The short answer: Snowball cookies take 6 pantry ingredients and about 35 minutes. Beat 1 cup of softened butter with ½ cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla, mix in 2¼ cups of flour, ¼ teaspoon of salt and ¾ cup of finely chopped pecans, roll 1-inch balls and bake at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Roll them in powdered sugar while warm, then again once cool.
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You may know them as Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies. They're the same buttery, melt-in-your-mouth cookie, and below are the exact amounts, swaps, fixes and storage tips.
I love the small details of each season, and a plate of these on the counter looks like the first snow of December.
Snowball cookies ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted butter, softened | 1 cup (2 sticks) | The main flavor; soft but still cool to the touch |
| Powdered sugar (in dough) | ½ cup | Keeps the inside tender and fine |
| Vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon | Rounds out the butter flavor |
| All-purpose flour | 2¼ cups | Spoon it into the cup and level it |
| Salt | ¼ teaspoon | Balances the sugar coating |
| Pecans or walnuts, finely chopped | ¾ cup | Toast them first for deeper flavor |
| Powdered sugar (for rolling) | About 1 cup | For the two coats |
How to make snowball cookies, step by step
- Heat the oven. Set it to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
- Cream the butter. Beat the butter, ½ cup powdered sugar and vanilla for about 2 minutes, until pale and fluffy.
- Add the dry ingredients. Mix in the flour and salt on low speed until just combined. Stir in the nuts by hand.
- Shape. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and set them 1 inch apart. If the kitchen is warm, chill the tray for 30 minutes.
- Bake. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. The bottoms should be light golden, while the tops stay pale.
- First roll. Let them cool for 5 minutes, then roll each one gently in powdered sugar.
- Second roll. When they're completely cool, roll them again for the snowy finish.
Raw dough is tempting, but skip tasting it. The FDA's guide to handling flour safely explains that flour is a raw ingredient that hasn't been treated to kill germs.
Russian tea cakes vs. Mexican wedding cookies vs. snowballs
| Name | Usual nut | Where you'll hear it |
|---|---|---|
| Snowball cookies | Pecans or walnuts | Common US holiday name |
| Russian tea cakes | Walnuts or pecans | Older American cookbooks and church cookbooks |
| Mexican wedding cookies | Pecans or almonds | Weddings and celebrations; related to polvorones |
| Butterballs | Any nut | Family recipe cards in many regions |
The method is the same for all four. Pick the name your family uses and the nut you like best.
Flavor variations
- Almond snowballs: use finely chopped almonds and swap half the vanilla for almond extract.
- Chocolate chip snowballs: replace the nuts with ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips.
- Lemon snowballs: leave out the nuts, add 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and roll in powdered sugar mixed with a little zest.
- Cinnamon snowballs: add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon to the dough and to the rolling sugar.
- Nut-free snowballs: skip the nuts and add 2 extra tablespoons of flour. The FDA's food allergy overview lists tree nuts, wheat and milk among the major allergens, so label your tins.
Fixes for common snowball cookie problems
- Flat cookies: the butter was too warm. Chill the shaped dough before baking.
- Crumbly dough that won't hold together: too much flour. Knead in a tablespoon of soft butter.
- Patchy sugar coat: you skipped the second roll, or rolled them while too hot. Wait 5 minutes, roll, then roll again cold.
- Brown tops: the oven runs hot or the tray sat too high. Bake on the middle rack and check at 10 minutes.
- Gritty texture: granulated sugar slipped in. Use powdered sugar both in the dough and for rolling.
Make ahead, storage and gifting
| Stage | How long | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Dough in the fridge | Up to 3 days | Wrap tightly; let it soften 10 minutes before rolling |
| Baked, room temperature | About 1 week | Airtight tin with parchment between layers |
| Baked, frozen | Up to 3 months | Freeze after the first roll; roll again after thawing |
Snowballs are sturdy enough for gift boxes. Set them in mini paper cups so the sugar doesn't rub off on their neighbors. Pair them with thumbprint cookies and spritz cookies for a mixed tray. For more ideas, see our Christmas cookies list and how to pack a Christmas cookie box.
Keep your cookie recipes and gift budget in one place
Holiday baking adds up fast once you count butter, nuts, tins and postage. A simple plan keeps it fun.
- Family Recipe Binder, $6.99. Printable recipe pages to save this snowball cookies recipe, your nut swaps and the yield.
- Christmas Budget & Gift Planner, $4.99. List everyone getting cookies and track the real cost per tin.
- Holiday Season Bundle, $15.99 (regularly $25.94 for the six items bought separately). The gift planner plus the Meal Planner & Grocery List, a cleaning schedule and savings trackers.
Browse all our Printables or the Holiday shop. The free Holiday Budget Starter Kit is 3 US Letter pages, emailed to you after you join the list.
Frequently asked questions
What are snowball cookies? Snowball cookies are small, round butter cookies made with finely chopped nuts and rolled in powdered sugar twice, so they look like snowballs. They're crumbly, tender and only lightly sweet inside.
Are snowball cookies the same as Russian tea cakes and Mexican wedding cookies? Yes, snowball cookies, Russian tea cakes and Mexican wedding cookies are essentially the same cookie. The names change by region and family, and the nut changes too: pecans, walnuts or almonds all work.
Why are my snowball cookies flat? Snowball cookies spread flat when the butter is too soft or the dough is warm. Chill the shaped balls for 30 minutes before baking, and measure the flour by spooning it into the cup and leveling it off.
Why won't the powdered sugar stick to my snowball cookies? Powdered sugar sticks best when you roll the cookies twice. Roll them while still warm so the first coat melts on slightly, then roll again once they're completely cool for the thick white finish.
Can I make snowball cookies without nuts? Yes, leave the nuts out and add 2 extra tablespoons of flour, or swap in ¾ cup of mini chocolate chips or finely crushed pretzels. Check every add-in label if you're baking for someone with a nut allergy.
How long do snowball cookies last? Snowball cookies last about 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature. Frozen before the final sugar roll, they keep for up to 3 months; roll them again after thawing.
Can I freeze snowball cookie dough? Yes, shape the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray, then bag them for up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes to the baking time.
How many snowball cookies does one batch make? One batch makes about 4 dozen 1-inch snowball cookies. That's enough to fill 6 small gift tins of 8 cookies each, or to share at a cookie exchange.
How do I keep track of my snowball cookies recipe and holiday baking costs? You can keep track of your snowball cookies recipe in the Family Recipe Binder from HomeBase Paper Co. ($6.99), which saves the recipe and its variations on printable recipe pages. Pair it with the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99) to track what each batch of cookie gifts costs.
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