Christmas snowball cookies are traditional snowball cookies made without nuts. The cookies are loaded with mini chocolate chips and mint extract, colored bright green for visual effect, and coated in powdered sugar.
They’re great for Christmas time as a holiday treat and home-baked gift.
Our family loves easy desserts and baking, besides these Peppermint Snowball Cookies, our favorites lately have been Oreo Brownies, Peach Cobbler Cake and Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies. If you're looking for more Christmas themed recipes, be sure to try our No Chill Gingerbread Cookies.
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Ingredients
- Mint extract - This shouldn’t be mistaken for peppermint extract as the two provide different kinds of flavor. Peppermint has slightly stronger month content but both of these can be used in this recipe. Of course, you can easily use a different extract such as almond extract or vanilla extract instead.
- Food gel coloring - I’ve used green coloring for these little snowballs to match the mint flavor of these holiday cookies.
- Chocolate chips - Mini chocolate chips are the perfect size for these snowball cookies. You can also use white mini chocolate chips or chopped chocolate. Chocolate chips are a great way to make these buttery cookies suitable for anyone with a nut allergy.
- Powdered sugar - Powdered sugar provides a smooth cookie texture that will melt in your mouth. I’ve also used it to coat the snowball cookies.
- Butter - Unsalted real butter is best, although you can use salted butter and omit the salt in the recipe. Ensure the butter is softened for smooth mixing.
- Flour - This recipe calls for all-purpose flour. Use something like Bob’s Red Mill flour if you need this snowball cookies recipe to be gluten-free.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.
Instructions
In a large bowl beat the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
Mix in the flour, salt, and mint extract just until combined.
Add in the food coloring gel (about 3-5 drops, depending on the color intensity you want to achieve).
Stir in mini chocolate chips.
Scoop out one tablespoon of dough at a time and form into balls (about 1 to ½ tablespoon size). Place balls on the prepared cookie sheet.
Cover and refrigerate the dough for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Prepare a bowl with powdered sugar (you'll need about 1 cup). Set aside.
Bake cookies for 8 to 9 minutes. Let cool to touch. I like to take one cookie ball at a time and roll them again into a round shape while still warm. This is totally optional but gives them better round shape in the end.
You need to work fast because once they are cooled will be impossible to ''re-shape'' them as they will start to crumble.
While cookies are still warm gently dip them lightly in the powdered sugar and set aside. Let cookies cool completely.
Once cooled, roll them in powdered sugar again. A few green spots peeking through here and there. A double layer would be enough.
However, for even coating, repeat the process a couple of times.
Tips
- It’s important to dip these cookie balls into the powdered sugar when they are still warm so that the sugar sticks to them. Allow the cookies to cool slightly before dipping them again for the second and third time.
- Optional step for more round snowball cookies - Reshape the cookie balls quickly after they have finished baking and are cooled enough to touch. Don’t allow them to cool too much before you reshape them otherwise; they will crumble.
- I’ve found that gel food coloring works the best in baked treats like these peppermint snowball cookies.
- Use a small cookie scoop to create uniform-sized little balls or use a kitchen scale for very precise-sized snowball cookies 🙂
Freezing and Storing Instructions
Cookies can be stored in an airtight container on the kitchen counter for up to 3-4 days. After that, I would advise refrigerating them for about 5 days or so.
these cookies also freeze beautifully. Just thaw them before consumption.
Frequently Asked Questions
Snowball cookies date as far back as medieval times and are linked to Arab baking, which mostly consisted of ingredients such as butter, sugar, spices, and nuts.
These cookies are also referred to as Mexican wedding cakes even though they first originated outside of Mexico.
Your cookies could be falling apart if you haven’t measured the ingredients accurately and have added excess confectioners' sugar into the cookie dough, making them dry and crumbly.
A common reason your cookies may fall apart is the lack of chilling of the cookie dough. The cookie dough must chill in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes (preferably an hour) before the cookies are baked for best results.
This classic snowball cookie recipe results in shortbread cookies made of butter, sugar, flour, spices, and nuts. I’ve omitted the nuts in these easy snowball cookies and used mini chocolate chips instead, specifically to be served during the Christmas holiday season as a family favorite.
Yes, they are essentially the same cookie, just referred to by different names based on the region they enjoyed as a popular treat. In the United States, these cookies are a classic Christmas cookie favorite. These delicious cookies can be easily adapted to include nuts such as macadamia nuts or flavored with other ingredients such as peanut butter and then served whenever.
Thank you so much for reading about these peppermint snowball cookies (no nuts). Please feel free to comment with any questions you may have! I love reading your feedback.
Rita
Easy Baking Recipes
If you're looking for more Christmas-themed baking recipes you have to try our cream cheese Christmas Spritz Cookies, ultra soft Ricotta Cookies, moist Pumpkin Muffins, and Cranberry Bread next!
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Peppermint Snowball Cookies With Chocolate Chips (No Nuts)
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227g) unsalted butter softened
- ⅔ cup (65g) powdered sugar sifted
- 2 ¼ cup (270g) all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1-2 teaspoon mint or peppermint extract
- green food gel coloring
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- additional powdered sugar for coating about 1 cup
Instructions
- Beat the butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the flour, salt, and mint extract just until combined.
- Add in the food color (about 3-5 drops, depending on the color intensity you want to achieve)
- Stir in chocolate chips.
- Scoop out one tablespoon of dough at a time and form into a ball. Place balls on the prepared cookie sheet.
- Cover and refrigerate dough for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Bake cookies for 8 to 9 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.
- Line another large baking sheet with parchment paper and dust liberally with or until cool to touch. While cookies are still warm gently dip them in the powdered sugar and set aside. Let cookies cool completely.
- Roll the cookies in a large bowl with powdered sugar (1 cup of sugar), until coated completely or a few green spots peeking through here and there. For even coating, repeat the process a couple of times.
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Easy festive snowball cookies with chocolate chips and mint