Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies! Soft buttery shortbread cookie filled with nuts rolled in powdered sugar. This classic holiday cookie will melt in your mouth.

A plate of vegan gluten-free snowball cookies piled tall on a white ceramic plate.

Snowball cookies are a holiday favorite! Did you know that they go by several names including Mexican wedding cakes, Italian wedding cookies, and Russian tea cakes? With only a handful of ingredients, these delicious cookies require little effort but pack a punch in flavor. Every year I get a ton of requests for this recipe, and I"m so glad that I can share it with you today. Make sure to include these cookies at your next cookie exchange or holiday party!

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Ingredients in Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies
How to Make Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies
Tips to Make the BEST Snowball Cookies
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Ingredients in Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies

This classic gluten free snowball cookies recipe can be made with a variety of different nuts and flavor options!

Gluten-Free Flour: Helps build the structure for the cookies. My favorite gluten-free flour blend is Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten-Free flour.
Unsalted Butter: For a Vegan or dairy-free snowball cookie option use dairy-free baking sticks, such as Earth Balance.
Nuts: Walnuts, almonds, or pecans are all great options, but my favorite nut to use is walnuts as they have a nice buttery nutty flavor.
Powdered Sugar: Powdered sugar also known as confectioner’s sugar, will help sweeten the cookie dough. We will also re-roll the cookies after baking.
Vanilla Extract: The vanilla gives the shortbread cookies a beautiful flavor. You can also try ( lemon extract, peppermint extract, or almond extract).
Walnuts: I love the buttery flavor walnuts provide, but you could also make this recipe with pecans or almonds.
Salt: Helps bring out the sweetness.

An aerial view of the snowball cookies. The top cookie has a bite taken out of it to show you the soft center.

How to Make Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies

These gluten-free snowball cookies are the perfect cookies to serve during the holiday season! They are easy and don't take much time, with simple ingredients and lots of flavor.

Preheat oven to 400.° Line a large baking sheet and set it aside.
In a large bowl or KitchenAid Mixer, cream the butter, vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar.
At low speed, slowly add the gluten-free flour, about ½ cup at a time, until fully incorporated
Measure out 1 cup chopped nuts and toss them into a food processor. Pulse for 5-8 seconds until the nuts are chopped into fine pieces. Add the nuts to the batter and mix until well combined.
Using a mini cookie scoop or spoon, roll dough into 1-inch balls (20grams) and place the balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about an inch apart. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the sheet from the freezer and place it in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Pour 1 cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl. After 5 minutes of the cookies cooling, carefully roll the warm cookies into the powdered sugar until fully covered.
Place the rolled cookies onto a wire rack to finish cooling for 1 hour. After 1 hour re-roll the cookies in more powdered sugar.
Store the snowball cookies in a glass or airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

A pyramid of cookies on a white decorative plate on a white ceramic plate.

Tips to Make the BEST Snowball Cookies

Nuts: There are several options of nuts to use in this recipe including pecans, walnuts, and almonds. You want to make sure the nuts are finely chopped, otherwise, the cookies will crumble after baking. I find that throwing them in a food processor and pulsing for 8 seconds produces the perfect nutty texture. If you do not have a food processor you can finely chop the nuts into smaller pieces with a sharp knife.
Measure the dough with a food scale: You want to roll out the balls no bigger than 1 inch or about 20 grams in weight. If you make them too big, they will crumble.
Timing: Do not overbake! Remove the cookies from the oven as soon as the bottoms start to brown, around 10 minutes. You will know they are ready when the tops of the cookies start to crack.
Spoon and Level the Flour: Use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the bag and into the measuring cup until overflowing. Use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup.
Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar twice: Once cookies have cooled for at least 5 minutes out of the oven, roll them in powdered sugar and then transfer to a cooling rack for 1 hour. After 1 hour re-roll the cookies in more powdered sugar for a final coating.

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A plate of gluten-free snowball cookies, stacked high. The top cookie has a bite taken out of it, showing the texture inside the cookie.

Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies (Vegan)

Recipe Author : Rebecca Taig

Diet :Gluten Free, Vegan

Gluten-Free Snowball Cookies! Soft buttery cookie filled with nuts rolled in powdered sugar. They are an easy no-bake holiday favorite that will melt in your mouth!

5 from 4 votes

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 10

Servings 36 people

Calories 155 kcal

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup (2 sticks/226 grams) *use vegan butter if needed*
▢ ½ cup powdered sugar (60 grams)
▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
▢ ½ teaspoon almond extract (optional)
▢ 2 cups gluten-free flour (272 grams)
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ¾ cup chopped walnuts, finely ground (100 grams)

For Rolling The Cookies

▢ 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl or KitchenAid mixer, cream the butter, vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar.
At low speed, slowly add the gluten-free flour, about ½ cup at a time, until fully incorporated
Measure 1 cup of chopped nuts and toss them into a food processor. Pulse for 5-8 seconds until the nuts are chopped into fine pieces. Add the nuts to the batter and mix until well combined.
Using a mini cookie scoop or spoon, roll dough into 1-inch balls (20 grams) and place the balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet, about an inch apart. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, remove the sheet from the freezer and place it in the oven to bake for 10-12 minutes.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.
Pour 1 cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl. After 5 minutes of the cookies cooling, carefully roll the warm cookies into the powdered sugar until fully covered.
Place the rolled cookies onto a wire rack to finish cooling for 1 hour. After 1 hour re-roll the cookies in more powdered sugar.
Store the snowball cookies in a glass or airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 155kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 2gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 106mgPotassium: 23mgFiber: 1gSugar: 8gVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg

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