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 & Substitutions
- 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.
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.
- 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!
Nora, happy holidays! I’d like to make these at 1.5 x the recipe, just enough for us and a work cookie swap. I can do the math but wonder if this is ok to do — I’m not a baker, yet the recipe seems pretty easy going. So for example, I’d use 1.5 C Earth Balance, 3 teas vanilla etc. etc. in making a 1.5 x quantity. Does this seem doable? Thank you!!
Jo Anna
It should work okay. Or you could just double it and have a few extra cookies on hand. 🙂
Amazing!
Thank you for your great review! Glad you loved the cookies!
Hey Nora I’ve been making these for a bit now. However I just made a batch that came out to crumbly what do you suggest for fixing this consistency?
Hi there, it sounds like either you started with butter that was too cold, or you accidentally added too much flour, which is quite easy to do. To remedy this now, you can add a tablespoon or so of plant milk until it’s not crumbly, just don’t add more than you need. Hope that helps!
Hi! I’m wondering about the nutritional information. What is the portion size? Thanks in advance!
I’ve been making these cooking for about 6 years every holiday. I make them for all my friends and family. They are always a hit and I love that all my friends can eat them regardless of diet. I even make them gluten free for a few friends. They are little drops of heaven.
How fun that you are making these cookies every year and sharing them! Thanks for your fabulous feedback and review!
Made the snowball cookies, my daughter loves these. Tried one and you don’t miss the eggs at all. Delicious.
Hi Diane. I’m glad your daughter loves the cookies! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
These and the red velvet crinkles are my favorite, They have been a staple in my home for the las couple of years. Thank You Nora for your great recipes. My non vegan family and friend always enjoy them.
You are so welcome! I’m so glad you and yours are enjoying my recipes! Thank you for sharing your wonderful comments!
Everyone I know thinks these are the best snowball cookies! They’re super easy to make and delicious! Thank you 🙂
My niece is allergic to nuts. Any rec on subbing for nuts or making this nut free? Thanks!
Hi Dipti. These cookies can be made nut free! Enjoy!
I’m not even exaggerating when I say I have made 100 of these cookies this month. Everyone I know loves having these for Christmas and I get requests for it from all of my friends. Usually I make these cookies and then using the same bowl I make a batch of Nora’s chocolate crinkle cookies to go with it.
Thanks Holly! These and the crinkle cookies are such staples for my holiday baking as well. They are both so pretty and everyone loves them.
I make these cookies every Christmas and they’re definitely a crowd pleaser among non-vegans. They’re easy to make and tasty!
Your recipes never disappoint! Truth be told, I’m too lazy to roll these balls; do you think this recipe would work as a bar style cookie and then sprinkle the powdered sugar on top and bottom?
Haha! It hasn’t been tested but I’m sure it would be fine if you pressed the cookie dough into a baking dish to make cookie bars instead of rolling individual balls. Let me know if it works for you!
Hi Nora
Wondering if the vegan butter is salted or not? I have unsalted and wondering if I should add a pinch of salt to enhance flavours? Thanks!
I always use salted vegan butter, as unsalted isn’t readily available everywhere. I would add perhaps 1/4 teaspoon of salt if you are using unsalted vegan butter. Hope you love the cookies!
I’d love to try this recipe but I’m allergic to nuts; any suggestions for what would be a good alternative that would work well for this recipe? Thanks!
There’s literally a nut-free note below the recipe.
I made these but they spread in the oven !! What did i do wrong please ? Do they need baking powder ? Thank u
Hi Tina. Baking powder is not required. Make sure your vegan butter is not too soft and melty, and make sure you are accurately measuring all of the ingredients. I hope this helps!
Would almonds or pistachios work for this recipe?
Has anyone tried using other nuts?
Thank you
Helen
Yes, you could use almonds or pistachios as long as they are ground up pretty finely. Thank you!
I am obsessed with these. I make them at least once a month so good!
That’s so great to hear! Thank you for the wonderful review!
These cookies are delicious & addicting! They pair perfect with a cup of coffee in the morning!!
My friend made these and they were DELICIOUS! I asked for the recipe, but I’m not vegan so I don’t feel the need to buy vegan butter, Has anyone tried to make these with regular butter? If so do they come out the same?
Thanks! <3
I’m not really sure how using real butter would work. Real butter works a bit differently in baking, and could create different results. You may need to refrigerate them before baking with real butter.
Nora, you have perfected literally every single recipe I have ever tried… and adding this to the list. I can’t say enough good. These literally melt in your mouth. I made mine a little too big I think but just kept in the oven an extra 2 mins!
Thanks for another favorite!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your encouraging words! It is great to know that you are loving my recipes! I appreciate you taking time to share your terrific feedback!
Hi I’m Archie an Aussie kid – I’m 12.
I made this recipe and maybe our vegan butter is different to yours. As, when I pulled it out of the oven 15 minutes later it was pancake flat. It was a very fluffy dough, so perhaps not enough flour? It seemed like the butter to sugar ratio wasn’t right. It’s hard to know when you’ve never made something like this before. I like the idea of the recipe so I was disappointed it didn’t work out.
Thanks anyway
Archie
Hey Archie! I’m also in Aus and I’ve made them twice using Nuttelex and they worked fine. Is that what you tried ? Jess
My daughter loved these! She said they were addicting and she couldn’t stop eating them. We’re even making some to put in our neighbor goody buckets!
These are some cookies that are easy to eat for sure! I’m glad you’re enjoying them and I bet your neighbors will love them! Thank you for sharing your fantastic feedback!
Absolute Gluten Free Perfection – I made these using Namaste Perfect Blend Gluten Free Flour and they were delicious. I had to cook them a few minutes longer, but nothing major. Couldn’t stop eating them. Yet another ‘Nora Cooks’ success!
Hi Heather. It’s great to know that the cookies turned out great with the gluten-free flour! They are so easy to eat! I’m glad that you love them! I appreciate you taking time to share your wonderful feedback
I also used the namaste gluten free flour and was absolutely PLEASED with the results! I feel that so often I struggle with loving the gluten free treats I make. I’d love to hear from anyone what Nora Cooks treats you love as gluten free!
These are the absolute hit of any holiday I make them for. “Off the CHAIN!!” is how my non-vegan kids described them. Making them for my daughter’s upcoming baby shower. These are amazingly delicious and surprisingly easy to make!
Thank you, Nora!!
Hi Helen. You are welcome! I’m so glad you and everyone are enjoying the cookies! Thank you for sharing your fabulous feedback!