Melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, and sweetened with powdered sugar, these Sourdough Snowball Cookies are a must on anyone’s Christmas cookie tray. Adding sourdough discard gives this beloved holiday cookie a slight sourdough tang, while chopped nuts add delicious crunch and texture to these buttery shortbread cookies.
This year, give your Christmas cookie tray an update with Sourdough Snowball Cookies. Also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes, or Butter Balls, whatever you call them, these buttery snowball cookies are a classic recipe for this time of year, but now with a sourdough twist!
Sourdough Snowball Cookies are unique in that they do not incorporate eggs or granulated sugar in the cookie dough. Instead, all you need is six ingredients to make a light and airy sweet treat.
Add chopped nuts to the dough for a bit of crunch and texture! My favorite nuts to add are chopped walnuts, but pecans are just as popular around the holiday season.
Once baked, roll these buttery cookies in powdered sugar two times. The confectioner’s sugar makes these the perfect holiday cookies as they look like little snowballs.
These cookies will melt in your mouth! Shortbread cookies are full of delicious buttery and sugary sweetness and they are the perfect Christmas cookies. Watch them disappear from your holiday cookie trays!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
Only 6 ingredients –
During the holidays, your shopping list can run for miles! Luckily, this recipe is made up of just 6 pantry staple ingredients.
One bowl recipe-
No need for a stand mixer or countless kitchen gadgets. All this easy recipe requires is a medium bowl and a hand mixer.
Classic Christmas Cookie-
Each cookie is covered in a powdered sugar coating making them look like a freshly packed snowball! An adorable addition to anyone’s cookie plates.
Easy way to use up discard-
This classic cookie recipe is an easy way to use up any extra sourdough discard stored in your fridge.
Customizable –
As if this recipe couldn’t get better, it totally customizable. These cookies are delicious with or without chopped nuts. Or omit the nuts altogether for mini chocolate chips. For a more festive take, add crushed peppermint candy cane to the cookie dough. Yum!
Ingredients
All-Purpose Flour – Be sure to measure the flour accurately. If you do not have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level off with a butter knife. Too much flour will make these cookies very brittle.
Powdered Sugar – This recipe uses confectioners’ sugar, rather than granulated sugar, both in the dough and on the outside.
Unsalted butter – Bring to room temperature for easy mixing.
Vanilla – I prefer vanilla extract, but use what you have.
Discard – I suggest using unfed sourdough starter (sourdough discard) that is no more than 2 weeks old.
Salt – To highlight the sweetness of this cookie.
Chopped nuts (optional) – I prefer chopped walnuts, but chopped pecans, macadamia nuts, or ground almonds would be tasty as well! Not a fan of nuts or have a nut allergy? No worries – omit, if desired.
Cookie Variations:
Chocolate lover? Instead of chopped nuts, substitute 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips. Another chocolate option my family loves is to wrap the cookie dough around one Hershey Kiss.
For a more festive cookie, add 1/2 cup of crushed peppermint candy canes or holiday-colored sprinkles! You can also swap vanilla extract with almond extract for a fruity, sweet flavor or peppermint extract for a holiday take.
Supplies
Large Bowl
Hand mixer
Rubber Spatula
Parchment Paper
Wire racks
How to Make Sourdough Snowball Cookies
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
Chop nuts by hand or toss them in a food processor for a quick chop!
Cream butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard on medium speed for about 2 minutes. It will look light and fluffy.
Add the flour, salt, and chopped nuts (optional) and mix on low speed, until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
The cookie dough will be crumbly.
Shape
With your hands or a cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and roll it into a smooth ball shape, about 2 inches wide or about 2 Tablespoons worth of cookie dough.
When you press the crumbly dough together, it will adhere together and form a round dough ball. For the best results, make sure there are no cracks in the dough ball.
This cookie recipe will make about 14-16 sourdough snowball cookies.
Bake
Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in a 350-degree f oven for 21-23 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookie starts to show a little color. (It’s better to undercook, rather than overcook!)
Decorate
Dip the warm cookies straight out of the oven into a bowl of confectioners’ sugar and cool on a wire rack. The powdered sugar may melt a little bit.
Once the cookies have cooled slightly, roll the cookie balls in the icing sugar a second time for a final dusting.
How to Serve
Sourdough Snowball Cookies are delicious when served on their own, but they are even better when served with a warm cup of hot chocolate or hot coffee.
How to Store
Sourdough Snowballs Cookies will keep for two weeks when stored at room temperature in an airtight container.
These cookies also freeze well! Since the cookies can easily crumble, it is best to store them in a freezer-safe container instead of a zip-top bag. No one wants cookie crumbs! Thaw on the countertop until brought back to room temperature.
FAQs:
Why are my sourdough snowball cookies falling apart after baking?
If your cookies are crumbly after being baked, it is most likely due to too much flour being added to the dough or the cookies being baked too long. For precise baking, use a kitchen scale or spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off with a butter knife.
Why are my sourdough snowball cookies flat?
Double-check that your oven temperature is correct. Too low of an oven temperature can cause the cookies to bake flat.
Also, be sure to use room-temperature butter, rather than melted butter. If the butter is melted, your sourdough snowball cookies will not keep their shape.
Happy baking!
More Sourdough Discard Recipes Like This:
Chewy Sourdough Oatmeal Butterscotch Cookies
Mixed Berry Sourdough Cobbler
Sourdough Lemon Cake
Sourdough Snowball Cookie Recipe (Melt In Your Mouth)
Yield: 16
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 21 minutes
Total Time: 31 minutes
Melt-in-your-mouth, buttery, and sweetened with powdered sugar, these Sourdough Snowball Cookies are a must on anyone's Christmas cookie tray. Adding sourdough discard gives this beloved holiday cookie a slight sourdough tang, while chopped nuts add delicious crunch and texture to these buttery shortbread cookies.
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
- 12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (70g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (50g) unfed sourdough starter (discard)
- 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon (2g) salt
- 1/3 cup of powdered sugar (for decorating)
Instructions
How to Make Sourdough Snowball Cookies
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
2. Chop nuts finely by hand or toss them in a food processor for a quick chop!
3. Cream room temperature butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard on medium speed for about 2 minutes. It will look light and fluffy.
4. Add the flour, salt, and chopped nuts (optional) and mix on low speed, until just combined. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl to incorporate all the dry ingredients.
The cookie dough will be crumbly.
Shape
5. With your hands or a cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and roll it into a smooth ball shape, about 2 inches wide or about 2 Tablespoons worth of cookie dough.
6. When you press the crumbly dough together, it will adhere together and form a round dough ball. For the best results, make sure there are no cracks in the dough ball.
7. This cookie recipe will make 14-16 sourdough snowball cookies.
Bake
8. Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
9. Place dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
10. Bake in a 350-degree f oven for 21-23 minutes, or until the bottom of the cookie starts to show a little color. (It's better to undercook, rather than overcook!)
Decorate
11. Dip the warm cookies straight out of the oven into a bowl of confectioners' sugar and cool on a wire rack. The powdered sugar may melt a little bit.
12. Once the cookies have cooled slightly, roll the cookie balls in the icing sugar a second time for a final dusting.
Notes
- The cookie dough will be quite crumbly.
- When you press the crumbly dough together, it will adhere together and form a round dough ball. For the best results, make sure there are no cracks in the dough ball.
- Be sure to roll the sourdough snowball cookies in powdered sugar 2 times.
- If your cookies are crumbly after being baked, it is most likely due to too much flour being added to the dough or the cookies being baked too long. For precise baking, use a kitchen scale or spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level off with a butter knife.
- If your cookies are flat, double-check that your oven temperature is correct. Too low of an oven temperature can cause the cookies to bake flat.
- Also, be sure to use room-temperature butter, rather than melted butter. If the butter is melted, your sourdough snowball cookies will not keep their shape.
- These cookies keep for 2 weeks at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer.
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