Snowball Cookies

Name: Healthy Snowball Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 1 cup almond flour; 3 Tablespoons softened organic butter (ghee or vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)); 5-6 Tablespoons organic confectioners’ sugar (divided*); ½ teaspoon vanilla extract; ⅙ teaspoon salt; ⅓ cup finely chopped pecans

By Brittany Mullins

4.66

Published Dec 07, 2021, Updated Dec 07, 2022

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These healthy snowball cookies are made with just 6 ingredients. The base is almond flour, so they’re gluten-free, grain-free and can easily be made vegan. Only 5 grams of sugar per cookie!

Ready for the easiest cookie recipe you’ll make this winter?! Enter: snowball cookies. They’re based on my recipe for almond crescent cookies and come together in a flash! Plus, how cute are they? Adorable little melt in your mouth snowballs. I know you’re going to absolutely love this recipe!

Snowball cookies on parchment paper next to a bowl of powdered sugar.

Ingredients in Snowball Cookies

Traditional snowball cookies are made with white flour and butter. Although we’re still using some form of butter (you can use Earth Balance to keep these vegan), we’re replacing the white flour with nutrient-dense almond flour. And the ingredient list is super short. Here’s what you need:

almond flour – look for fine almond flour instead of almond meal. The texture of almond flour is lighter and less coarse, which will lead to a better texture for the cookies. My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill super fine almond flour.
butter, ghee or vegan butter – I used vegan Earth Balance butter for these to make them vegan.
organic confectioners’ sugar – another name for powdered sugar. If you want to make these low sugar/low carb you can use powdered erythritol (like Swerve) instead of confectioners’ sugar. It will make these low-sugar cookies even lower in sugar.
vanilla extract – a flavor enhancer.
salt – just a pinch to bring all the flavors together.
chopped pecans – feel free to sub in another nut like almonds or walnuts in place of the pecans.

How to Make Healthier Snowball Cookies

Now that we have the ingredients, let’s make these cookies. The process is so easy!

Simply mix together the almond flour, softened butter, 3 Tablespoons of powdered sugar, vanilla and salt in a bowl until a dough forms. It will be a little dry to start, but keep mixing, it will become dough! Once combined, mix in chopped pecans. Using a Tablespoon scoop, roll the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake the cookies for 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned on the bottom. Let them cool slightly and then roll in the remaining powdered sugar until coated. Let the cookies cool completely and enjoy!

Stack of three snowball cookies. The one at the top has a bite taken out of it.

How to Store Snowball Cookies

These snowball cookies are so easy to store. I personally like to store them in the fridge to keep them crisp and to make sure the powdered sugar doesn’t absorb into the cookies, but they’re also delicious after freezing! For freezing snowball cookies, simply place them in an airtight freezer-safe container. They should last in the freezer for at least a month.

Stack of three snowball cookies on parchment paper. The top one has a bite taken out of it.

Be sure to check out my full collection of healthy Christmas cookies as well as all the cookie recipes here on EBF.

Snowball cooking on parchment paper surrounded by chopped pecans and powdered sugar.

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4.66 from 61 votes

Healthy Snowball Cookies

By: Brittany Mullins

These healthy snowball cookies are made with just 6 ingredients. The base is almond flour, so they’re gluten-free, grain-free and can easily be made vegan. Only 5 grams of sugar per cookie.

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

Servings: 11

Ingredients

▢ 1 cup almond flour
▢ 3 Tablespoons softened organic butter, ghee or vegan butter (I used Earth Balance)
▢ 5-6 Tablespoons organic confectioners’ sugar, divided*
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ ⅙ teaspoon salt
▢ ⅓ cup finely chopped pecans

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or use a non-stick baking sheet.
Mix almond flour, softened butter, 3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, vanilla and salt in a small bowl until a cohesive dough forms. It will seem a little dry at first, but just keep mixing. Once combined, mix in chopped pecans. You can use your hands to help mix the pecans in if needed.
Roll tablespoons of the dough into a ball and place on baking sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake the cookies for 20 minutes or until they start to turn light golden brown on the bottom.
Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes. Transfer them to a rack to cool 10 minutes more. Place 2-3 Tablespoons confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each cookie until coated. Let cookies cool completely and enjoy.
Store any leftover cookies in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to a month. I’ve found storing in the fridge helps the cookies keep a crisp texture and ensures that the powdered sugar doesn’t soak into the cookies.

Notes

Pecans: Feel free to sub in another nut like almonds or walnuts in place of the pecans.
Low-sugar option: Use powdered erythritol (such as Swerve) instead of confectioners’ sugar to make these cookies even lower in sugar.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: snowball cookies

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Snowball Cookies

Ingredients in Snowball Cookies

How to Make Healthier Snowball Cookies

How to Store Snowball Cookies