These cookies are the perfect addition to your holiday baking list. It's a spin on your classic snowball cookie, with a chocolate dough, chocolate chips and of course rolled in powdered sugar!
The typical snowball cookie is made with chopped nuts, but one of my dear friends from school used to make them with chocolate chips swapped in and they were just the best! This recipe is inspired by that chocolate chip version. Though these cookies may sound overly sweet, that is totally not the case. They have a deep chocolate flavor from the cocoa powder and the dough itself isn't too sweet which balances perfectly with the outer shell of powdered sugar.
These cookies are made with a small set of simple ingredients and the end result is a soft texture similar to shortbread. You'll roll your cookies twice in powdered sugar, once when your cookies are warm and the second time once the cookies have cooled. The first time you'll notice that the powdered sugar almost melts into your cookies, and the second roll is what gives you the true "snowball" look.
I love these cookies because not only is it a simple ingredient list, but there is no special equipment required. It is really important to make sure your butter is truly at room temperature since you'll be mixing by hand. You certainly could use a stand or hand mixer, but a spatula will do the trick.
When you add your dry ingredients, you'll reach a point where you really think the dough is never going to form...and then slowly you'll see streaks of a beautiful, almost brownie-like dough start to come together. Once your dry ingredients are about halfway combined, you'll add your chocolate chips, continue mixing and your dough is ready to go. The cookies bake for a short time in the oven and then they'll be ready for their powdered sugar bath.
These cookies are smaller than my typical cookie, and are a great bake ahead option if you plan to gift some treats or want to bring them to a holiday gathering. I used the smallest scooper from my Cook'n Feel set, and I have this medium scoop from Oxo which would work great as well. Both are around 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough so that's the size to aim for when you make them at home!
Ingredients:
1 stick (half cup, 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup powdered sugar (for rolling your cookies in)
Total time: A little over an hour
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Bake time: 10-12 minutes
Time needed post baking: About 45 minutes
Cooking instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium or large bowl, combine your butter and 1/4 cup of powdered sugar. Use a spatula or a large spoon for this, and continue to mix until your powdered sugar has completely combined into your butter. Note: your butter needs to be at room temperature for this and should be soft to the touch. If you need, you can soften your butter in the microwave for about 10 seconds.
Add in your vanilla extract and keep mixing until it's fully combined with your butter and sugar.
To your butter mixture, add in your flour, cocoa powder and salt. Begin mixing and know that it will likely seem dry to start. Continue to mix, using your spatula or back of your spoon to press down on your mixture. When you begin to see your dough darken and form, add in your 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Continue to mix until your dough has fully formed (it will be a deep brown color similar to brownie batter) and your chips are dispersed.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, note that these cookies won't spread much so your scoops can be placed closer than your typical cookie. Use a scoop or spoon to form dough balls that are about 1 1/2 tablespoons each (it should make about 12 cookies).
Place your scooped dough into your 350 degree oven to bake for 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, measure out a half cup of powdered sugar into a small bowl. Once your cookies have cooled for about 5-10 minutes but are still warm to the touch, roll each cookie for a first round into your powdered sugar. Know that your cookies may be a bit soft so handle them with care. I like to drop the cookie into the powdered sugar and use a small spoon to scoop the sugar over the cookie and then lightly shake the cookie. The powdered sugar will melt a bit into your cookies, that is totally normal.
Place your once rolled cookies onto a cooling rack or back onto your cookie sheet. Allow your cookies to continue cooling for about 30-45 minutes at room temperature or you can place your cookies into the freezer for about 10 minutes to speed up this process (this is my preference). Once your cookies are cool to the touch, roll your cookies for a second time in your remaining powdered sugar - and enjoy!
You can store your cookies in an airtight container at room temperature or in the fridge for a few days. They will last a bit longer in the fridge, though I do recommend allowing them to come to room temperature before enjoying. You can also freeze them if you don't plan to eat them all within a few days and defrost any time in the fridge or out at room temperature once you’re ready.
Carb and serving info:
Servings: 12 cookies
Carbs per cookie (1 of 12): 18
Carbs in full recipe: 219
Note: Carb information is calculated based on the specific ingredients I used to cook with to help guide my own insulin to carb ratio when dosing before I eat my home cooked recipes.