarine since the butter flavor is one of the stars of the show.
- Vanilla – Because these cookies have so few ingredients, the quality of ingredients can really impact the result. If possible, pure vanilla extract is best. Please note the recipe calls for a TABLESPOON of vanilla, that is not a typo. Almond extract would also work, though will give a very different flavor.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioners sugar. If you don’t have any on hand, here’s how you can make your own. It’s a carrot cake post, but in it I show you how to make your own powdered sugar.
- All-Purpose Flour – Make sure you measure by spooning your flour into the measuring cup then leveling off. Never measure your flour by scooping it with the measuring cup, you’ll end up with extra flour that can impact the recipe.
- Salt – I typically use a kosher salt.
- White Chocolate Chips And/Or Chocolate Chips – Honestly, ANY chocolate chips will work! These candy chips are super fun, and I am obsessed with these new Yummallo Rainbow Chips. They are PERFECT for snowballs.
- Sprinkles – Optional, but fun and colorful! Sweets & Treats Boutique makes my favorite sprinkles.
How to Make Snowball Cookies
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Beat butter and sugar with mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add in vanilla, mix well. Add in salt and flour, a little at a time, mixing until well combined. Dough will be thick.
3. Fold in the chocolate chips and sprinkles.
4. Using a small cookie scoop, drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets, leaving about 2” between each cookie.
5. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until just starting to lightly brown.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for at least 10 minutes.
Recipe Notes
Christmas Snowball Cookies
I used sprinkles in Christmas colors to keep with the holiday theme. Feel free to use any sprinkle colors you like and have fun choosing your colors. Blue sprinkles are lovely in these.
Snowball Chocolate Chip Cookies
For this batch I divided my dough, and added sprinkles to half, but added mini chocolate chips to the other half. A half cup of chocolate chips mixed in works perfectly.
Snowball Cookies No Nuts
This is a snowball cookie recipe with no nuts. If you want a nutty snowball cookie, add a half cup of chopped pecans or walnuts to the dough along with the dry ingredients.
Decorating Snowball Cookies
No need! These cookies look so pretty on a plate without requiring any frosting or decorating (or mess). You can sprinkle with powdered sugar if you like, but it’s not necessary.
More Great Christmas Cookie Recipes
Don’t miss my favorite Christmas Cookie Recipes! You’ll find over 50 of my tried and true cookie recipes that are perfect for Christmas baking. Here are some of my favorites…
- Hot Chocolate Cookies
- Eggnog Cookies
- Candy Cane Cookies
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
- Soft Sugar Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Gingerbread Man Cookies
Snowball Cookie Recipe
Snowball Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups softened butter salted or unsalted
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2-1 cup sprinkles in colors of your choice optional
- 1 cup mini chocolate chips optional
- powdered sugar optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Beat butter and sugar with mixer until smooth and fluffy. Add in vanilla, mix well. Add in salt and flour, mixing until well combined. Mix in white chocolate chips, and if using add in either sprinkles and/or mini chocolate chips. Dough will be thick.
- Using a small cookie scoop, drop cookie dough onto cookie sheets, leaving about 2″ between each cookie.
- Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until just starting to lightly brown.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on baking sheets for at least 10 minutes. If desired dust with powdered sugar.
- Store in airtight containers.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Kathleen says
These look great, can’t wait to try them! Do they freeze well?
Christi Johnstone says
Honestly this is probably not at the top of my list for cookies to freeze. I haven’t tried it and they might be totally fine, but my concern is they could become a bit crumbly. This is hands down the fastest cookie recipe I have, like start to finish you could have them almost done in 30 minutes. If anything I’d suggest a few days in the fridge if you must make them in advance. Hope that helps!
Nancy says
I can’t wait to make these. Will the recipe still work if I omit the white chocolate and use only the sprinkles as the add in?
Christi Johnstone says
Yes, it will! Do note this is not an overly sweet cookie on it’s own, more of a butter cookie. So the white chips do add sweetness, but by no means are they required as long as a cookie that’s a bit more buttery than sweet works for you. It’ll still be sweet, just a touch less so.
Alivia says
How long do they stay fresh in the fridge??
Christi Johnstone says
I’ve never kept them in the fridge so I can’t say. We have enjoyed them stored at room temp in a sealed container for about a week. As with any other cookie they are at their best in those first few days.
Kyla says
Can dough be refrigerated prior to baking? I wanted to make dough night before and bake next morning.
Christi Johnstone says
Kyla, it would likely dry out a bit. Honestly this dough takes a whopping five minutes to make, just make it when you are ready to bake it, it’s truly one of the fastest, easiest cookies you could possibly make. Enjoy!
Fran says
The recipe calls for butter. Can u use oleo or doe it have to be real butter
Christi Johnstone says
Fran, I’ve never used oleo so I can’t speak to it’s use. That said since this recipe has very few ingredients, the butter flavor is very prominent, so I’d be inclined to stick with butter on this one.
Sheila says
Hi do you think could I sub gluten free flour with these?
Christi Johnstone says
Shelia, I’m not familiar with gluten free flours so I can’t speak to the results.
Jenny says
I shape them in form of crescent!!!! They are also called Italian or Mexican Wedding cakes
Penny says
Just found the recipe and going to make them hope they taste as great as they look
Martha Torres says
Hi. I made these cookies last year! I couldnt find the recipe til now! Everyone thought i purchased them at a bakery!! They truly taste like the butter cookies at a bakery. Recipe says salted or unsalted butter then asks for 1/2 ts salt. I always use unsalted butter but i have salted on hand. Should i still add the 1/2 ts salt?? Will they come out salty??
Christi Johnstone says
Martha, the salt is going to be you call. My tastebuds are such that I have never noticed an ounce of difference in the taste of salted vs unsalted butter, and personally add more salt than called for to almost every single recipe – so my tastebuds always think things need more salt. However not everyone feels the same. I guess if in doubt, skip the salt, and if you feel like it was noticeable, add it in next time.
M Anita T says
Omg! These cookies are DELICIOUS! I didn’t have any white chocolate chips, but I used 1cup of sprinkles, multi colored. Tasted like I bought them from a bakery…buttery rich! I didn’t take a picture….I took them to a friend’s Christmas party, and they didn’t last very long! These definitely will be a star recipe for cookies in my book! Thank you for the recipe. Merry Christmas!
Christi Johnstone says
I’m so glad you liked them! They are my oldest daughter’s ALL TIME FAVORITE! SHe’s already asked me like three times this weekend when we are going to make them!
Carolyn M Vollmer says
I think these look lovely and adore the idea of adding crushed peppermint bits