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    Pink Owl Kitchen » Desserts » Cookies » Chocolate Snowball Cookies

    Chocolate Snowball Cookies

    Published: Nov 23, 2021 · Modified: Jan 13, 2023 by Ashley Boyd · This post may contain affiliate links

    JUMP TO RECIPE

    These tasty chocolate snowball cookies are made with shortbread cookie dough, rich dark chocolate, and crunchy pecans. These festive cookies are perfect for your Christmas cookie platters!

    This chocolaty variation of the classic snowball cookie is so easy to make and tastes incredible. These cookies will go fast so make a double batch!

    For more irresistible cookies, check out our Kitchen Sink Cookies and Pecan
    Sandies
    next!

    side angle shot of chocolate butter pecan snowball cookies on a red plate on top of a wooden surface with a gray linen underneath. greenery and small christmas ornaments in the background of the shot.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You Need to Make This Recipe
    • How to Make This Recipe
    • What are Snowball Cookies?
    • Tips For The Best Snowball Cookies
    • Variations of This Recipe
    • Storing and Make-Ahead Instructions
    • Recommended Tools for this Recipe
    • Check Out These Other Christmas Dessert Recipes Before You Go!
    • 📖 Recipe

    Ingredients You Need to Make This Recipe

    • Unsalted butter. Soften butter by leaving it out at room temperature for at least an hour. You can also leave the butter out on the counter overnight if you will be baking the next morning.
    • Powdered sugar. Powdered sugar is used both in the cookie dough and for rolling the cookies in after baking.
    • Unsweetened cocoa powder. I recommend dark cocoa such as Hershey's Special Dark to get the deep chocolate color you see in these cookies. You can also use regular cocoa powder if you prefer.
    • Vanilla extract. I recommend a good quality vanilla extract for these cookies to get the best flavor.
    • Almond extract. Pure almond extract adds another layer of flavor that is absolutely delicious in these cookies.
    • All-purpose flour. This is the best variety of flour for these shortbread cookies. Be sure and measure your flour properly by, fluffing, spooning in the measuring cup, and leveling off with a knife.
    • Salt. We add just a small amount of salt to the dough to bring out the other flavors.
    • Chopped pecans. You can purchase pecans that are already chopped or you can chop pecan pieces or halves yourself. I like to leave to some slightly larger chunks of pecans intact to give the cookies a nice crunchy element.
    45 degree angle shot of chocolate butter pecan snowball cookies on a red plate on top of a wooden surface with a gray linen underneath. greenery and small christmas ornaments in the background of the shot.

    How to Make This Recipe

    • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment and set aside.
    • Add butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and almond extract to a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
    • I recommend using your free hand as a guard for the bowl while mixing, as the cocoa and sugar can cause a bit of a mess at first. It will look like the mixture will not get creamy at first, but it will after a minute or two.
    butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa for snowball cookies in a bowl
    creamed butter, cocoa, and sugar for snowball cookies
    • Add the salt and flour to the bowl, one cup at a time, and mix until combined and no more dry flour is visible. The dough will be crumbly.
    • Add chopped pecans to the bowl and mix on low speed until the pecans are evenly mixed into the dough. You will not be able to fold the pecans into the dough because this is a crumbly shortbread cookie dough.
    • Using a cookie scoop, scoop balls of dough into the palm of your hand and form them into neat balls by rolling them in between both palms.
    chocolate butter pecan snowball cookie dough
    chocolate butter pecan snowball cookie dough with pecans
    chocolate butter pecan snowball cookie dough formed into balls
    • Place cookies onto your prepared baking sheets, spaced evenly apart. They do not need much room as the cookies will not spread while baking. Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly browned and the tops are no longer glossy.
    chocolate butter pecan snowball cookie dough on baking sheet before baking
    Cookies before baking
    chocolate butter pecan snowball cookies immediately after baking
    Cookies after baking
    • Once the cookies have cooled enough to handle, add one cup of powdered sugar to a medium bowl and roll the cookies in the powdered sugar to completely coat each cookie. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
    • After the cookies have completely cooled I recommend rolling them in the powdered sugar once more to really maximize the snowball effect. Enjoy!
    chocolate butter pecan snowball cookies rolled in powdred sugar

    What are Snowball Cookies?

    Snowball cookies are small, round shortbread cookies that are typically rolled in powdered sugar after baking, which makes them resemble little snowballs.

    Other names you have probably seen this type of cookie go by are Mexican Wedding Cookies or Italian Wedding Cookies. These versions typically do not contain chocolate, however.

    Snowball cookies are not very sweet but are extremely rich from the amount of butter in the dough. The powdered sugar coating is the perfect complement to the buttery shortbread cookie interior.

    The addition of rich dark chocolate makes these chocolate snowball cookies even more irresistible!

    45 degree angle detail shot of chocolate butter pecan snowball cookies on a red plate on top of a wooden surface with a gray linen underneath. greenery and small christmas ornaments in the background of the shot.

    Tips For The Best Snowball Cookies

    • Be sure and soften your butter properly before making the cookie dough. You want your butter to be at room temperature, not heated or almost melted. The best way to soften butter is to simply leave it out on the counter for a couple of hours.
    • Do not overbake these cookies. The chocolate color can make it hard to tell when they are ready, but the telltale sign is when the tops of the cookies are no longer glossy or shiny. You are better off with a slightly underbaked cookie than a hard overbaked one.
    • I highly recommend rolling the cookies in the powdered sugar a second time after they have cooled completely. This really gives them the bright white snowball look!

    Variations of This Recipe

    There are tons of different versions of snowball cookie recipes out there. Feel free to try different mix-ins and flavors all holiday season. Here are some variations I have seen:

    • Red velvet snowball cookies
    • Double chocolate snowball cookies
    • Vanilla snowball cookies
    • Walnut snowball cookies
    • Maple snowball cookies

    Storing and Make-Ahead Instructions

    These cookies can be stored at room temperature in a zip-top bag or festive storage tin for up to five days.

    You can also prepare the cookie dough and freeze it by wrapping it tightly in plastic wrap and placing it in a freezer bag until ready to bake. Thaw the dough in the refrigerator the day before baking.

    close up side angle shot of chocolate butter pecan snowball cookies on a red plate.

    Recommended Tools for this Recipe

    • Electric hand mixer
    • Baking sheets
    • Mixing bowls

    Check Out These Other Christmas Dessert Recipes Before You Go!

    • Best Southern Pecan Pralines
    • Pecan Pie Cheesecake Bars
    • Cookies and Cream Cookies
    • Apple Cider Donut Cake
    • Cinnamon Roll Cookies
    • New Orleans Beignets
    • Best Ever Bread Pudding

    📖 Recipe

    chocolate snowball cookies on a red plate.

    Chocolate Snowball Cookies

    Ashley
    These tasty chocolate snowball cookies are made with shortbread cookie dough, rich dark chocolste, and crunchy pecans. These irresistible cookies are perfect for your Christmas cookie platters and will disappear quickly!
    4.47 from 28 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 mins
    Cook Time 10 mins
    Total Time 25 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, Holiday
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Servings 32 cookies
    Calories 103 kcal

    Equipment

    • Electric hand mixer
    • Two baking sheets

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 cup unsalted butter two sticks, softened
    • ¾ cup powdered sugar plus more for rolling cookies in
    • ⅔ cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • ½ teaspoon almond extract
    • 2 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ¾ cup chopped pecans

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
    • Add butter, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and almond extract to a medium mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer until fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
    • Add the salt and flour to the bowl, one cup at a time, and mix until combined and no more dry flour is visible. The dough will be crumbly.
    • Add chopped pecans to the bowl and mix with the hand mixer on low speed until the pecans are evenly mixed into the dough.
    • Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop 1 ½ tablespoon balls of dough into the palm of your hand and roll them into neat balls.
    • Place cookies onto your prepared baking sheets, spaced evenly apart. They do not need much room as the cookies will not spread while baking. Bake cookies in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes, or until the bottoms are slightly browned and the tops are no longer glossy.
    • Once the cookies have cooled enough to handle, add 1 cup of powdered sugar to a medium bowl and roll the cookies in the sugar to completely coat each cookie. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
    • After the cookies have completely cooled I recommend rolling them in the powdered sugar once more.

    Notes

    • Use your free hand as a shield for the bowl when mixing the butter, powdered sugar, and cocoa to avoid a mess.
    • The butter, sugar, and cocoa may seem like they will not cream at first, but they will begin to get creamy after about a minute. 
    • These cookies can be stored at room temperature in a zip-top bag or storage container for up to five days.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1cookieCalories: 103kcalCarbohydrates: 10.8gProtein: 1.3gFat: 6.6gSaturated Fat: 3.8gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 76mgFiber: 0.9gSugar: 4.3gCalcium: 6mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword chocolate snowball cookies, christmas cookies, holiday cookies, pecan snowball cookies, shortbread cookies, snowball cookies
    Tried this recipe?Tag @thepinkowlkitchen on Instagram! And don't forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and review!

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    Hi! I'm Ashley.

    I am a new mom, wife, and creator of all you see here at Pink Owl Kitchen. All of our recipes are influenced by my southern upbringing and are made with fresh, seasonal ingredients to encourage families to come together around the dinner table more!

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