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This Snowball Cookie Recipe has chocolate chips! Whatever they’re called, they’re one of my favorite Christmas cookies. Did you know you can add chocolate chips to snowball cookies?
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies have no nuts so they’re allergy friendly – and hello, CHOCOLATE. These are one of my MOST POPULAR cookie recipes!
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.
Whenever I see orange soda or Cheetos, I think of my Dad. On weekends he would take me to look at the boats or watch the planes take off at the teeny airport, and we’d always stop at the corner store for bright orange Cheetos and soda.
And then there are Russian Tea Cake cookies (aka Snowballs). 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.
Make snowball cookies without nuts!
This is one of the questions I get so often: making snowball cookies no nuts. There are so many people allergic to nuts nowadays that sometimes it’s just safer to make cookies without.
The classic Russian Tea Cake recipe has chopped pecans or walnuts but instead of using nuts in this cookies I added mini chocolate chips. They’re the perfect substitute for nuts!
Making Snowball Cookies with Chocolate Chips was probably one of the best things I ever did!
The idea for this actually came from a Facebook reader. I posted the plain version of these cookies and someone commented, “Oh! I make those with chocolate chips!”
The irony that I never thought to add chocolate chips to these Russian Tea Cakes on my own makes me laugh.
What is a snowball cookie?
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. Once they’re rolled in powdered sugar they look like little snowballs!
The typical ingredients in these Christmas Cookies are:
- Butter
- Powdered Sugar
- Flour
- Salt
- Vanilla
(If you’ve ever wondered “Can I use powdered sugar in cookies?” the answer would be yes. These have powdered sugar IN the cookie and they’re rolled in them.)
Traditionally they also have chopped nuts inside but these have mini chocolate chips!
Snowball cookies are also called Russian Tea Cakes, Wedding Cookies, and Butter Balls. So many names for the same amazing cookie!
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!
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.
How to make this snowball cookie recipe
This is an EASY cookie recipe but there are a few things that people always ask. Here are some of the most popular FAQ I get about Russian Tea Cake recipes:
My dough is crumbly, what did I do wrong?
- You added too much flour. Did you pack it? Don’t pack your flour.
- You added too much powdered sugar. Did you pack it? Don’t pack your powdered sugar.
- 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.
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.
How long can you freeze snowball cookies?
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.
If you like these, check out my other Russian Tea Cake variations:
- Stuffed Snowballs
- Chocolate Snowball Cookies
- Funfetti Wedding Cookies
- Lemon Snowball Cookies
- Christmas Snowball Cookies
- Gingerbread Snowball Cookies
- All of my Russian Tea Cake Recipes
Make these alongside:
- The BEST Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Cutout Sugar Cookies
- The best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
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
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 Video
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
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.
Last Updated on August 10, 2022
My dough is super powdery and not sure I can even roll it into balls. I’m going to try to chill it and see if I can get it to work. Did I do something wrong, or is this how it’s supposed to be?
How do you measure your flour & powdered sugar? Possibly too much was added. Do you scoop the cup in the flour or use a spoon to scoop flour into the cup? I’ve made this recipe (and my mom’s, the original on, without the chocolate chips) hundreds of times, and it always looks like cookie dough, not crumbly. Hopefully the chilling will work. Also – are you using a mixer of an sort? Or doing it by hand? Mixers usually incorporate the ingredients better. You could try adding a teaspoon or two of milk to help it bind, if needed.
Before making these tomorrow I must ask – should I be scooping the flour or using a spoon to spoon flour and powdered sugar (it’s called icing sugar here 🙂 )into my measuring scoop? I always just scoop my flour but I have never had a cookie like this before and sure don’t want to mess it up.
To be on the safe side, use a spoon to measure into the cup, then level it with the flat part of a butter knife. Be sure not to pack it. It can be scooped, but you have to make sure not to get too much in the cup, so spooning makes it safe!
Do these come out soft/chewy or hard?
They’re kind of a combination. They’re not traditional chewy or crunchy cookies. More like shortbread!
My mom was also known for her Russian Tea Cakes. Every year when we’d make holiday cookies, these were always on the top of her list. They were her absolute favorite. She passed away 8 years ago and I haven’t been able to make them. It’s been too hard. I think I’ll give it a go this year but use this recipe instead of the traditional pecan version. They look divine. 🙂
I’m so sorry for your loss! I know I’ll feel the same way. I hope you can enjoy them and think of your mom!
Couple questions… can you use salted butter? Also, can you use regularly sized chic chips? Thanks so much! These look so yummy and I want to make them today!!
*choc chips
You can totally use salted butter, just omit or reduce salt in the recipe. And you can use the regular sized chips, but it might be harder to make them small. You can always chop up the chips first if you want them smaller! Sorry it took me so long to respond, busy weekend!
I’m the exception and don’t like this type of cookie (I know, if ya love them, ya think I’m crazy) ;o)…the chocolate chips, did however, make them better, BUT I gave them in my Christmas treats trays and they were a big hit!! The chocolate chips sent them over the moon, with the sand tart–wedding cookie—etc lovers!! Thanks for a nice recipe…Very easy to make!! ;o)
I’m glad everyone liked them! Thanks for your comment!
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