These chocolate chip snowball cookies are made with no eggs and just 6 ingredients! Simple, sweet, and utterly addictive, these buttery cookies melt in your mouth! Be sure to coat yours with a generous dusting of powdered sugar while they’re still warm for that classic “snowball” look.
Snowball cookies are my youngest sister’s favorite cookies. This recipe came from a cardboard-paged Tollhouse cookie cookbook that’s probably older than she is, and is her favorite to bake. My family has been making this recipe for so long that I don’t know how I haven’t shared it with you sooner!
While Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies are great every time of the year, they are a must-serve on the holiday cookie platter, right there beside peanut butter blossoms, Snickerdoodles, and chocolate chip cookies.
The original recipe calls for finely chopped nuts, which we have always omitted because they would overwhelm these otherwise super soft cookies. The texture is perfect as is, the cookie melts in your mouth alongside melty mini chocolate chips… pure heaven in snowball cookie form.
I receive a lot of requests for egg-free baked goods, and honestly just about all of my recipes use eggs. However, these chocolate chip snowball cookies are incidentally egg-free! Which makes eating the dough by the spoonful 100% acceptable (err, not really… see my edible cookie dough post for information on the alleged dangers of eating raw flour).
These cookies have a vanilla shortbread flavor and I’m not kidding about them melting in your mouth (in true snowball fashion). The outsides become just ever-so crisp in the oven and the insides are soft with mini melty chocolate chips.
Don’t remove them from the baking sheet until they’ve cooled because they’re delicate while still warm and can just fall apart in your hands.
Enjoy!
Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter softened
- ¾ cup (105 g) powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (375 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 2 cups mini chocolate chips
- Additional powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper*.
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you can use a large bowl and an electric mixer) and beat until creamy.1 ½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter
- Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt, and beat again (start on low speed and then increase to high) until the mixture is creamy and well-combined.¾ cup (105 g) powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Gradually add all-purpose flour until ingredients are well incorporated (be sure to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl!).3 cups (375 g) all-purpose (plain) flour
- Add mini chocolate chips and use a spatula or your mixer on low speed to stir them into your cookie dough (dough will be stiff).2 cups mini chocolate chips
- Scoop cookie dough by approximately 1 Tablespoon and roll between your hands to form a smooth ball. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and place cookie dough balls at least 1" apart.
- Bake on 375F (190C) for 10-12 minutes or until bottom edges are just beginning to turn light golden brown.
- Remove from oven and sprinkle/sift powdered sugar overtop cookies while they are still warm.Additional powdered sugar for dusting
- Allow to cool and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Robyn
Can I use salted butter?
Sam
Hi Robyn! You can use salted butter. I would just omit the salt. 🙂
Jeannine Kranzow
amazing!! used salted butter and big chocolate chips because that’s what I had on hand. yum!
Rachel Sair
Melt in your mouth goodness.
Not sure if mine are totally falling apart though because I froze the dough for a week and then put in fridge overnight before baking them the next day.
Still soooo tasty.
Connie B
Hi, I just had to laugh after reading the comments, especially about storing them. Mine lasted maybe two days and were gone.I put a half teaspoon of almond extract in with the mini chocolate chips and they were delicious.
Bobbi
I have a huge collection of cookie recipes, so I wasn’t sure if I should print this recipe. So glad I did !! These are outstanding in taste, ease of preparation and
raved about by regular cookie recipients… Thank you so much for such a wonderful recipe.
Jamie
Add a splash of imitation coconut and mix milk chocolate chips with white chocolate chips ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
B
Cookies were easy to make but you need to cut back in the amount of salt in the recipe. Cookies came out having a salty aftertaste,
Sam
Did you use salted butter by chance? They shouldn’t be salty. 🙁 I’m glad you ultimately enjoyed them though. 🙂
Jill
So easy and so yummy! 🙂
Vee Anders
These are the best cookies! My whole family loves them. What’s the best way to store these cookies?
Sam
Hi Vee! Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. The powdered sugar may “melt” a little bit after storage, this is normal and you can always dust with additional powdered sugar later on. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Katrina Williams
Can you substitute regular chocolate chips?
Sam
Yup. 🙂
Deb
If there are others out there who have a family member who can’t eat nuts and/or has a soy allergy, using Nestle’s allergen free semisweet chocolate chips will work 😊 I buy their chocolate chips in Walmart, and they are less expensive than other brands of allergen free chocolate chips. Great in chocolate chip cookies as well 😉
Melinda
These cookies are delish! Can I freeze the dough and bake when needed?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Austinana
I’m afraid these weren’t one of my favorites. They aren’t sweet enough for me, and they are messy to make with all the powdered sugar and crumbs everywhere. Still, I liked their simplicity and their appearance.
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this Austinana! Every recipe isn’t for everyone and that’s ok. Thank you for trying it and leaving some honest feedback. 🙂
Meredith
Do these freeze well? I’d like to freeze and then dust them with powdered sugar once completely thawed.
Sam
Hi Meredith! They will freeze well. Dusting them with powdered sugar after thawing is the way I’d recommend doing it. 🙂
Golda
Can I use oil to substitute for the butter?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Golda! That won’t work here, unfortunately 🙁
Rhonda Coady
Can you dip them in Semi Sweet Chocolate? Also, can they be shipped in the mail?
Sam
Hi Rhonda! You could certainly dip them in chocolate if you want. I haven’t personally tried shipping them, but I don’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work. 🙂
Bruce
I commented a year ago, but I just had to comment again. These are probably the easiest and most foolproof of all your cookies. No egg, very simple ingredients that can all be combined with a hand mixer, a large batch (I got 52), and they taste great. I only bake one sheet at a time, so I love the fact that I can fit 21 on a sheet, since they don’t spread (they just flatten a little). If my pre-cut parchment sheets were a little wider, I would have been able to fit 27, and finished the job in two sheets (but I’m too cheap to use two parchment sheets on one pan).
Sam
Thank you so much for commenting again, Bruce! I appreciate it and I’m so glad you’ve been loving the cookies so much 🙂
Adele
Best cookies I’ve ever eaten
Annie
How long will these stay good for in the fridge?
Sam
About a week. 🙂