Name: Easy Snowball Cookies Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 1 cup melted butter or coconut oil; 3/4 cup ground walnuts (or pecans/almonds); pinch of salt; 2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/2 tsp almond extract (optional but recommended); 1 cup powdered sugar for dusting

This Easy Snowball Cookies Recipe is the perfect festive holiday treat idea. The cookies are crazy delicious, require minimal ingredients, and can be easily made vegan!

A Quick Look

Recipe Name: Easy Snowball Cookies Recipe
Ready In: 25 minutes
Serves: 24
Main Ingredients: ¼ cup white whole wheat flour, powdered sugar, melted butter or coconut oil, ground walnuts, pinch of salt, vanilla extract, almond extract, powdered sugar for dusting
Why You'll Love It: This Easy Snowball Cookies Recipe is the perfect festive holiday treat idea. The cookies are crazy delicious, require minimal ingredients, and can be easily made vegan!

The best snowball cookie recipe

What better way to make the holidays a little brighter than with snowball cookies?! These treats are the perfect winter dessert or snack. They have a sort of shortbread taste which, when mixed with the walnuts, is absolutely to die for. They're sweet and cozy and - if you didn't know - look like little snowballs!

This is a very easy snowball cookie recipe, as the ingredients are minimal, and the total time required is 20 minutes or less. These are not a huge commitment! In a time crunch but craving something sweet? Whip these together in five minutes, stick 'em in the oven, and enjoy.

Like many of my cookie recipes, these treats are made using whole wheat flour, which makes them a bit healthier than what you'd find with traditional cookie recipes. You're going to love these little snowballs!

I love quick dessert recipes because I can eat them sooner and wanted to share my Chocolate Protein Mug Cake too in case you wanted something chocolate-y.

Ingredients needed to make this dessert recipe

For this recipe, only a handful of ingredients are required. Most are probably already in your pantry or refrigerator! The almond extract is optional, though I highly recommend it. It adds a great bit of flavor! Here are the ingredients you'll need:

Whole wheat flour
Melted butter or coconut oil
Ground walnuts (or pecans)
Salt
Vanilla extract
Almond extract (recommended)
Powdered sugar

Kitchen tools used to make these cookies

You'll only need four items to make this recipe. Before prepping your cookies, gather the following items:

Baking sheet
Parchment paper
Mixing bowl
Mixing spatula or spoon

How to make these easy cookies

These treats could not be easier to make. Less than five minutes of prep time? Sounds good to me! Everyone has five minutes to spare, especially when it results in the most delicious cookies ever!

To make this recipe, begin by preheating your oven to 350F. Line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then, mix the whole wheat flour, powdered sugar, butter, ground walnuts, and a pinch of salt. Just a pinch goes a long way, though you can feel free to use whatever amount you'd like! After all, everyone loves salty and sweet!

Next, stir in the vanilla and almond extract.

Spoon the dough into balls (about 1 tablespoon worth of dough per cookie), and place them on the baking sheet. Finally, bake for 12-14 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.

Let cool completely, and then dust with the remaining powdered sugar.

Ingredient substitution options

The fun thing about this recipe is that it can be customized to your own preferences. Here are some easy swaps that you can make (as well as one to avoid)!

Walnuts: Another great option to use in place of walnuts are pecans! However, any nut should be tasty. Feel free to use your favorite. If you don't wish to use nuts at all, try using mini chocolate chips! I've also heard of people adding a chocolate kiss to the middle!
Melted butter: If you don't wish to use regular butter, you can use vegan butter or coconut oil! If you opt for the latter, you'll have vegan snowball cookies. Yum!
Powdered sugar: Here is a substitute to avoid. I've been asked in the past whether granulated sugar can be used in place of powdered, and it simply cannot. The powdered sugar in this recipe is what gives these cookies their round, fluffy, snowball shape!

How to store easy snowball cookies

These treats can be stored in an airtight container and kept on the counter or in the pantry at room temperature. They will stay fresh for 2-3 days. If you'd like them to last an extra day or two, keep them refrigerated.

Here are some more cookie recipes from Erin Lives Whole

If you loved this dessert, you'll also love my other cookie recipes! Check out these sweet treat ideas:

Erin Antoniak