Peppermint Snowball Cookies, aka Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies, are the quintessential Christmas-time cookie that replaces the standard nuts with chocolate chips to create a delicious holiday dessert. It is so easy and quick to make these adorable chocolate-studded bite-sized balls with their festive minty flavor and fun pink hue, all dusted in powdered sugar to look like a snowball in food form.
Perfectly Festive Peppermint Snowball Cookies
This Peppermint Snowball Cookies recipe is something extra special because I’ve taken the traditional version, removed the chopped pecans, and given it a chocolate chip-peppermint makeover!
They are everything a Christmas cookie should be: easy to make, beautiful to look at, and packed with festive holiday flavor. It’s as simple as mixing together basic pantry staples to form a shortbread-type dough, scooping it into little balls that bake into melt-in-your-mouth buttery cookies, then double dusting them in powdered sugar to create their extra bright white snowy exterior.
The texture and taste of these treats are pure perfection–the insides are soft with mini melted chocolate chips; the outsides are ever-so-slightly crisp, and the double hit of peppermint delivers a delicious festive flavor.
What I love most about these cookies is the fun pink center that’s hidden beneath the thick white coating, a surprise that you see only when you take your first bite. It’s like a pretty pink peppermint Christmas present wrapped in powdered sugar!
Why We Love This Christmas Cookie Recipe
- Quick and easy to make.
- Beautiful buttery cookies that are packed with peppermint flavor.
- Fun and festive pink interior surrounded by a sweet, white snowy exterior.
- Delicious dessert that looks like a snowball in food form.
- Allergy-friendly: they are nut-free and egg-free.
- Perfect for a cookie exchange, holiday parties, or Christmas cookie platters.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Salted sweet cream butter, softened
- Powdered sugar
- Pure peppermint extract
- Pure vanilla extract
- Mini semi sweet chocolate chips
- Hot pink/rose food color gel: You can substitute the red food color for a dark pink.
- Finely crushed peppermint candies
Substitutions and Additions
- Change The Color: This recipe is easy to customize for your favorite holidays and celebrations. Use green food coloring for St. Patrick’s Day, red for Valentine’s Day, orange for Halloween, or create your own colored cookie.
- More Mint: Feel free to replace the chocolate chips with Andes mint chips, mint chips that look like chocolate chips (but they’re green), or chopped Andes mints for an extra minty flavor.
Recommended Tools
- Mixing Bowl
- Measuring tools
- Stand mixer or a handheld mixer
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- 1 T cookie scoop
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How to Make the Peppermint Snowball Cookies
It is so easy to make these beautiful bite-sized holiday cookies using my simple instructions to mix, scoop, bake, and roll. Fabulously festive peppermint flavor and a fun bright pink hue are packed into these Christmas cookies and make any dessert table complete!
- Whisk together the flour and cornstarch and set the bowl aside.
- Beat the butter for 30 seconds with a mixer on medium-high.
- Add powdered sugar to the butter and beat for another 1-1½ minutes.
- Add peppermint and vanilla extracts and continue to beat on medium-low.
Pro-Tip: Make sure to use peppermint extract, NOT mint extract. The mint will make these cookies taste like toothpaste, not peppermint!
- Add in the flour mixture and continue to mix on medium-low until the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Add the red food color and mix on medium speed until the color is uniform.
Pro-Tip: Feel free to add a tablespoon of crushed peppermints to the cookie dough. - Mix in the mini chocolate chips and until well distributed.
- Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- While dough is chilling, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Scoop chilled cookie dough with a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop and roll the dough into a ball.
- Place on the prepared baking sheet 1 inch apart.
- Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.
- Add powdered sugar and crushed peppermint candies to a mixing bowl, whisk to combine, and set it aside.
Pro-Tip: The easiest way to crush candy is to place the candy in a Ziploc bag and smash it with a rolling pin. - Allow baked cookies to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
- Roll cookies in the powdered sugar mixture and place on the 2nd prepared cookie sheet.
- When the coated cookies are cool, roll them again in the powdered sugar mixture.
Pro-Tip: A double coating of powdered sugar ensures snowy white snowball cookies. Make sure you do not roll the cookies until they have completely cooled. These cookies are fragile when warm and could crumble. - Serve and enjoy!
Tips
- A double coating of powdered sugar ensures snowy white snowball cookies. Make sure you do not roll the cookies until they have completely cooled. These cookies are fragile when warm and could crumble.
- Make sure to use peppermint extract, NOT mint extract. The mint will make these cookies taste like toothpaste, not peppermint!
- The easiest way to crush candy is to place the candy in a Ziploc bag and smash it with a rolling pin or mallet.
- Feel free to add a tablespoon of crushed peppermints to the cookie dough.
Storage Tips
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can make the cookie dough a day ahead and chill in the refrigerator. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls in an airtight container until you’re ready to bake, up to 2 months. On baking day, place the frozen cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake straight from the freezer, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time. You can roll the cookies in powdered sugar before freezing but then roll them again after they have thawed so they have a fresh coating of powdered sugar.
These Peppermint Snowball Cookies do not need leavening. The cookies hold their round shape and won’t spread while they bake because they have no baking soda or baking powder and no eggs.
There are a few reasons why your dough may be crumbly. First, you may have added too much flour or you packed it. Don’t pack your flour! Second, you may have added too much powdered sugar or you packed it. Don’t pack your powdered sugar! Remember to keep mixing. It takes a while for the dough to come together into a thick cohesive cookie dough.
Make sure your butter is at room temperature and softened rather than melted. Otherwise, they will spread out too much during baking.
Other Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes
- The Best Christmas Sugar Cookie Recipe
- Christmas M&M Cookies
- Christmas Cake Mix Cookies
- Melted Snowman Cookies
- Secret Kiss Cookies
- Grinch Cake Mix Cookies
- Peppermint Thumbprint Cookies
- Peppermint Patties
Peppermint Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 cup salted sweet cream butter softened
- 3 cups powdered sugar divided (2 cups and 1 cup)
- 1 tsp pure peppermint extract
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1¼ cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips
- 5-6 drops hot pink/rose food color gel
- ¼ cup finely crushed peppermint candies
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Set it aside.
- Using either a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer on medium-high, beat the softened butter for 30 seconds. Add the 1 cup of powdered sugar and beat for another 1-1½ minutes.
- Lower the mixer speed to medium-low, add in the peppermint and vanilla extracts.
- Keeping the mixer speed on medium-low, add in the flour mixture. Mix just until the ingredients are well incorporated.
- Increase the mixer speed to medium and add the red food color. Mix just until the color is uniform.
- Add in the mini chocolate chips and mix just until combined and well distributed.
- Cover the dough and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper, 1 for baking the dough balls, and one for the rolled cookies to finish cooling on . Set them aside.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie dough scoop, scoop out the cookie dough. Roll the dough into a ball and place on the prepared baking sheet. Space the rolled cookie dough balls 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar and the crushed peppermint candies to a medium size mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Set it aside.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar mixture. Transfer the coated cookies to the 2nd prepared cookie sheet.
- Once the coated cookies have completely cooled, roll them again in the powdered sugar mixture.
Jenn’s Notes
- To Store: Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- To Freeze: You can freeze the baked cookies for up to 3 months.
- You can make the dough a day ahead and chill in the refrigerator.
- Make sure your butter is at room temperature and softened rather than melted. Otherwise, they will spread out too much during baking.
- A double coating of powdered sugar ensures snowy white snowball cookies. Make sure you do not roll the cookies until they have completely cooled. These cookies are fragile when warm and could crumble.
- Make sure to use peppermint extract, NOT mint extract. The mint will make these cookies taste like toothpaste, not peppermint!
- The easiest way to crush candy is to place the candy in a Ziploc bag and smash it with a rolling pin.
- Feel free to add a tablespoon of crushed peppermints to the cookie dough.
These cookies are wonderful! Both in taste and simplicity. At Christmas time when there is so many things to do finding a cookie with easy ingredients and quick to make is spot on. Thank you so much.
I love recipes that I see. They are so festive, easy and simplified. I am looking forward to more.
So happy to see such a festive cookie for my cookie swap!!
Love it I want to make someday