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These chocolate snowball cookies are adapted from my mom’s Mexican wedding cookies that she makes every year for the holidays. This chocolate version with chocolate chips is irresistibly fudgy, rolled in snowy powdered sugar like the original. Feel free to make yours with nuts if you prefer!
If you’re looking for more easy holiday cookie recipes, try these chocolate crinkle cookies and soft double chocolate chip cookies, next. You also can’t go wrong with classic frosted sugar cookies!
Table of Contents
My mom always made Mexican wedding cookies at Christmas every year. Also called Russian tea cakes, butterballs, or snowball cookies, they’re traditionally made from smooth balls of cookie dough filled with crushed pecans or walnuts, rolled in powdered sugar. I’ve never been a fan of desserts with nuts, however. So, I improvised! These chocolate snowball cookies are rich and fudgy cookies filled with chocolate chips instead. They’re super quick to make and they look just as perfect on Christmas cookie platters.
Why I Love These Chocolate Snowball Cookies
- A twist on a classic. Mexican wedding cookies are a Christmas staple in our house, and I love these chocolate cookies made without nuts. There’s cocoa powder in the dough and melty chocolate chips throughout. They’re also rolled in powdered sugar like the original recipe, for that signature festive, wintry appearance.
- Nut-free. If you also prefer desserts without nuts, or if you’re catering to a nut allergy, these chocolate snowball cookies are perfect. And if you’d rather make them with nuts, that’s more than fine, too.
- Easy to make. These chocolate snowball cookies use a simple dough and they’re ready for the oven in under 10 minutes, no chilling needed. They’re great for holiday parties and cookie trays.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Whether you know them as snowballs, teacakes, or wedding cookies, the dough for these cookies is super simple. Once the baked cookies are rolled in powdered sugar, they look just like little snowballs! Below are some notes on the ingredients, and you’ll find a printable list in the recipe card below the post.
- Butter – Salted or unsalted.
- Powdered Sugar – Also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar, this is key to these cookies’ “snowy” appearance. You’ll need powdered sugar to sweeten the cookie dough, and to roll the cookies in after baking.
- Cocoa Powder – I flavor these chocolate snowball cookies with natural, unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Vanilla – Make sure it’s pure vanilla extract and not the artificial kind.
- Flour and Salt – Your basic dry ingredients. All-purpose flour works perfectly here.
- Chocolate Chips – Nuts are the traditional choice for snowball cookies, but I make mine nut-free with chocolate chips. You can use any kind of chocolate chips you’d like, whether that’s semisweet, dark, or milk chocolate, either regular or mini-sized.
Where’s the Leavening?
If you’re looking at the ingredients and wondering, “Where’s the baking soda or baking powder?”, don’t worry. This snowball cookie recipe leaves out the leavening on purpose. It allows the cookies to hold their shape so that they stay in perfect little balls.
How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies
These chocolate snowballs are actually so fun and quick to make. I feel like I should warn you, though, that they’re impossible to resist once they’re ready to eat! Follow the steps below to make perfect cocoa snowball cookies. Scroll down to the recipe card for the printable instructions.
- Make the cookie dough. Begin by creaming butter with ½ cup of powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and vanilla. Mix in the flour and salt to form the dough. Lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.
- Bake. Portion and roll the dough into small balls (about 1 tablespoon in size), and arrange them on a baking sheet. Bake the cookies at 350ºF for 10 minutes. Afterward, let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for another 10 minutes until they’re cooled enough to handle.
- Roll the cookies in sugar. Roll the warm cookies in the remaining powdered sugar. Place the coated cookies on a wire rack and leave them to cool. If you’d like, you can roll them in sugar a second time after they’ve cooled completely.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- If you can, use mini chocolate chips. This way you’ll get more chocolate in each bite!
- Don’t overbake. Snowball cookies are done baking when they lose their glossiness and the tops look dry. Be careful not to leave them in the oven too long, otherwise the cookies will be dry and crumbly.
- For a deeper chocolate flavor, swap unsweetened cocoa powder for Dutch-processed cocoa powder. The cookies will come out darker and a bit fudgier.
- Make them Christmassy. Substitute chocolate chips with red and green M&Ms or crushed peppermint candy to make extra-festive Christmas snowball cookies.
- Dip them in chocolate. Instead of rolling the baked cookies in powdered sugar, dip them in melted chocolate for a treat that’s more like a truffle!
How to Store Chocolate Snowballs
- On the counter. Store the chocolate cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. If you’re stacking the cookies, I recommend placing a sheet of parchment paper between the layers to keep them from sticking.
- Freeze. If you’re planning on freezing these chocolate snowball cookies, don’t roll them in powdered sugar. Instead, bake the cookies as directed, cool them completely, and then pre-freeze them on a baking sheet. Transfer the frozen cookies to a freezer bag and keep them frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies at room temperature and then roll them in sugar as usual.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup powdered sugar, divided
- ¼ cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup mini chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350º F.
- Cream together butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, cocoa powder and vanilla extract until it is smooth and creamy.
- Add in the flour and salt and mix until it forms a dough. Stir in the chocolate chips to combine.
- Scoop about 1 Tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball. Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until set and looks dry on top.
- Remove from the oven and cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes until you can handle them.
- Roll each cookie through the remaining ½ cup of powdered sugar. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. Can roll through the powdered sugar a second time after they have cooled if desired.
Notes
- You can use chopped nuts in place of chocolate chips if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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