Vegan snowball cookies – light, delicious, buttery, and so festive!
Find just the holiday cookie recipe you’re looking for!
Would you like just ONE more holiday cookie recipe? Maybe you still have a little baking to do, and need a fantastically easy and delicious cookie recipe? Perhaps you would like it to be gluten free and vegan? Oh, and have a little chocolate, too?
Perfect! I have just the thing. Vegan snowball cookies! We love, love, LOVE these cookies so much.
This is a great cookie recipe to try if you’re short on time and need a quick, successful, allergy friendly holiday dessert.
Some people like to make these snowball cookies with chopped nuts, but of course that doesn’t work if you have nut allergies. Many people add mini chocolate chips instead – and that’s the way we like these cookies. These snowball cookies without nuts are still light, sweet, and so fun for the holidays.
The chocolate chips add a little more sweetness to these cookies, which aren’t terribly sweet. They are buttery and kind of like shortbread, but not as rich.
I’ve made these a couple of different ways in the past few weeks. I’ve tried it with a gluten free flour blend, and I’ve tried it with white spelt flour. It does work well both ways! It would also work just fine with regular all-purpose flour, too. I did notice with the spelt flour, they spread out just a little tiny bit. Not flat, but not totally round. They tasted amazing, though. If you are not vegan, go ahead and use regular dairy butter.
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Vegan Snowball Cookies.
Buttery vegan snowball cookies are like little bites of heaven!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup vegan buttery spread
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 2 Tablespoons unsweetened applesauce
- 4 Tablespoons organic cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups gluten free flour blend I have used Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour Blend, and also the Glutino GF Blend
- 1/2 cup dairy free mini chocolate chips
- 1 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put about a cup of powdered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.
- Cream the vegan buttery spread, vanilla extract, applesauce, salt, and granulated sugar.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low, and add the gluten free flour a half cup at a time, untill it is all incorporated. The dough will be very thick.
- Turn the mixer off and stir in the chocolate chips.
- Roll the dough into one inch balls and place on the cookie sheet.
- Bake at 325 degrees for 18-23 minutes, until the balls are golden brown on the bottom.
- Remove from oven and let cool for about 15-20 minutes before rolling.
- While the cookies are warm, roll them in the powdered sugar. Let the cookies cool fully, then roll in the powdered sugar again to get a nice white coating.
- Store in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
*I have made these with different gluten free flour blends. Sometimes, different brands act differently - they may be too dry or crumbly once you mix this dough. IF that is the case, add a little more vegan buttery spread until the dough comes together and you can form the dough into balls. (For example, when I use Glutino Flour, I have to add one extra tablespoon of buttery spread).
Adapted from here.
These really are one of my very favorite Christmas cookies! Are you still doing any baking, or are you done?
I was invited to a last minute lunch gathering with some friends, several of whom do not eat gluten. I am vegan, so experienced with vegan baking, but not so much with gluten free baking. I needed a quick and delicious dessert recipe that I could make from ingredients I had at home (ie nothing terribly unusual). I figured I would give these snowball cookies a try. I am so glad I did!!
So easy! One bowl, had all the ingredients on hand, incredibly quick to mix up, and the end result was fantastic. The cookies packed a powerful hit of yum not just in my opinion, but also in the opinions of several other people who “can’t stand how gluten free things…” taste, have a weird texture, etc.. The cookies were a little more crumbly than their glutinous counterparts, but that made them seem delicate and extra good rather than unappealing.
And as a special bonus, the yield on the cookies was exactly 24. That is always a high point for me, because sometimes, I just don’t know what the recipe creator was thinking with their size measurements. I measure carefully and have ended up way off on the yield more than one. So I was quite pleased with the exactly two dozen cookies I took t the lunch.
I didn’t have enough time to let the cookies cool as much as they should have before rolling in powdered sugar. The sugar soaked into some of the cookies, which was fine. I also left some of the cookies blank, in case the melted in sugar didn’t work out. Both versions of the cookie were delicious. I personally preferred the ones without the sugar on them, but I tend to prefer slightly less sweet cookies.
I have always thought it important to include everyone need with food I bring to social gatherings, if at all possible. The importance of this has been underlined for me since becoming a vegan, going to parties, and having no food, or very low effort foods (think bag of chips) because people couldn’t figure out how to do anything vegan. Thanks for the great recipe that allowed me to take cookies for everyone. I know where I will be coming back to next time I am looking for something to share with my gluten free friends (or maybe even if I am just looking for something a little different to try!).
Wonderful! I am so happy to hear that these were a hit! Thank you for letting me know. :)
Perfect paired with hot cocoa on a snowy day!
These look perfect for tea time!
Could you use a non vegan butter (if you’re not vegan?) And would coconutbsugar work?
Is there any chance you can email me this recipe and a few others. I can’t get them to print to be able to bring them to the kitchen to try them….Because I am sure you aren’t busy :) Thanks so much!!
If I didn’t want to use the chocolate chips could I add more sweetness to the cookies by using sweetened applesauce?
I don’t think you need to add anything else, they will be good without the chocolate chips. Too much applesauce will effect the texture.
I don’t see the recipe for the buttery spread. In the vegan snowball cookies. Is it just vegan butter
Hello, I would love to make your snowball cookies but would like to substitute light olive oil instead of a vegan spread. Do you think it would work? I miss these cookies since I have been diary intolerant.
I don’t know if it would work, because I have never tried that. Since coconut oil is a solid when chilled, I think I would try that before I would try olive oil. Let me know what you try!
If I were to leave out the chocolate chips, would it make a huge difference, do you think? I cannot have chocolate but these look so good!
Can you have nuts? I think these need a little something extra in there, because they are not too sweet. Or carob chips?
I cannot have nuts. I did make these without the chocolate and they were delicious!
Awesome, so glad to hear it!
Question- I want to make these vegan, but not gluten free. Can I swap gluten free flour for regular flour with the same result?
Yes you can! When I tried them that way, they did not stay quite as round, but they still tasted great!
Confectioner’s sugar is not considered “vegan”, is it? I think animal bones are used in the processing.
There are some brands that are vegan, this article lists some specific brands. https://www.vrg.org/journal/vj2007issue4/2007_issue4_sugar.php
I have made confectioners sugar by grinding regular sugar in a blender.
Good idea!
Hope your boys feel better soon! Being sick this time of year is definitely no fun!
And these cookies look perfect! I’ve been looking for a classic snowball cookie recipe and I think these are it! :)
I had similar cookies last night! Now I want more of them. ;) Perfect timing with this recipe!
I make these every Christmas, they are one of my absolute favorites!
Awww sorry to hear the babes were sick! Hopefully they’re better now just in time for Christmas festivities! These balls look ah-mazing! Snowballs/Mexican wedding cakes were always my fave to bake with my mom growing up. LOVE that they’re vegan and GF! You wizzard!