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This Snowball Cookie Recipe has chocolate chips! Whatever they’re called, they’re one of my favorite Christmas cookies. Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies have no nuts so they’re allergy friendly – and hello, CHOCOLATE. They melt-in your mouth and are one of my MOST POPULAR holiday cookies!

A bowl filled with powdered sugar-coated cookie dough balls, some with chocolate chips visible. One dough ball is halved, revealing a soft, chocolate chip-studded interior. The bowl has a colorful rim.


Do you have a food that, whenever you see or think about it, it makes you think of a family member? I have several: Whenever I eat Pillsbury Sugar Cookies, I think of my Nana. She passed them off as her own until I was an adult.

And then there are Russian Tea Cake cookies (aka Snowball Cookies). Whenever I see these, I think of my mom. Her’s is the original recipe that spawned all my Snowball Cookie Recipes – including this one with chocolate chips.

  • This Snowball Cookie Recipe is easy to make – just 6 ingredients!
  • You can make them ahead – they stay fresh for several days.
  • They’re freezable too – freeze them for several months!
  • Without nuts these are an allergy friendly – and tasty – option! Who doesn’t love adding chocolate to, well, anything?!

These little bite-sized cookies are a buttery shortbread-like cookie. They only have a few ingredients so they mix up easy and make a ton. They don’t rise or spread; they have no baking soda or baking powder or even eggs! Once they’re rolled in powdered sugar they look like little snowballs! Traditionally these are made with chopped pecans or walnuts, but I love making variations. Snowball cookies are also called Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, and Butter Balls. So many names for the same amazing cookie!

ingredients in snowball cookies with chocolate chips

6 Ingredients Needed

  • Butter: You can use unsalted butter or salted butter, just make note of it and adjust salt accordingly.
  • Powdered Sugar: Make a tender cookie. I make shortbread cookies with confectioners’ sugar as well, because I love the texture it lends.
  • All-Purpose Flour: It’s very important to measure it correctly – spoon and level it, do not scoop or pack it.
  • Salt: If using salted butter, reduce salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
  • Vanilla: Only buy pure vanilla extract!
  • Mini Chocolate Chips: Mini chips are the best to use for snowballs because they’re small cookies – that way you get chocolate in every bite. You can also use mini m&ms (like I do for my Christmas Snowball Cookies).
  1. Cream butter and powdered sugar until smooth. I prefer using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for these cookies – it takes a lot to get the dough mixed. But a hand mixer works too.
  2. Add the salt, vanilla, and flour and mix. It’ll become crumbly.
  3. Keep mixing – it’ll seem like it’s not coming together – this will take longer if you’re using a hand mixer – just keep mixing.
  4. Once the dough comes together, add chocolate chips. Scoop 1 tablespoon sized balls with a cookie scoop onto a baking sheet and bake until no longer glossy and light golden on the bottoms.
  5. Cool until you can handle them and then roll in additional powdered sugar.

Storing Snowball Cookies

Store these in an airtight container for several days at room temperature. In general, I freeze all my cookies for up to a month. The only thing with these is that you might have to re-roll them in powdered sugar after thawing. Learn how to freeze desserts.

stacked snowballs covered in powdered sugar with chocolate chips baked in.

Expert Tips

  • JUST KEEP MIXING – this dough WILL come together. Remember, it’ll take a lot longer if using a hand mixer, which is why I prefer a stand mixer.
  • We use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop for these and it makes about 4 dozen bite-sized cookies – you can crowd your pans because they won’t spread out in the oven.
  • My mom uses a 1/2 or 3/4 tablespoon cookie scoop for tiny bite sized cookies – it’ll make many more if use use that size.
Why do my cookies stay in a ball?

These cookies are little balls of heaven – and they stay that way even when they’re baked because they have no eggs and no leavening. Without baking soda or baking powder or egg, they don’t spread, even with all that butter!

My dough is crumbly, what did I do wrong?

Keep mixing. It takes awhile for the dough to become a dough, especially if you’re using a hand mixer. It WILL come together eventually in a nice thick cohesive cookie dough. And make sure you don’t pack your flour or powdered sugar!

My cookies spread, what did I do wrong?

Did you use REAL butter? If you used imitation butter it won’t perform as well. Also, was your butter melted or really, really soft? That can affect spread sometimes. Otherwise, these cookies should only puff, if they change shape at all.

My powdered sugar dissolved, what happened?

In this case, you probably rolled them while they were too hot. Just re-roll them once they’re cool. I often do this for effect – and make them SUPER powdery.

Can I add nuts instead of chocolate chips?

You can add an equal amount of chopped pecans or walnuts to make a more traditional snowball cookie recipe. You can even use almonds, cashews, or pistachios!

A bowl filled with powdered sugar-coated cookie dough balls, some with chocolate chips visible. One dough ball is halved, revealing a soft, chocolate chip-studded interior. The bowl has a colorful rim.

Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies Recipe

3.98 from 322 votes
Snowball Cookies are the BEST Christmas Cookie! I made these snowball cookies with chocolate chips and no nuts! They're an easy cookie recipe everyone can enjoy.

Recipe Video

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Yield 48 cookies
Serving Size 1 cookie

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter softened
  • ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 ¼ cups (279g) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (170g) mini chocolate chips
  • Additional powdered sugar for rolling
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  • Mix butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Stir in the chocolate chips. If dough is too soft, chill it until you can work it easily with your hands.
  • Scoop 1 tablespoon balls of dough and place on prepared cookie sheet.
  • Bake cookies for 7-10 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool. Fill a small bowl with powdered sugar (about 1 cup) and roll each cookie in the sugar until coated.

Recipe Notes

  • Add flavoring if you want – replace the vanilla extract with any other extract!
  • Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.
  • The mixture takes a long time to mix together. Use a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment if you have one. A hand mixer works but it will take a long time to come together – you’ll think the dough isn’t going to mix but up the speed on the mixer and it will after a few minutes.

Recipe Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 79kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 7mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutritional information not guaranteed to be accurate
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

If you’re looking for a classic snowball cookie with chocolate chips – this is it! My mom’s favorite snowball recipe – no nuts! It’s the perfect Christmas cookie recipe.



Dorothy Kern

Welcome to Crazy for Crust, where I share recipes that are sometimes crazy, often with a crust, and always served with a slice of life.

3.98 from 322 votes (283 ratings without comment)

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281 Comments

  1. Made these with heath bar chips. Read the temperature (350)wrong so baked them a little longer. Came out delicious!

  2. Made a double recipe over the weekend. These are very tasty and melt in your mouth. I’m going to try them with half chocolate chips and half toffee bits.

  3. I normally make the traditional Russian Tea Cakes. I will try this chocolate chip version this year. I’ve found it best to roll the cookies in sugar about 5 minutes after coming out of the oven. Also, it is best to roll each cookie a few times. The sugar will layer on and the cookies will be white (not lacking a heavier amount of powdered sugar as shown in the pics above.)