Vegan Snowball Cookies
Need a Christmas cookie recipe that will take your family and friends by storm? Here is it! – The traditional snowball cookie. It is moist, delicious, tender, sweet, easy and quick to make. You can have these vegan snowball cookies on the table in less than 30 minutes.
These vegan snowball cookies are a Classic Christmas recipe much beloved in our home. Given that these cookies have a number of names, I take it they are also popular worldwide.
As mentioned, these cookies go by many names, see the list below, and the reason must be that they are truly delicious, tender, and simply irresistible. Call them snowball cookies in the winter and wedding cookies during the summer, and you can enjoy them all year round. The store-bought version cannot compete with this homemade version, which delivers a melt-in-your-mouth delicious experience.
It is also easy to customize to your preferred taste. Be sure to check out the recipe variation section below.
Other Names for Snowball Cookies:
Mexican Wedding Cookies
Russian Tea Cakes
Italian Wedding Cookies
Pecan Sandies
Southern Pecan Butterballs
Swedish Tea Cakes
This vegan snowball cookie version can hold its own against other snowball cookie recipes, including those made with dairy. In fact, many prefer them over the dairy ones as they are much lighter in texture. So give them a try. I think you’ll love them. They are perfect for the Holidays, a Christmas classic to write home about, and so cute and festive to look at.
What is a Snowball Cookie?
Despite being known by many different names, a vegan snowball cookie is a tremendously light, tender, shortbread-like cookie filled with chopped nuts and rolled in powdered sugar. In view of this, what is there not to like?
Other Cookie Recipes You May Like:
- Vegan Pumpkin Cookies
- Vegan Lemon Crinkle Cookies
- Raspberry Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- Christmas Spritz Cookies
- Vegan Gingersnap Cookies
- Christmas Cookie Wreath
- Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
Why We Love These Snowball Cookies!
These cookies are tender, delicate, and delicious, not to mention that they are easy to make. Furthermore, they look so fun and festive. In fact, what sets them apart is the fresh, light, flaky, nutty flavor, void of the traditional heavy feel of the buttery shortbread cookie.
Snowball Cookie Ingredients:
These snowball cookies do not require many ingredients; even so, let not the lack of sophisticated ingredients fool you. These snowball cookies have the flavor and ambience of something much more labor-intensive.
vegan margarine – Earth Balance
powdered sugar
all-purpose & almond flour
nuts: pecans or walnuts
vanilla, almond extract, salt
In summary, these few ingredients make the best vegan snowball cookies.
How to Make Vegan Snowball Cookies:
Quick and easy to make these cookies is a must for the Holidays:
Step one:
Cream vegan margarine and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and almond extract and incorporate into the batter.
Step two:
Combine flour, almond flour, and salt.
Step three:
Gently add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture, a little at a time, and finish by adding the chopped nuts.
Step four:
Shape into 1 inch sized balls, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. The recipe makes about 16 cookies.
Step five:
Let cool for ten minutes or until cool enough to handle safely. Roll each snowball cookie in powdered sugar and rest on a cooling rack. Finally, give them another roll in the powdered sugar when the cookies are completely cooled. They are now ready to be enjoyed.
Cookie Recipe Variations & Substitutions:
- Don’t care for nuts? No problem, make these vegan snowball cookies without nuts by substituting the almond flour with all-purpose flour and eliminating the chopped nuts.
- For an extra flavor boost, consider toasting the nuts in the oven for a few minutes at 350F.
- Want more of a butter taste? Make these with Miyoko’s vegan butter, a delicious alternative. I met Miyoko at a food convention a couple of years ago. She has some great products.
- Alternative flavors you might enjoy are ground anis or ground cardamon. Start with 1/8 teaspoon and increase to taste.
Allergy-Friendly Options:
Gluten-free: Substitute the all-purpose flour with 1:1 gluten-free flour.
Nut-free: Substitute the almond flour with all-purpose flour and eliminate the chopped nuts.
Soy-free: Make sure the vegan margarine is soy-free. Earth Balance may contain soy.
Serving Suggestions:
These classic round tender snowball cookies can be served as a dessert or sweet treat at any time. They look amazing on a Holiday dessert table, especially around Christmas Time when snow is on people’s minds. However, my family enjoys these any time of year.
How to Store Snowball Cookies:
- Keep in an airtight container.
- Freeze for long-term storage. You may have to roll them in powdered sugar after they defrost.
Special Equipment or Tools:
Handheld mixer: It is useful to have a handheld mixer to cream the margarine and sugar, but it is not essential. You can cream margarine and sugar by hand using a whisk.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions:
Can Vegan Margarine be substituted with coconut oil?
Yes, absolutely. Use refined coconut oil so the coconut flavor does not become overwhelming. Follow recipe as directed, but add the step of freezing the cookies (right after shaping) for about 15-20 minutes before baking. This will prevent the cookies from spreading and help them maintain the ball shape during the baking process.
How do I keep the snowball cookie shape during the baking process?
Generally speaking, these cookies should hold up just fine during the cooking process. There should not be much spreading. If this is a problem, consider freezing the cookies for 15-20 minutes before baking.
What Types of Nuts are best in these vegan snowball cookies?
Traditionally snowball cookies are made with pecans, but they are also delicious with walnuts. We combined the two in this recipe as we think it gives the cookies a little extra flavor.
Hazelnuts and almonds may also be great nut substitutions in this recipe, though it will change the flavor.
Vegan Snowball Cookies
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: Around 30 minutes
- Yield: Makes 16 cookies 1x
Description
The traditional snowball cookie. It is moist, delicious, tender, sweet, easy and quick to make. You can have these cookies on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup pecan and walnuts, chopped
- extra powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- In a large bowl, cream vegan margarine and powdered sugar with a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and almond extract and incorporate into the batter.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, almond flour, and salt.
- Gently add the flour mixture to the margarine mixture, a little at a time, and finish by adding the chopped nuts.
- Shape into 1 inch size balls, place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 10 minutes.
- Let cookies cool for 10-15 minutes or until cool enough to handle safely. Roll each cookie in powdered sugar and rest on a baking rack. Finally, give them another roll in the powdered sugar when the cookies are completely cooled. Store in an airtight container.