Vegan snowball cookies are a Christmas classic. They are buttery and nutty with a soft melt-in-your-mouth texture. Easy to make and simply irresistible.
These vegan snowball cookies are also known as Mexican wedding cookies and Russian tea cakes. You might even know them as pecan sandies.
But no matter what you call them, they are a holiday delight. They’re similar to shortbread cookies, but soft and nutty and rolled in powdered sugar.
Serve them alongside vegan eggnog or vegan baileys to really get in the holiday spirit.
And if you’re looking for more vegan Christmas cookies then look no further than our vegan butter cookies, vegan snickerdoodles, vegan gingerbread cookies and vegan frosted sugar cookies. You’ll also love our vegan biscotti.
Ingredients You’ll Need To Make These Cookies
Ingredient Notes
- Pecans – we used raw pecan nuts but we’ve also tested this recipe with raw walnuts and it was just as delicious. Almonds, hazelnuts and pistachios also work great.
- Cornstarch – helps to reduce the spreading of the cookies as they bake, and also contributes to the soft texture.
- Powdered sugar – instead of granulated sugar gives these cookies a very soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
How To Make Vegan Snowball Cookies
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add chopped pecans (or walnuts), salt and cornstarch. Mix together.
- Add vegan butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream them together until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and mix it in.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it with a spoon into a thick cookie dough.
- Break off or scoop dough into tablespoon-sized balls, roll them between your palms to make them into neat balls and place them onto parchment lined baking sheets. We spread the cookies over two baking sheets.
- Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. The tops should be pale and the bottoms should just be starting to turn light golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray and then roll them in powdered sugar.
- Return the cookies to the baking sheet and let them cool completely. When cold, roll them in powdered sugar for a second time.
Baker’s Tips
Measure the flour correctly. Either weigh the flour on a food scale or use the spoon and level method. Fluff up the flour and then spoon it (don’t scoop it) into your measuring cup. Use the straight back of a knife to level off the top.
Use a cookie scoop to keep the size of the cookies uniform. We used a small cookie scoop to scoop the cookies. If you don’t have a cookie scoop, use a tablespoon measure. It’s ideal to make the balls quite small and also to make them quite uniform in size.
There’s no need to chill the dough. I tested a version where I chilled the rolled cookies just to see if it would help them to hold their shape better when baking. It made no difference at all. These cookies DO mostly hold their shape and don’t spread very much during baking, so long as you don’t over-bake the cookies.
Split the cookies over two large baking sheets. This recipe makes around 36 cookies so you need at least 2 large baking sheets. I prefer to bake one batch of cookies and then the next batch immediately after. If you try to bake both batches at the same time, it can result in uneven baking.
Don’t over-bake the cookies. If these cookies are over-baked they will become dry and crumbly. We found 8 minutes to be the perfect bake time but you may need up to 10 minutes. They should be pale on top and very lightly browned on the bottoms.
Make them gluten free. I haven’t tested these cookies as gluten free but it’s highly likely that they would work well with a gluten free all purpose baking blend. Don’t use a single type of flour like almond flour or coconut flour, as that won’t work. It must be a gluten free all purpose blend.
Make them nut free. If you have a nut allergy you can simply omit the nuts.
Storing and Freezing
Keep your cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the fridge for a week.
Baked cookies are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. Thaw them in the fridge and then bring them to room temperature before enjoying. You may want to re-roll them in powdered sugar once they’re thawed.
You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and then bring to room temperature before scooping the cookies and baking as usual.
More Vegan Cookies
- Vegan Sugar Cookies
- Vegan Ginger Cookies
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Macaroons
- Vegan No Bake Cookies
- Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups All Purpose Flour (250g)
- 1 cup Pecans or Walnuts (100g) Chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 Tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 cup Vegan Butter (225g)
- 1 cup Powdered Sugar (120g)
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
For Rolling:
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar (180g)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Sift all purpose flour into a mixing bowl and add chopped pecans (or walnuts), salt and cornstarch. Mix together.
- Add vegan butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and cream them together until smooth.
- Add vanilla extract and mix it in.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix it with a spoon into a thick cookie dough.
- Break off or scoop dough into tablespoon-sized balls, roll them between your palms to make them into neat balls and place them onto your parchment lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes. The tops should be pale and the bottoms should just be starting to turn light golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes on the baking tray and then roll them in powdered sugar and return them to the baking sheet.
- Let them cool completely and when cold, roll them in powdered sugar for a second time.
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly. Either weigh the flour on a food scale or use the spoon and level method. Fluff up the flour and then spoon it (don’t scoop it) into your measuring cup. Use the straight back of a knife to level off the top.
- Pecans – we used raw pecan nuts but walnuts are also a great choice. This recipe will also work great with almonds, hazelnuts or pistachios.
- Cornstarch – helps to reduce the spreading of the cookies as they bake, and also contributes to the soft texture.
- Make them gluten free. I haven’t tested these cookies as gluten free but it’s highly likely that they would work well with a gluten free all purpose baking blend. Don’t use a single type of flour like almond flour or coconut flour, as that won’t work. It must be a gluten free all purpose blend.
- Make them nut free. If you have a nut allergy you can simply omit the nuts.
- Storing and freezing: Keep your cookies stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days or in the fridge for a week. Baked cookies are also freezer friendly for up to 3 months.
I adore pecans in baking so I had to try these. Mine started to brown on the tops really fast (might be my fan forced oven) but they were totally fine. The first tray I left in for 8 minutes and the second tray I left in for 10 minutes. I preferred the 10 minute tray but my partner preferred the 8 minute tray so it just goes to show that people’s tastes vary. ALL the cookies were eaten in 24 hours. Yet another great recipe! Thanks again 🙂
Thanks so much for your review Janelle!
Lovely cookies, good taste and texture! Next time I might try baking them at 350° for 12-14 minutes to see if they stay a bit rounder.
Very good! Made 2 batches for Xmas. Thanks for a great recipe! I made them gluten free with a gf flour mix (home made all purpose mix: oat flour, tapioca starch and xanthan gum) and your vegan stick butter recipe. I used Almonds and the cookie dough tasted like marzipan. I used metric measurements but my dough came out very wet, probably as I live in a hot humid climate and coconut oil is a liquid at room temp here. (Coconut oil being the main ingredient in the butter). So I did put the dough in the fridge for a little while to harden up so I could handle it to roll into balls, and again I put the baking trays in fridge for a few mins before baking. Cookies came out perfect. First batch I made with a tablespoon measurement as suggested. Second batch I made mini cookies using a teaspoon measure as people do cookies in small size in Indonesia, and we stack them neatly in small jars which are put on a coffee table for visiting Holiday guests. Second batch I also added a tsp of almond extract to increase almond flavour even further. Thanks again!
Awesome! So glad they came out great! And definitely chilling the dough can become a necessity when the weather is very hot! Thanks for sharing Mo.
These are so good – reminiscent of the Xmas cookies we had every year at our neighbors. Exactly what I craved. Was surprised how dry the dough was and that it really still came together when rolled into a ball in my hands. But the texture was perfect after baked. Thx for another awesome recipe!
So glad you enjoyed the cookies Sara! Thanks for the wonderful review!
Merry Christmas 🎄
Well I finally made these December 24 as we were still eating the no bake cookies from a previous email. They tasted really good but today (26th) they are even better for sitting a couple if days. I used walnuts.
Thanks Alison for yet another great recipe. I am getting to the point of not knowing what to make next as my husband keeps requesting previous baking items! I think the coffee cake might be his favourite though with victoria sponge coming 2nd!
Merry Christmas Susan! So happy these cookies came out great too. And so happy to hear the coffee cake and Victoria sponge are favorites! Thanks so much for the wonderful review!
Knocked it out of the park with another fabulous recipe, Alison! These are light, a touch crisp, and they melt in your mouth with the most delicious buttery pecan flavor. When I saw you post these beauties I couldn’t resist, and I’m glad I couldn’t! They turned out absolutely perfect. I ran out of vanilla extract and could only salvage a few big drops, but they are still fragrant and delicious.
Whenever I want to bake something, I go to your blog first to check for a recipe and you always deliver. Now, please excuse me while I nibble on another…
Thanks so much for the awesome comment Mac! So happy to hear you loved them!
My very first snowballs are now in the oven…I’m SO excited!
Awesome! Hope they turned out perfect!
Well they are tasty, but my gf cup for cup ones spread horribly. Maybe I’ll try upping the cornstarch next time. GF vegan baking is always a challenge, but I’ll keep trying! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing Amy, yes it is sometimes hard to predict what might happen when adapting for gluten free. You could try chilling them in the freezer for 15 minutes first (the balls), it didn’t make a difference with my regular flour cookies, but maybe it will with the gluten free version.