Vegan Snowball Cookies are festive little holiday cookies that are buttery, full of pecans and rolled in powdered sugar! Made in 1 bowl with 5 ingredients.
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Also known as Mexican Wedding Cookies and Russian Tea Cakes, these little vegan snowball cookies are one of my all time favorites, especially around the holidays.
They are basically a buttery, rich shortbread cookie ball that is coated in powdered sugar. I mean, what could be better?
Tips & SubstitutionsÂ
- Don’t make the cookies too big. A tablespoon size scoop is just right here.
- Don’t over or under cook the cookies. They are done when they look set and are lightly golden brown on the bottom.
- Gluten free? I haven’t tested it myself, but I bet they would work using a gluten free flour mix. Don’t try to sub almond or coconut flour, it just won’t work.
- Nut free? Feel free to leave out the nuts. You can also swap walnuts for the pecans if desired.
Want more vegan Christmas cookies?
- Vegan Ginger Cookies
- The Best Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Classic Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons
Vegan Snowball Cookies
Vegan Snowball Cookies are festive little holiday cookies that are buttery, full of pecans and rolled in powdered sugar! Made in 1 bowl with 5 ingredients.Â
Ingredients
- 1 cup vegan butter, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- With a hand mixer, cream together the vegan butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar. Beat in vanilla, then add the flour and pecans and beat on low speed until combined.Â
- Using a tablespoon or small cookie scoop, scoop out the cookie dough and roll into balls. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the cookies are set and the bottoms are slightly brown.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes. Place the 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar in a bowl. Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar, then place on a cooling rack, or back on the baking sheet.
- Once completely cooled, roll once more in powdered sugar. Store in a covered container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- For the vegan butter, I used Earth Balance brand. I'm sure another brand will work as well, such as Miyoko's or Melt.
- To freeze, bake the cookies but do not roll in powdered sugar. Freeze, then when ready to serve, thaw the cookies and roll in powdered sugar.
- Gluten free: Try using an all purpose gluten free mix. I haven't tried this myself, but it would likely work. Do not sub almond or coconut flour, it will not work.
- Nut free: If you have an allergy, you could make the cookies without any nuts at all. Walnuts work as well as pecans for a change.
Nutrition
Calories: 149kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 57mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 334IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @nora_cooks_vegan_ or tag #noracooks!
Just wondering if you have frozen the dough or frozen the cookies? Trying to get a jump start on Christmas 🙂
Hi Maury. The baked cookies freeze well, however, they won’t be as pretty because the powdered sugar will somewhat melt into the cookies. You can always re-roll them once thawed.
Nora,
Wasn’t sure if I could enjoy my childhood favorites after going vegan and oil free…
I subbed the 1c butter for the solid coconut fat, and used half einkorn flour and half almond flour and… seriously our new favorite!
They kept the shape and melty perfection!!!
Hi Ryanna. How fabulous! I love that you get to enjoy a childhood favorite again! Thanks for your great feedback and ideas, and enjoy the snowball cookies lots and lots!
I make these cookies every day for our small bakery and we always sell out they’re fantastic  Â
That’s so great, Mel! Thank you for sharing this with me! I appreciate your wonderful feedback!
What a pleasant surprise!!!!  I had never used vegan butter nor had I eaten anything with it until now.  There’s no difference from those traditional Mexican or Wedding tea cakes we always make at Christmas!!!!!  Super easy recipe too.  I did not have pecans so I used toasted almonds ground pretty fine.  So exited to have given this a whirl!!Â
I’m so happy you loved the cookies, Pam! Thank you for your wonderful review!
Made these for Christmas and the omnis gobbled them up. Here again today bc the S.O. Keeps asking me to make them. Gonna do a pistachio/cranberry today. Thanks for the great easy recipes!
Your combination sounds delicious! Thank you for your wonderful review, and enjoy the cookies!
I have a strange question, I adore these cookies and wanted to use the dough to make a nice crumbly crust layers for a dessert. Do you think this dough will bake through as a couple of ¼” thick 9″ rounds? Thanks!
I’m honestly not sure, but probably! So glad you adore the cookies. 🙂
If using gluten-free all purpose flour will it turn out good or do I need to use xantham gum with the gf flour?Â
I haven’t tried it so I’m not totally sure, but if you use a mix containing xantham gum you don’t need to add any.
I love these cookies! I make them every year for the holidays. They taste just like the non-vegan ones my family makes, maybe even better.Â
The only thing I always have a problem with is getting them to keep their shape. They flatten out a tiny bit in the oven and I’m not sure why. Maybe I need to refrigerate them?
Either way, these cookies are the best!
I made these with hemp seeds for my daughter who has a nut allergy. Works great!
Hi I made these but my balls didn’t stay in shape. They spread out like tile jumped cookies.
I used regular butter (I’m not vegan) so would I have needed to refrigerate them before putting them in the oven? If so for how long in the fridge?Â
They tasted amazing otherwise. Â
Sorry I mean like little cookiesÂ
Using real butter creates different results, it just works a bit differently in baking. You may need to refrigerate them before baking with real butter, but I’m honestly not sure.
Nora,
Love, I think you’ve mistaken the amount of flour, I am currently making this recipe and I had to double everything else, it should be 1 cup.
Thank you!
Hi there, no the flour amount is accurate, 2 cups. I wonder if you forgot to soften your vegan butter, which would make everything seem dry. Hope that helps.
These sound amazing! Could I substitute the nuts for dark DF chocolate chips and add a couple drops of peppermint oil?
I’ve never tried it but it sounds amazing, I’m sure it will work well. Enjoy!
Would adding a couple drops of  peppermint extract make these good? I could see these being really good peppermint meltaway cookies!
Yes, I’ve added a little peppermint extract before and they turned out great.
These turned out so well! They are very rich and sweet but the texture is perfect-crispy and light and soft at the same time. I had no problems with them falling apart. I was worried at first that the dough wouldn’t come together but it just took a lot of mixing (I did it by hand). No additional earth balance or liquid needed. I did half pecans and half walnuts.Â
Thank you for sharing your great review and comments! I’m so glad you loved the cookies, and that the dough turned out well for you! Happy holiday cooking!
can i use your vegan butter recipe in this snowball cookie recipe
Yes you can!
Incredible!!!! Made it exactly how it was written and turned out amazing. The cookie inside is so delicate and delicious, and my non-vegan family said it was the best cookie they’ve ever had – vegan or not. I did struggle to keep the powdered sugar powder-y when the cookies were completely cool, as it started melting a little when one cookie touched another (same when i put it on a plate, the powdered sugar coating the bottoms got a little melty). But that’s just a cosmetic thing, as it tasted amazing either way! The whole plate was gone in a day. Nora Cooks recipes are littering my kitchen countertops and nobody in my family is complaining! 🙂
Hi Alli! How fun! I’m glad the snowball cookies turned out great for you and everyone loved them! They really are a fun and yummy cookie! Thank you for sharing your most wonderful review and comments! Enjoy your journey through my recipes, and let me know if you have any questions! Happy cooking!
These vegan snowball cookies were amazing and our family thought this was better than the non-vegan version. You will not be disappointed with this recipe!
I’m glad your family loved the snowball cookies! Thanks for sharing your great review!
Will these work with oat flour.
Sorry, I don’t think they will work well with oat flour.
These were fantastic. My non-plantbased eating friends had no idea they were vegan.
Hi Renea. Thank you!
Made these for Christmas with gf flour and they were amazing! My family couldn’t even tell they were vegan and gluten free. I also can’t stop eating them, they’re so good!
Hi Chelsea! I’m glad you and your family enjoyed the cookies! Thank you.
These were great! I loved how quick it took to make them, and even though I only had 3/4 cups of butter and used applesauce for the rest 🙂Â
Perfect! Just as good as the ones with real butter but better because there’s no butter. Easy to make in the stand mixer. Thanks for another great recipe.
Cookies are rich and tasty.  I had to add an additional ¼ cup of Earth Balance butter because the cookie batter was too dry to form balls.
The extra did the trick. Â I used walnuts and it was all delicious. Â Thanks for the recipe. Happy holidays.
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the cookies!