Chocolate Snowball Cookies

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Chocolate snowball cookies are easy to make with 8 ingredients. Chocolate snowballs a fun and festive holiday treat for chocolate lovers.

Chocolate Snowball Cookies in a serving dish, one has a bite taken out of it so you can see the inside


Snowball cookies are one of the most nostalgic Christmas cookies for me personally. My mom made them every year and I always have to eat at least one during the holiday season.

Well, I took a good thing and made it even better by creating these Chocolate Snowball Cookies! Sure, pecan snowballs are good – but rich chocolatey snowballs are even better.

This chocolate snowball cookie recipe is easy to make with 8 ingredients. They’re a fun and festive holiday treat for chocolate lovers.

9 Chocolate Snowball Cookies on a serving plate

Chocolate Snowballs: Ingredients & Substituitons

  • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter or vegan butter are good substitutes for salted butter.
  • Powdered Sugar. If you’d like to make your own powdered sugar with coconut sugar, try this paleo powdered sugar.
  • Cocoa Powder. For a darker variety use dark cocoa powder.
  • All-purpose flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these chocolate snowball cookies! You can use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour for a gluten-free version.
  • Mini chocolate chips. I prefer mini chips because then you get bursts of chocolate in every bite, however you can use regular chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
overhead view of the labeled ingredients in this Chocolate Snowball Cookies recipe

How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies

This snowball cookies comes together in a snap with minimal ingredients. Let’s walk through how to make chocolate snowballs, and don’t forget to watch the video.

Begin by combining the dry ingredients in a small bowl.

two photos showing How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies - combining dry ingredients

Then, in the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer), beat butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy (about 1 minute).

two photos showing How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies - beating butter, vanilla and powdered sugar

Next, add the dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed, slowly increasing to medium-high speed and beat until the mixture forms large crumbs and easily sticks together when pinched (about 1 minute).

two photos showing How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies - combining dry and wet ingredients

Then, add the chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.

Chill the Dough

Transfer the finished dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight. This ensures the chocolate snowball cookies will stay round and not spread.

two photos showing How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies - adding mini chocolate chips to the dough

Bake

Towards the end of the chilling time, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator, measure 1 Tablespoon portions and roll each one into a ball.

Place the dough balls evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets about 1” apart

Chocolate Snowball cookie dough on a baking sheet before baking

Then, bake the chocolate snowball cookies in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned and tops are set. The dough should not spread, it should remain a ball shape.

Remove the chocolate snowball cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes.

Chocolate Snowball cookies on a baking sheet after baking

Roll in Powdered Sugar

Transfer the chocolate snowballs to a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 additional minutes.

After 10 minutes, place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and coat each cookie in powdered sugar while they are slightly warm, then return them to the cooling rack to cool completely, then enjoy.

two photos showing How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies - rolling baked cookies in powdered sugar

Store/Freeze Baked Cookies

Store any baked chocolate snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

9 Chocolate Snowball Cookies on a serving dish

Freeze Dough

  1. Portion out the dough and roll it into balls.
  2. Then place the rolled dough balls on a baking sheet and flash-freeze them until hardened.
  3. Once hardened, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container until you’re ready to bake.
  4. To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions. 
overhead photo of Chocolate Snowball Cookies, one has a bite taken out of it so you can see the inside of the cookie

Chocolate Snowballs Recipe FAQs

Can I double this recipe?

Absolutely, this recipe doubles very well. You can click on the “2X” button in the recipe card for ingredient measurements of a double recipe.

Why do my snowball cookies go flat?

These chocolate snowball cookies should not flatten. If they do it’s likely the dough wasn’t chilled long enough and the ingredients were too warm to begin with so they spread. It’s also possible you accidentally measured the ingredients incorrectly!

How long do chocolate snowball cookies last?

They last for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

How do you get powdered sugar to stick to cookies?

Make sure to roll the chocolate snowball cookies in powdered sugar after they have cooled slightly but are still warm. The warmth from the cookie helps bind the powder sugar to the outside.

Is icing sugar same as powdered sugar?

Yes, it is called confectioner’s sugar, powdered sugar and icing sugar and it’s all the same product.

Chocolate Snowball Cookies in a serving dish, one has a bite taken out of it so you can see the inside

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Chocolate Snowball Cookies

Laura
Chocolate snowball cookies are easy to make with 8 ingredients. Chocolate snowballs a fun and festive holiday treat for chocolate lovers.
5 from 11 votes
Course cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 cookies
Calories 133
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Chilling1 hour
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients 
 

Instructions 

Make the Dough

  • In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder and sea salt, set aside.
  • In the bowl of a standing mixer, (or in a large bowl with a handheld mixer) beat butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla until fluffy (about 1 minute).
  • Add dry ingredient mixture and beat on low speed. Slowly increase to medium-high speed and beat until the mixture forms large crumbs and easily sticks together when pinched (about 1 minute).
  • Add chocolate chips and stir until evenly distributed.
  • Transfer dough to an airtight container and chill for at least 1 hour, or overnight.

Bake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Remove dough from the refrigerator, measure 1 TBS portions of dough and roll each one into a ball. Should make 15 cookies.
  • Place the dough balls evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets about 1” apart.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 8-9 minutes, or until the bottoms are lightly browned and tops are set. The dough should not spread, it should remain a ball shape.
  • Remove cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking pan for 5 minutes.

Roll in Powdered Sugar

  • Transfer cookies to a wire cooling rack to cool for 10 additional minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, place powdered sugar in a shallow bowl and coat each cookie in powdered sugar while they are slightly warm, then return them to the cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Enjoy!

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions
  • Salted Butter. Unsalted butter or vegan butter are good substitutes for salted butter.
  • Powdered Sugar. If you’d like to make your own powdered sugar with coconut sugar, try this paleo powdered sugar.
  • Cocoa Powder. For a darker variety use dark cocoa powder.
  • All-purpose flour. I recommend using an unbleached, all-purpose flour to make these chocolate snowball cookies! You can use a 1:1 all-purpose gluten-free baking flour for a gluten-free version.
  • Mini chocolate chips. I prefer mini chips because then you get bursts of chocolate in every bite, however you can use regular chocolate chips or chopped chocolate.
Store/Freeze Baked Cookies
Store any baked chocolate snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Freeze the Dough
  1. Portion out the dough and roll it into balls.
  2. Then place the rolled dough balls on a baking sheet and flash-freeze them until hardened.
  3. Once hardened, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container until you’re ready to bake.
  4. To bake: remove the dough from the freezer and let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for 2 hours before baking according to the recipe instructions. 
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1Cookie | Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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9 Comments

  1. Hi ! please, I need a Christmas recipe , Cookies , cake but not butter only oil, I’m allergic to butter and regular milk !

    Thank you !!! 🙂

    1. You can use the mykanos vegan butter. It is a perfect substitution and I use it frequently in my baking for friends who don’t do dairy

  2. 5 stars
    These are delicious! I was a bit concerned that I had undercooked them as they came out looking very “doughy”, but I trusted they’d set up as they cooled and they did just that. I used unsweetened chopped chocolate instead of chocolate chips as it was what I had on hand, and I thought they were wonderfully rich without being too sweet. Thanks for the recipe!