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These delicious little snowball cookies will bring out the holiday cheer at all your parties this season!
Snowball Cookies, also known as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies, are probably one of the easiest cookies to make. We call them snowball cookies around here as our girls always joke about having a snowball fight with them, trying to see who will get the last one.
Traditionally these cookies are made with pecans but not this version. This version uses my favorite Enjoy Life Chocolate Chips, which makes them really allergy-friendly!
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Don’t Like Chocolate?
You can sub finely chopped nuts if you can have them for the chocolate chips. Some of my favorites are pecans, walnuts, and even pistachios. This will make them less allergy-friendly, but the cookies will still work. Just make sure your pieces are about mini chocolate chips' size so the cookie dough can form.
Additional Allergy Notes:
These cookies have no eggs!
These cookies can use either butter or palm shortening oil to help keep them dairy-free. They both work and taste great!
How To Make Snowball Cookies
Making snowball cookies is easier than you would think. Since this recipe doesn't have any eggs or butter, which makes these cookies completely dairy-free, you could sub butter for the palm shortening used if you can handle dairy, but either way, they are still delicious.
Cream the palm shortening (or butter) with the powdered sugar, add the vanilla, cassava flour, arrowroot starch, and salt until crumbly. Add the mini chocolate chips and milk of choice (or water) until a soft dough forms.
Once the cookies have been baked, roll them in additional powdered sugar and enjoy!
Note: The dough for this recipe is a little crumbly once it's put together. Don't worry; press the dough into balls with your hands to form the balls. If they are not staying, add a little bit more liquid as needed to help shape the balls.
A Note on powdered sugar: These cookies have powdered sugar both in and on top of the cookies. Traditional powdered sugar is made with cornstarch, which helps to give the sugar the light, airy feeling that makes it stick to things. If you avoid all grains including corn, make sure your powdered sugar does not have it. I like to use Wholesome Brand Powdered Sugar because it uses tapioca starch instead of corn, which makes sure these cookies are grain-free.
How To Freeze Snowball Cookies
Snowball cookies freeze well, making them great for making ahead to save yourself sometime later this holiday season. Make the dough and form them into little balls. Then place them on a cookie sheet and into the freezer for about an hour to flash freeze them. Once frozen, store them in either a Ziploc bag or airtight container in the freezer until you're ready to bake them.
When it's time to bake them, place the cookies on a baking sheet and let them defrost thoroughly before baking. I've found this usually takes about an hour or so to do. Once they are thawed, bake them off as if they were fresh and enjoy!
More Christmas Treats
Easy 5 Ingredient Meringue Cookie Pops
Holiday Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ C Butter or palm shortening
- ½ C Powdered Sugar +additional for dusting
- 1 C Cassava Flour 120g
- 1 C Arrowroot Starch
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1 TSO Vanilla
- 1 C Mini Chocolate Chips or chopped nuts if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place a sheet pan with parchment paper off to the side.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together the butter or palm shortening and the powdered sugar until fluffy
- Add in the cassava flour, arrowroot, salt, and vanilla and mix on medium until the mixture is crumbly.
- Add in the chocolate chips and mix just until combined.
- Add in the milk of choice or water in small amounts just until the dough is wet enough that balls can be formed. You do not want an overly wet dough.
- Using your hands or a small cookie scoop form balls of dough and place them on the prepared baking sheet about 1-2 inches apart.
- Place the cookies in the freezer for about 10 min to chill or about 30 min in the fridge.
- Once chilled, bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 15-18 min. They will be slightly golden on the bottom when done. These cookies DO NOT spread.
- Allow the cookies to cool about 5 minutes before rolling them in the additional powdered sugar and enjoy!
Notes
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don't forget to tag a photo #grainfreetable or @grainfreetable on Instagram. I'd love to see what you come up with!
Originally Posted 12/16/2019
Let me know what you think or if you have any questions.