Chocolate Snowball Cookies Recipe – Running on Real Food

About this Recipe

These chocolate snowball cookies are a twist on classic snowballs, otherwise know as Mexican wedding cakes, Italian snowballs or Russian tea cakes.

They have a rich chocolate flavour and are coated in powdered sugar for a festive finish! Much like shortbread cookies, snowball cookies are made with butter, flour and confectioners sugar and are known for their buttery melt-in-your-mouth texture.

This version uses cocoa powder and chocolate chips for a double chocolate variation on the traditional recipe.

Add these yummy treats to your holiday baking list and watch them quickly disappear from the goodie tray. Consider making a double batch!

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Combine butter and sugar.

Beat the softened plant-based butter in mixing bowl until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar and beat for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add vanilla and cocoa powder.

Add the vanilla and cocoa powder to the bowl and continue beating until fully mixed in.

Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients.

Add the flour, salt and cornstarch and beat again to combine. Mix until you have a uniform dough. Add the mini chocolate chips and beat briefly to mix them in.

Once the dough is prepared, cover with a dish towel or wrap the bowl in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Quick Tip: The cookie dough can be prepared as much as a day in advance, wrapped well in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.

Step 6: Coat the cookies in icing sugar.

Once the cookies have cooled for 10 minutes, roll each in a bowl of icing sugar until coated on all sides. Transfer the coated cookies to a baking rack to finish cooling.

Quick Tip: Place the cooling rack over a baking pan to catch any excess powdered sugar.

After the cookies have fully cooled, you’ll notice some of the sugar will have melted into the still-warm cookies.

Roll them again in powdered sugar for a more solid coating. I rolled mine 2-3 times as needed until they well-coated.

Now they’re ready to enjoy! Serve right away or see the storage instructions for how to keep them.

Tips for Success

1. Chill the dough. For the best texture, shape and density, be sure to chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes. This helps the butter (fat) solidify so the cookies hold their shape. You can make the dough as much as 24 hours in advance if that works better for timing!
2. Roll the cookies in sugar 2-3 times. After the initial coating, let the cookies cool longer and then roll again, and again if you like, to get a solid and pretty finish.
3. Use a digital scale. I highly recommend using a digital kitchen scale for measuring your ingredients when baking. This will ensure accuracy and success with the recipe and makes it super easy too – just follow the listed weights, adding each ingredient directly to the bowl using the tare function.
4. Use room temperature butter. Use soft room temperature butter so it’s easy to cream and mixes easily with the other ingredients.
5. Do not over bake. Over baked snowballs will be dry and crumbly. Err on the side of under done if you’re unsure. They will firm up as they cool.

Possible Variations

• Chocolate Mint Snowballs: Add 1-2 tsp pure peppermint extract.
• Chocolate Orange Snowball Cookies: Add 1 tbsp orange zest.
• Chocolate Nut Snowballs: Omit the chocolate chips and use your choice of chopped nuts such as pecans, walnuts or almonds. These would be good with orange too.
• Chocolate Coated Snowballs: Once cooled, dip the snowballs in melted chocolate instead of coating in powdered sugar. Place the coated snowballs in the fridge until the chocolate sets.
• Chocolate Espresso Snowball Cookies: Add 2 tsp instant espresso powder to the dough.