These snowball cookies are tender, melt-in-your-mouth gems studded with bits of chocolate and topped with powdered sugar. Bring these to a cookie swap with chocolate pistachio cookies, Santa's Whiskers cookies, and molasses crinkle cookies.
Save this recipe!
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I will also send you other recipes I know you'll love. Unsubscribe at any time.
Every Christmas, I get excited about these little clouds of melt-in-your-mouth perfection! They are sweet and buttery with a hint of almond that is just divine.
Based on my cornstarch cookies recipe, these have the most tender crumb and are studded with chocolate chips and dusted with lots of powdered sugar for an extra burst of sweetness.
I highly recommend you RUN, don't walk, to your kitchen and make these ASAP!
Jump to:
Why This Recipe Works
- Easy to make with a short ingredient list.
- Almond extract adds a festive holiday flavor.
- The addition of cornstarch contributes to the wonderfully tender texture.
- These are egg-free and nut-free.
- Within an hour, you can be enjoying these delicious morsels.
Ingredient Notes
- Unsalted butter is my baking essential for controlling the amount of salt.
- Cornstarch adds tenderness to the cookies.
See the recipe card for complete instructions and ingredient amounts.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
Step 1: Sift together the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Set aside.
Step 2: Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer and blend for two minutes until creamy. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and blend to incorporate.
Step 3: Slowly add the flour mixture and blend until the dough comes together. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
Step 4: Portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using a small (2 teaspoon) cookie scoop. Chill the dough for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 350℉. Arrange the cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 11-13 minutes until just set. The cookies will just be starting to brown around the bottom edges.
Step 6: While hot, dust the cookies with powdered sugar. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. When cool, dust or gently roll the cookies in more sugar.
Expert Tips
- Chill the dough. A short 30-minute chill is all these cookies need to hold their shape when baked.
- Sift the powdered sugar over the cookies to prevent breakage. The cornstarch gives these cookies a delicate texture, so they may crumble if rolled in the sugar. I recommend adding two layers of powdered sugar—right when they come out of the oven and again after cooling.
- Don't overbake. Bake the cookies until just set. Overbaking will dry out the cookies, resulting in a lack of the melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes these cookies so delicious.
- Make a double batch. These cookies disappear quickly, and you will be happy you have extras!
Recipe FAQs
This is usually caused by butter that is too warm or not accurately measuring the flour. Chilling the dough will ensure the butter is cold and doesn't melt too fast in the oven.
Snowball cookies will stay fresh for five days if stored in an airtight container.
More Christmas Sweets You Will Love
Did you try this recipe? I'd love to hear! Please leave a comment and rating below. You can also follow along on Facebook and Pinterest or sign up for my Newsletter for more recipe inspiration.
📖 Recipe Card
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
Save this recipe!
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
I will also send you other recipes I know you'll love. Unsubscribe at any time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 1 pinch Kosher salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened at room temperature)
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ⅓ cup miniature chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar (for coating plus extra as needed)
Instructions
- Sift the flour, cornstarch, and salt together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the butter and powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Cream together for two minutes until combined. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and blend to combine.
- Slowly add the flour mixture, mixing until the dough comes together. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Portion the dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet using a small 2-teaspoon cookie scoop. Roll the dough into smooth balls. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Transfer some cookies to another parchment-lined baking sheet and bake them for 11-13 minutes until set. Dust them with powdered sugar. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. When cool, dust them with more powdered sugar. You can also roll them in the sugar, but do so gently, as they are delicate.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Don't skimp on chilling the dough. This prevents the cookies from spreading and flattening while baking.
- Be careful not to overbake the cookies. Bake them just until they set. They will be slightly brown around the bottom edges.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific ingredients used.
Tina
Cookies were very good but mine didn't stay round they flattened out a bit. I refrigerated then for about an hour then baked them but they didn't stay round. They are also very fragile they were crumbling apart when I tried to roll them in the powdered sugar.
Abbey McDermott
Hi Tina,
I'm sorry the texture didn't turn out as you expected. If the cookies spread too much after chilling, it's possible too much butter was used. Since the cornstarch gives these cookies a delicate texture, I recommend in the post to sift the powdered sugar over the cookies - not roll them - to help prevent them from crumbling. Thank you for trying this recipe!