5-Ingredient Vanilla Almond Snowball Cookies

ByJulie Kotzbach November 25, 2017January 29, 2025

5-Ingredient Vanilla Almond Snowball Cookies are an easy holiday cookie that’s a favorite at Christmas time! Make a double batch and share with friends!

I LOVE HOLIDAY BAKING! It’s my favorite time of year. It doesn’t matter if I’m making cookies, pies, cakes, or easy breakfast casseroles, I love baking for family & friends. These cookies are one of my go-to Christmas cookie recipes. I make a batch every year for the cookies plates we pass out and they’re always a hit. I call this recipe 5-Ingredient Vanilla Almond Snowball Cookies, but I’ve heard them called Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies too. Whatever you name them, they’re a fun holiday cookie that disappears about as fast as I can fill the cookie jar!

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A few years back I did a Christmas cookies recipe exchange with some other bloggers. I’m always looking for yummy cookies for the holidays and I got the best recipe from my friend Carrie at Frugal Foodie Mama for the exchange. These 5-Ingredient Vanilla Almond Snowball Cookies are SO easy to make and a hit with everyone, young and old!

A little backstory about these cookies. Carrie might blush, but I have to share the note she sent me along with this recipe.

I am sharing with you my recipe for Mexican Wedding Cookies. They are so easy, I am almost embarrassed. (Okay, not really because they are crazy good!) My mom has been making them since I was a little girl, and I always loved them because I thought they looked like little snowballs.

Hopefully, Carrie will forgive me for taking a couple liberties with her beloved snowball cookies, but I was working with the ingredients I had on hand. That’s one of the best things about this cookie recipe! You can use your favorite nuts (almond, pecans, walnuts, heck even peanuts) and then proceed with the recipe as usual. These cookies are always the first to be eaten when I give out cookie plates and with good reason!

5-Ingredient Vanilla Almond Snowball Cookies

Julie

5-Ingredient Vanilla Almond Snowballs are an easy holiday cookie that's a favorite at Christmas time! Make a double batch and share with friends!

4.51 from 91 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Servings cookies

Calories 102 kcal

Ingredients

1 cup almonds finely chopped
1 cup unsalted butter softened (2 sticks)
1 cup powdered sugar divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place chopped almonds on a baking sheet and toast for 3 to 5 minutes in preheated oven. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.
Once the nuts are cooled, beat together the butter, 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.
Add flour to butter mixture in two additions, mixing until just combined after each addition. Stir in the toasted almonds by hand.
Use a small cookie scoop to portion cookie dough and then roll dough into 1-inch balls. Place cookies on a silicone mat lined baking sheet. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the bottom edges of the cookies just begin to brown.
Remove cookies from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Roll warm cookies in the remaining 1/2 cup powdered sugar, and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

You can also make this recipe without the nuts and it will be completely delicious! Without nuts, this recipe makes 24-28 cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 102 kcalCarbohydrates: 6 gProtein: 1 gFat: 7 gSaturated Fat: 3 gCholesterol: 14 mgSodium: 0 mgPotassium: 40 mgFiber: 0 gSugar: 0 gVitamin A: 170 IUCalcium: 14 mgIron: 0.5 mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.

Tried this recipe?If you made this recipe, leave a comment and star rating to let others know how it turned out.

Julie Kotzbach

I’m Julie, the creator of Bread Booze Bacon, where I share bold, flavor-packed recipes for everyday meals and easy entertaining. From hearty comfort food to crowd-pleasing appetizers and cocktails, these are recipes built to impress without overcomplicating things.

4.51 from 91 votes (86 ratings without comment)

32 Comments

Kathleen says:

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I must say toasting almonds is a must!! I also sprinkled some left over toasted almonds on top.. I should have doubled receipe cause they were the first cookie to go!!! Excellent!!

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Linda says:

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mine came out very dry.

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1. Julie says:
  
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  Hi Linda! This is a shortbread style cookie and they do tend to be on the drier side vs. a cookie using egg and a leavening agent. The use of powdered sugar vs. regular sugar also gives that crumbly effect to the finished cookie. Was your dough hard to work with and overly crumbly? I’d love to help you troubleshoot.
  
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Carle says:

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Do you think I can use a gluten free all-purpose flour and they turn out the same? We’ve gotten a gluten intolerant family member!

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Carle! I haven’t made them with GF flour and depending on the type you use it can change the texture and consistency of the cookie. That being said, these are a shortbread style cookie and pretty forgiving. I think you should be okay to substitute the flour.
  
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Steven says:

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Not sure what happened lol cookies turned into a solid thin sheet of something. Any ideas

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Steven! Without being in the kitchen I can’t be sure what went wrong. Did the cookie dough hold its shape before baking? It should be a ball, not just a scoop of cookie dough. That’d be my first indicator.
  
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Joann says:

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Can I substitute reg flour with almond flour. I am insulin resistant and need to cut down on carbs. The almond flour i bought is superfine blanched almond flour.

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Joann! I think that would be fine. Just know the texture will be a little different. 🙂
  
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Arianna says:

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Hi there! Just curious, I didn’t see it in the description. Could have missed it, but about how many cookies does this recipe make? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it.

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Arianna! This recipe makes about 33 cookies. There’s a spot in the recipe card that says “servings” and has it, so it’s there for ya when you print it out. 🙂
  
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2. Brooke says:
  
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  The recipe worked great! I didnt have almonds and I really wanted to try making it so I used walnuts, roasted them just like you would almonds and it came out amazing!
  
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Heather says:

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Followed the recipe exactly and they came out great! Definitely going to pair well with a nice cup of tea or a mug of cocoa. Thanks so much for sharing!

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Laura says:

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Sliced almonds or slivered almonds? Or does it matter?

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  If you can’t find chopped almonds, I’d buy slivered almonds since you want to be able to chop them up. Sliced almonds chopped up would get lost in the dough.
  
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Amanda says:

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Can you freeze the dough and bake later?

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  You’ll want to scoop the dough onto a baking sheet, freeze the dough balls, and then transfer to a storage container. Defrost in the fridge overnight before baking. 🙂
  
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Edna Aurand says:

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Could almond extract be substituted for the almonds?

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Edna! You could substitute 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, but I prefer the real thing since the flavor is a little more subtle. That being said, start with 1/4 tsp extract and see if that’s good for you or if you want more almond flavor. 🙂
  
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Stephanie says:

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Thesa cookies are a snap to make (beneficial for holiday baking). Buttery, flakey and delicious. Only problem – cookie addiction. Yummy!

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Jill Dew says:

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Looks good. I’m going with pecans instead of almonds, though. They’re my go-to nut.

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Stephanie Galt says:

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Can the dough be made ahead and chilled?

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Stephanie! The dough can be pre-made and chilled.
  
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Susie says:

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Hi these are wonderful! Can you make ahead and freeze? Or refrigerate for 5 days?

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Susie! You can definitely make these cookies ahead of time and keep them in an air-tight container. They’ll be good for a week in the fridge and a month in the freezer. 🙂
  
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Emmi says:

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Can i add an egg yolk to this recipe as a binder ?

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1. Julie Espy says:
  
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  Hi Emmi! I have not tried adding an egg. This recipe is based on a standard shortbread cookie that doesn’t use eggs. Since baking is very particular in the chemistry of a recipe, I wouldn’t suggest the addition of an egg. If you need some more moisture to bring the dough together, some water or milk would work – just add 1 teaspoon at a time. Hope this helps!
  
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Cookie M. says:

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My dough was overly crumbly. I was still able to use the dough by using my hands which made the dough warm and then easy to roll. Wondering what went wrong.

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Denise Manske says:

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Do I need silicone mat baking sheet?

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1. Julie Kotzbach says:
  
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  No, you can use parchment paper instead.
  
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LB says:

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Have not made yet but looking forward

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David says:

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Made with almonds. Anybody make these with walnuts?

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