These tender Chai Snowball Cookies are coated in a wonderful chai-spiced mix, making them a great little treat with a cup of coffee or tea or on a holiday cookie tray!
Chai Spice Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies! Also known as Snowdrops, Mexican Wedding Cookies, and Russian Tea Cookies. I mean, how many names can one cookie have??! I call them snowballs because…well, they look like snowballs. And they are one of my all-time weaknesses when it comes to homemade cookies.
This recipe was actually 1 of 4 that I tested for Jen when she was writing her cookbook The Gourmet Kitchen. I fell in love immediately and have since made them several more times. The chai-spiced coating really sets them apart. If you love the taste of a chai latte, you’ll love the flavor of these cookies, too. And if not, you can simply omit it!
Ingredients Needed
This snowball cookie recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Unsalted butter – I prefer to use unsalted butter and add in some salt separately to control the amount better. Make sure it’s room temperature so it blends properly.
- Powdered sugar – This is used in the dough and also for the exterior coating. This creates a softer more tender crumb than granulated sugar.
- Vanilla – For added flavor.
- All-purpose flour – Spooned and leveled, not scooped, for accurate measuring.
- Almond flour – We love this combined with the all purpose flour for a wetter, more tender texture. (You can use only all-purpose flour, but the amounts will change. See note below.)
- Coarse salt – To balance out the sweetness.
- Finely chopped walnuts – These add a subtle nutty flavor and added texture, but you can simply omit them if preferred.
- Chai spice – This is a combination of ground ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice. If chai isn’t your thing, you can use pumpkin pie spice for apple pie spice or just cinnamon.
How To Make Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies are made very similar to most drop cookies, except with a few minor differences. Powdered sugar is used in the dough instead of granulated sugar, they’re rolled into balls without flattening, chilled, and coated in powdered sugar once baked. Here’s a quick rundown.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Cream together the butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar.
- Add in the dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl a few times.
- Stir in the chopped walnuts.
- Form tablespoon-sized balls of dough.
- Place on parchment lined baking sheets.
- Chill the balls of cookie dough.
- Bake and then coat in a mix of seasoned powdered sugar, twice.
Tips for Success
- Powdered sugar is used in place of granulated sugar. Powdered sugar helps the cookies hold their shape while baking and prevents them from spreading too much.
- Spoon and level when measuring the all purpose flour instead of scooping. This will get you a more accurate measurement and prevent a dry, crumbly cookie.
- Use a one-tablespoon cookie scoop. This ensures uniformity so they all bake the same.
- The combination of regular flour and almond flour yields the most tender cookie. Almonds are high in fat, which helps baked treats be moist and tender. (However, the almond flour should not be used as a one-to-one swap with the AP flour. If you want to make these with only all-purpose flour, you will need 2 & 1/4 cups.)
- Don’t skip chilling the dough balls. Chilling the formed dough balls helps them maintain their round shape.
Video: Snowball Cookies
Proper Storage
- How long do snowball cookies stay fresh? They will keep up to 4 days at room temperature, stored in an airtight container, and up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
- Can snowball cookies be frozen? Yes! They are a great make-ahead cookie. Wait for them to cool completely, then after the second roll in powdered sugar gently place them in a freezer bag without touching. Remove as much air as possible and freeze up to 4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then bring to room temperature and gently roll them in powdered sugar again to freshen them up. NOTE: These are delicate cookies, so when transferring them to the freezer, make sure they’ll be placed in an area where there isn’t much movement or anything on top of them, or they can crumble once thawed.
More Holiday Cookies:
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Chai-Spiced Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour , spooned and leveled
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter , room temperature
- 1 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar , divided
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 & 1/4 cups almond flour (see note)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, a 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar, and vanilla on high with a handheld electric or stand mixer, until light and fluffy. Turn the mixer down to low and add in the almond flour, followed by the all-purpose flour and walnuts, scraping down the bowls once or twice.
- Using a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, measure out the dough and form balls with your hands. Place on baking sheets.
- Chill cookies in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Bake cookies for 17-20 minutes.
- While cookies are cooking, whisk together the remaining 1 cup of powdered sugar, the cinnamon, cardamom, allspice, and ginger in a bowl.
- Remove cookies from the oven and allow to sit for 2 minutes, then gently coat them with the spice mixture.
- Set aside to cool for 20 minutes, then toss them in the spice mixture again. Enjoy!
I have a question. I have fine ground whole almonds (not blanched), can I use that or will the texture be off?
Hi Sharon – I honestly can’t say for sure without further recipe testing, sorry.
I made these for Christmas. I am always nervous about the dough the first time I make a cookie recipe. This dough was perfect. My scoop was a 1.5 inch, so they were a bit bigger. The coating was very fragrant. They do go great with coffee.
Made these yesterday for Cinco de Mayo and they were a hit! The flavor and texture is on point. Thanks for the recipe!
Hello! =) would it be possible to make the dough ahead and freeze until needed? Would they cook frozen or thawed?
Thank you!
Hi Jessica – I have never made these in advance myself, but the general rule with most cookie dough is if it has a lot butter or fat, it will freeze well. For these in particular, form the dough balls without the powdered sugar spice mixture; place onto a baking sheet (make sure they don’t touch each other), freeze and then transfer to freezer bags. When it’s time to bake, let the balls defrost while you preheat the oven, then roll them in spice mixture right before baking.
This was my favorite cookie recipe last Christmas!
I added some of the spices to the dough in addition to the powder sugar coating. Wonderful!
This is on my Amazon Christmas Wish List, so I’m really FINGERS CROSSED that someone will get it for me…otherwise I might just have to gift it to myself!
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to stop once I started on these babies…I love Jen’s book!