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Gingerbread Snowballs are a twist on a traditional snowball recipe and taste like gingerbread in bite-sized cookie ball form! This is the easiest holiday cookie recipe and perfect for gifting. Whether you call them Russian Teacakes, Wedding Cookies, or Butter Balls, they’re the same recipe but amped up with gingerbread spices. They’re so perfect for the holiday season.
Best Holiday Snowballs Recipe
If it’s the holiday season, you can bet I’m making some snowball cookies! I love the classic ones, but I can never resist putting my unique spin on them, and today, it’s gingerbread snowballs!
They taste just like they sound like – a cross between the best gingerbread and the best snowball cookies all rolled up into adorable round cookies.
These gingerbread snowball cookies take that classic simple recipe and turn them into a Christmas spice cookie. The scent of the spices alone is enough to get you in the Christmas spirit – In fact, they’re usually one of the first cookies I make. They are the best holiday mood-maker.
I also add some molasses, which contributes to the texture and flavor. Molasses is bitter, and it balances out the sweetness for the perfect cookie. There’s only a tablespoon, so it’s more in the background, but even that little bit adds a depth of flavor that is so good.
And if you need even more convincing – this is a no-chill cookie recipe! In 30 minutes, you can have a batch of gingerbread snowball cookies cooling on a wire rack. For the holidays, there’s nothing better than a batch of quick and easy cookies!
Table of Contents
Ingredients in Gingerbread Snowballs
As always, when you’re making a recipe with so few ingredients, you have to make sure they are good-quality ones. So, let’s talk about two essential ones: butter and spices.
Butter: One of the other names for this cookie recipe is a Butter Ball because the majority of the cookie is just that: butter. Therefore you want to use a good quality butter, one that tastes good and performs well.
I use Challenge Butter in all my baking recipes – it’s made from real cream and real ingredients and nothing artificial. It’s also a California company, and I love using local products whenever possible. I grew up on Challenge Dairy, and I’m glad to share recipes with you using their ingredients. Good news: it’s now available nationally! Find a store near you here. Look for the package with the elk on it!
Powdered Sugar: This is in the cookies and used for rolling them.
Vanilla and Salt: For flavor
Gingerbread Spice Mix: To make them taste like gingerbread!
Molasses: This is a must in any gingerbread cookie.
All-purpose Flour: Be sure to measure it correctly.
How to make Gingerbread Spice
Making your own is not hard. You probably have the ingredients, and you’ll know it’s fresh! Just to be sure to check your spice expiration dates before you make it.
I usually make a big batch at the start of the holiday season, and then it’s ready to go whenever I want to bake. It’s easy!
Every mix is different, but my favorite combo is cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and cloves.
I use a 4:2:1 ratio – four parts cinnamon, two parts nutmeg and ginger, and one part each of allspice and cloves. Not all mixes include the allspice and cloves, but I love adding them.
If you don’t want to make a batch of the spice mix, I’ve included the individual amounts in the recipe. However, if you opt to use the mix, you will need about three teaspoons total.
Mix them up and then revel in the holiday feelings. Every time I open my jar of gingerbread spice mix, I can’t help but think of Christmas.
How to Make Gingerbread Snowball Cookies
- Beat the butter with an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy. This will only take about 20 seconds.
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and molasses and mix until smooth. Add flour and continue mixing until the dough comes together.
- After you add the flour, it will take time for the dough to form. It will look like a crumbly mess for a while, so keep mixing until the dough forms.
- Scoop one tablespoon of the dough for each cookie and place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment.
- Bake the cookies at 350°F for 10 to 12 minutes or until the bottoms are just lightly brown.
- Take the sheet out of the oven and let them cool for one minute or until you can handle them. Next, roll each cookie in powdered sugar so they are evenly coated. Doing this while they are still warm from the oven will help the sugar stick.
- Place the snowballs on a wired rack to cool completely. Once cooled, reroll them again if you want a more even sugar coating.
Tips for the Best Cookies
- If you follow this blog, you know what the first tip is – measure the ingredients accurately! Don’t pack the flour or powdered sugar in the measuring cup. For these ingredients, use the spoon and level method for the best results.
- Use softened butter – so that means, not cold from the fridge or so warm it’s practically melted. Instead, leave it out at room temperature ahead of time (one to two hours). Or, in a pinch, you can microwave it at 50% power in 10-second increments until it’s softened.
- A stand mixer makes this recipe easy, especially after you add the flour. The dough will come together faster. If you use a hand mixer, it will take a little longer. If you want to mix the dough by hand, just be warned it will take quite a bit longer, but it will come together!
More Snowball Cookie Recipes to Make This Holiday Season
- Chocolate Dipped Snowball Cookies
- Pumpkin Spice Snowballs
- Christmas Snowball Cookies
- Strawberry Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
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Gingerbread Snowballs
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup Challenge Unsalted Butter (226g), softened
- ½ cup (57g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 2 ¼ cups (279g) all purpose flour
- Powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preaheat oven to 350°. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix butter with an electric mixer until fluffy. About 20 seconds. Add powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and molasses and mix until mixture is smooth. Add flour and mix until the dough comes together. This will take time. It will look like it won’t go beyond a crumbly mess but it will form into a cookie dough if you keep mixing. I can take a few minutes.
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and place on prepared cookie sheet.
- Bake cookies for 10-12 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool for just a minute, until you can handle them. Fill a small bowl with additional powdered sugar and roll each cookie in the sugar until coated. Place on a rack to cool. (Once cookies are cooled, you may want to re-roll them in more powdered sugar.)
Recipe Nutrition
Gingerbread Snowballs are the perfect holiday cookie! They are a fun twist on the traditional snowball recipe.
While these are very good cookies, and I’ll continue to happily eat and serve them, I’ve made them many times exactly as the recipe reads, and it only makes 22 ( 1 tablespoon sized )cookies not 40.
Can I use salted butter instead?
Yes just omit the salt in the recipe
How long do these stay fresh after baking?
In an airtight container, about 5 days. You can freeze them too.
Came out perfect, made exactly as you stated and rolled in sugar twice once when 5 minutes out of the oven and second time when fully cooled. They look amazing. Thank you!
Love these teacakes! Didn’t have molasses but they turned out delicious!!!!
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