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.
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!
Another perfect recipe. I used King Arthur’s 1:1 gluten free flour. Well written recipe as well.
Hi Rachel. Thank you for loving my recipes and for letting me know that the instructions are easy to understand! I’m thrilled that you loved the cookies! Wishing you happy cooking!
The cookies turned out great!! Used country crock plant based butter.
Thank you
I made these for my daughter, who it vegan. I also made the New York Times recipe (with butter). The recipes are pretty similar, and I’m telling you—you can’t tell the difference! They are soooo easy to make and taste great. They will be a Christmastime staple from now on.
Simple and delish
I make these wonderful cookies every year with great results. This year we purchased a new stove/oven so I was little worried about the convection bake feature. I baked them for the recommended time and left them for the full 16 minutes as the bottoms weren’t really brown and as they cooled they felt a little sticky with the first round of sugar. Fortunately they still taste great so I’m keeping them. My family isn’t very picky. My question is do you think the convection process is the culprit? Many thanks.
Yes, that sounds like an issue with the new oven. Ovens can vary; you may need to increase the heat a little bit (it’s possible the new oven doesn’t get as hot perhaps if they are coming out underbaked). I’m so glad you have enjoyed these before and hope you can nail them with the new oven as well!
I made these today and they are one of the fastest cookie recipes to put together I have ever completed. I will certainly be making these again in the future. They are already going quick, lol, so I may need to make another batch. I used Country Crock Plant Butter with Olive Oil sticks (2 in total for one cup) and they did not flatten out. They got a nice light brown bottom, remaining as balls that were crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Excellent!
I see that I can’t post photos but they flattened out!😳😩
Thank you
Oh no! What vegan butter did you use? Make sure to use vegan butter sticks, Earth Balance brand preferred but Country Crock works as well. I’ve had trouble with Miyoko’s lately – not sure if they changed their formula. And the butter needs to be just softened, but not at all melted. Other things to check – did you measure everything else accurately and not make any substitutions at all? I’ve never had this happen with this recipe.
I believe Miyokos was bought out and some of their recipes changed. I haven’t been happy with their products recently.
I agree it needs more dry ingredients. I added more flour and sugar because the dough was so wet I knew they would not hold shape. I used miyokos plant butter
Another amazing recipe! I made it for a vegan cookie swap and was loved by so many! I made it exactly as written!
Once again Nora, you came through for me! Needed a simple, yet special treat for my son for a Christmas activity at school and this is perfect. Just got done making them and they turned out perfect! We have a nut allergy so I put in some Christmas sprinkles for extra fun and it looks great! Thank you!! I’ll be making your peppermint bark for the next activity. It never ends, haha.
Hi Brittany. I’m so glad that you enjoyed making the snowball cookies recipe! They sound lovely with the Christmas sprinkles. Yes, this time of the year is lots of fun stuff to prepare! Thank you for sharing your stellar review, and I wish you lots of happy holiday cooking!
Easy and delicious–a great combination. Vegan granddaughter (and everyone else) will love these cookies!
I appreciate your awesome feedback, Wanda! Happy cooking!
Solid recipe. I have made these cookies every year for the last couple years without fail. I have also substituted the weight of the pecans with almond flour and chopped pistachios in two separate batches to try out different nut flavors and they turned out amazing. Will continue to make these every year, they never fail to impress vegans and non-vegans alike.
Nora, These cookies are one of the best cookie recipes I have ever tried. My whole family ate an entire batch and I was saving for Christmas! Will be making some more today. Thank you for such a great recipe. Love all of your recipes. Happy Holidays!
Your recipe for these cookies is AMAZING! I would never call myself a baker and when I make these everyone is so impressed. Every single one of your recipes has been a complete success and we have made dozens of them! Thank you for all of the work and care you put into them!