These chocolate snowball cookies are a delightful slice of chocolate heaven! Just imagine sinking your teeth into a delicate, crumbly chocolate shortbread cookie, generously coated in a snowy layer of powdered sugar. They’re perfect for a winter evening by the fireplace or simply because you’re craving a little sweet indulgence!
Note: that links to products you find in this post are Amazon affiliate links which means I do make a small amount of money when you click and make purchases.
As winter's chill settles in and the festive spirit fills the air, there's no better time to whip up a batch of decadent treats that will warm your heart and delight your taste buds.
You're in for a real treat with these chocolate snowballs! These tasty confections not only look like miniature snowballs, but they also melt in your mouth, leaving behind a rich, chocolaty embrace that's perfect for any occasion.
Looking for more chocolate goodness to bake up this year? You're going to love these chocolate chip snowball cookies, chocolate covered blueberries, and chocolate dump cake!
Whether you're a seasoned baker or a newbie in the kitchen, there’s lots of tips and information to ensure your Chocolate Snowball Cookies turn out picture-perfect.
If that sounds amazing, then let’s get started! Dust off your apron, grab your favorite mixing bowl, and let's embark on a journey to create these delightful, chocolatey wonders.
Jump to:
What are Chocolate Snowball Cookies?
Chocolate snowball cookies are a chocolate version of the classic Mexican wedding cookies or Russian tea cakes. The cookies are light, delectable bite-sized cookies made with a chocolate-flavored buttery dough with the consistency of shortbread.
After baking, the cookies are rolled in powdered sugar giving them a snowy appearance and adding a touch more sweetness.
Snowball cookies with chocolate are a beloved treat, especially during the holiday season.
What makes my version of this recipe the absolute best chocolate snowball cookie recipe is they're made with doubled the amount the mini chocolate chips.
Through all the different versions I tested while creating this recipe, I found adding more chocolate chips the best way to give each cookie an extra pop of flavor while ensuring the cookies kept their signature crisp and light texture.
Why are They Called Snowball Cookies?
These round cookie bites are called "snowball" cookies because they get rolled in powdered sugar after baking making them little like little snowballs.
In addition to creating their snowy appearance, this coating of sugar also adds a more intense sweetness to the cookies.
Ingredients
These snowball cookies make the best chocolate Christmas cookies. Here's a look at the main ingredients you need to make them.
- Butter: Salt butter works best in this recipe, giving your cookies the perfect balance of salt. It's essential to use room temperature because it ensures a well-blended and smooth cookie dough.
- Powdered sugar: Works best for this chocolate shortbread cookie. It gives it a light and air texture and more easily mixes and lets into the butter. In a pinch you can use granulated sugar.
- Vanilla extract: For the best flavor use pure vanilla extract.
- Cocoa powder: Use a high quality cocoa powder for a rich chocolatey taste.
- Mini semi-sweet chocolate chips: I prefer using the mini-sized chips because the cookies are small. They more easily mix into the cookie dough allowing them to be more evenly spread throughout the cookie dough.
See the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and the quantities of each.
Substitutions
Here are some recommendations for swapping out the ingredients if needed.
- Powdered Sugar: While I find the powdered sugar to work best in the cookie dough you can swap it out for the cookie dough with granulated sugar instead. However, you will still need to have the powdered sugar for rolling the cookies as it's what gives them the traditional snowball look and granulated sugar won't stick to the cookie balls after baking.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: If you can't find mini chocolate chips you can use regular-sized chips but just be sure to chop it up very well so they are in small pieces.
- Unsalted Butter: If you prefer baking with unsalted butter it will work but you will need to add a touch more salt to your cookie dough.
Variations
Love the recipe but want to add some other ingredients to make them a bit different? Here are some of my recommendations.
- Gluten-free: If you need to make gluten-free chocolate snowball cookies use your favorite gluten-free flour blend instead of the regular all-purpose flour. I also recommend checking that your cocoa powder and powdered sugar are also gluten-free.
- Nuts: Walnuts, pecans, almonds, and pistachios can all be added for a unique twist to your snowball cookies. Make sure to chop them up into small pieces so blend into the dough very well.
- Coconut: Coconut also makes a nice addition to the cookie balls. I suggest using unsweetened shredded coconut for the best outcome.
- Flavoring: Experiment with different flavorings such as replacing the vanilla extract with almond extract of peppermint extract.
- Espresso: Coffee flavor really enhances the chocolate flavor so you can add a bit of espresso powder for extra depth of flavor.
- Use Different Chips: For sweeter cookies use milk chocolate chips or for more chocolate flavor without as much sweetness, dark chocolate chips work great.
How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Gather up all your ingredients, preheat your oven, and let's get started!
PRO TIP: Make sure to line your baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper to prevent your cookies from sticking. Even better, it makes cleanup a breeze.
- Cream together the room temperature butter with a half cup of powdered sugar using an electric mixer until they are light and fluffy.
- Add the cocoa powder and vanilla to the bowl and continue mixing until the batter is smooth and silky.
- Add the flour, salt and mini chocolate chips to the mixture. Mix into the sugar and butter mixture on low speed just until they are mixed together.
- Scoop the dough using a small cookie scoop or one tablespoon measuring spoon to measure the dough out small balls. Roll each one between your palms to create a smooth, round shape.
- Bake your chocolate cookies in a preheated oven until the bottoms are slightly darker and the top of the cookies are no longer shiny. Transfer the baked cookies to a cooling rack and allow them to cool for 15 minutes.
- Roll the slightly warm cookies in the remaining one cup of powdered sugar and allow the cookies to finish cooling. After fully cooked, roll them again for an extra “snowy” finish.
⭐️ Hint: I prefer to use a cookie scoop when making chocolate snowball cookies. It makes an easy way to scoop the dough creating evenly sized balls that will cook evenly in the oven.
Storage Tips
Store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will stay fresh for about a week.
If you need them to last longer you can freeze them. Place them in an airtight container or a freezer bag. I suggest using parchment paper between the layers to prevent the cookies from sticking together.
Serving Suggestions
- Great Anytime of Year. Chocolate snowball cookies are perfect for a variety of occasions and even though they're commonly associated with the Christmas, you can bake them any time of year when you simply want a sweet treat.
- Suitable for Different Occasions: They work great for holiday gatherings, cookie exchanges, birthday parties, and they make excellent cookie gifts especially when when packaged in decorative containers.
- Holiday Gatherings. They work great as bite-sized sweets served along with other easy to eat foods such as turkey meatballs and bacon wrapped Brussels sprouts.
- Cookie Exchanges and Gift-Giving. Cook them up with a variety of holiday cookies including eggnog cookies and polar bear paws to create a fun and festive presentation.
- Add a Fun Festive Holiday Beverage. Whether you want to sip on a rich and creamy glass of eggnog, a Dalgona coffee, or a festive cranberry mimosa or pomegranate mimosa they all make an enjoyable experience.
- Double Chocolate Decadence. Enjoy your cookies with an oat milk hot chocolate!
Expert Tips
Here's a review of my top tips for making sure your chocolate snowball cookies turn out great.
- Add the flour right at the end of mixing your cookies so you make sure you don't over mix the dough. Also, make sure you are adding the flour to the cookie batter as it makes it easier to mix than if done the other way around.
- Roll the cookies twice. You will do this once when the cookies are slightly cooled but still warm. Warm cookies helps the first coating of sugar stick to the cookies better. Then you roll them again after they're fully cooled to give the an extra “snowy” finish.
- Check that your oven temperature is accurate before baking. You don't need to do this every single time you bake but I do recommend periodically checking your oven temperature. It can change over time and every single oven may be slightly different. The easiest way to check it is to place an oven thermometer inside during heating.
- Prevent your cookies from sticking by using parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Recipe FAQs
How do I know when my chocolate snowball cookies are done cooking?
Chocolate cookies are tough to tell when they're done since you can't use a color change to evaluate the doneness. The best way to tell if the cookies are done is by looking at the cookie tops. The cookies are ready when they are opaque and no longer shiny.
I didn't encounter spread much when testing this recipe and snowball cookies are not known to spread very much during baking. However, However, if you encounter spreading issues, the best solution is to chill your dough before baking.
Yes, you can! There are a couple ways to approach it. You can make the dough and store it in a large ball in the fridge or freezer. The dough will last up to three days in the refrigerator or one month in the freezer. You can also flash freeze the cookie balls after rolling them out. Once they're frozen, transfer them to an airtight container or bag for storage.
If the dough is frozen, thaw it out in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a couple hours when you're ready to bake the cookies. If you have already shaped the dough into balls, I recommend transferring them to a baking sheet and then baking them in the oven once they're thawed.
More Cookie Recipes
Did you try this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card right below! You can also write a review in the comment section further down the page I always appreciate your feedback. And don’t forget to tag me @freshcoasteats in your photos on social media, I'd love to see your results!
Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking sheet by lining with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together the butter with ½ cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and continue mixing until smooth and silky.
- Reduce speed to low and add the flour, salt and mini chocolate just until mixed.
- Use a small cookie scoop (1 Tb) to measure out small balls and roll between palms to get a round shape.
- Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or until bottoms are slightly darker and top of the cookies are no longer shiny.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
- Roll warm cookies in remaining 1 cup powdered sugar and allow to finish cooling, then repeat this step again for extra “snowy” finish.
Notes
- Add the flour right at the end of mixing your cookies so you make sure you don't over mix the dough. Also, make sure you are adding the flour to the cookie batter as it makes it easier to mix than if done the other way around.
- Roll the cookies twice. You will do this once when the cookies are slightly cooled but still warm. Warm cookies helps the first coating of sugar stick to the cookies better. Then you roll them again after they're fully cooled to give the an extra “snowy” finish.
- Check that your oven temperature is accurate before baking. You don't need to do this every single time you bake but I do recommend periodically checking your oven temperature. It can change over time and every single oven may be slightly different. The easiest way to check it is to place an oven thermometer inside during heating.
- Prevent your cookies from sticking by using parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Leave a Reply