Cinnamon Snowball Cookies are buttery cookies laced with cinnamon and coated in powdered sugar. These nut free cookies melt in your mouth and always show up on my holiday cookie tray.
What are Snowball Cookies?
Snowball cookies are buttery cookies that look like snowballs and have become a beloved holiday treat. These holiday cookies remind me of Christmas because I do not remember ever celebrating the holiday without them. They are always on a cookie tray with other cookies, whether that be one that was made by my mom, sister or myself. While I always have called them snowball cookies, many people refer to them as different names such as Mexican Wedding Cakes, Russian Tea Cakes or Butterballs and they are a Christmas classic.
These Christmas snowball cookies are made up of only 5 simple ingredients. My nut free cookies also do not include eggs and they are ideal for anyone with a nut allergy. Basically, the ingredients are salted butter, confectionery (powdered) sugar, vanilla, flour and cinnamon. You may already have everything you need in your pantry to bake cookies this holiday season!
Ingredients Needed
- Butter – use salted butter that has been softened at room temperature.
- Powdered Sugar - you will need sugar for the cookie dough plus extra for dusting the cookies after they bake.
- Vanilla Extract – this magical baking ingredient enhances all of the other flavors.
- Cinnamon – use a high-quality, fresh cinnamon to give these traditional cookies a unique flavor.
- Flour – we've used all purpose flour but you can also use a 1:1 gluten free flour that contains xantham gum.
See the recipe card for exact measurements and instructions.
How To Make Snowball Cookies Without Nuts
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter until smooth, add powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Gently mix in the flour.
- Gather the cookie dough into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into 12 balls (about 1 inch each) and bake for about 10 minutes or until bottom edges of the cookies start to turn golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then sprinkle or roll the cookies in additional powdered sugar. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon if desired.
Best Baking Tips
- You can use a food processor, stand mixer or hand mixer to make the dough for these bite sized cookies.
- Use a large bowl and scrape it down several times as you make the dough.
- When shaping the cookies into a ball shape, make them all uniform in size. This will insure that they bake evenly.
- This recipe makes a smaller batch of only a dozen cookies but feel free to double the recipe if you want more.
- For best results, sprinkle the confectioner's sugar on the cookies when they are slightly warm. This will allow the powdered sugar to stick better.
- The snowball cookies without nuts bake until the bottoms are slightly golden brown. Make sure not to overbake them.
- Pour a big glass of milk before serving!
Nut Free Cookie Variations
- Mix mini chocolate chips into the dough.
- Dust with cocoa powder.
- Dust with cinnamon in addition to powdered sugar.
How to store Cinnamon Snowball Cookies
These cinnamon cookies will keep well in an airtight container. I have kept them up to two weeks but I think they taste the best if eaten in 7 days.
Cinnamon Snowball cookies freeze well! Just make sure to wrap these nut free cookies tightly with plastic wrap and/ or in an air tight container. They should not be sprinkled with the powdered sugar until after they are defrosted and ready to serve. These nut free cookies can be frozen up to two m0nths.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Dipped Nutter Butters (No baking!)
- Drop Sugar Cookies
- ABrown Sugar Ice Box Cookies by West Via Midwest
- Christmas Tree Cookies by Swirls of Flavor
- Holiday Coins by Family Around the Table
- Little Monster Cookie Bites
This snowball cookie recipe tastes just like traditional snowball cookies but without the nuts. It's perfect for serving at holiday parties where nut allergies may be an issue.
If you like this recipe for Cinnamon Snowball cookies without nuts, please rate it five stars below.
Cinnamon Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- ½ cup powdered sugar, plus extra for garnish
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup all purpose flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Beat the butter with a mixer (or by hand) until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar and beat for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon. Mix until well combined, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl. Gently mix in the flour and stir until just combined.
- Gather the cookie dough in a big ball and put in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Divide the dough into 12 balls (about 1 inch each). Place on pan and bake for about 10 minutes or until bottom edges of the cookies start to turn golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then sprinkle or roll the cookies in additional powdered sugar. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon if desired.
Elana
These look so delicious and convenient to make!! Yummmu
Wendy Klik
Snowball cookies are definitely a must have on a Christmas Cookie Platter. I love that these are allergen friendly.
Jolene
Love that these are nut free and so easy!
Gwynn Galvin
These are one of my favorite holiday cookies. And I can't eat just one!
Colleen - Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck
I love that these are nut-free...perfect for my nut allergic B.O.B. Bob!
Hezzi-D
Love how easy these are too make It's always nice to have a cookie with just a handful of ingredients.
Cindy
I love snowball cookies around Christmas. So easy too!
Laura
Always looking for a new holiday treat!
Lisa Kerhin
They are most definitely a cookie to have at Christmas!
NancyM
My favorite cookie to make is my mom's recipe for Almond Lace Wafers
colleen kennedy
Adding cinnamon was delicious! Never had them this way, loved them!
Wanda
Always on the look out for quick easy cookie recipes you can make in a snap. Also a bonus they are nut free for our nut allergy friends!
Tamara Regan
I absolutely love chocolate crinkles and just cannot get enough of them. I have to make them in small batches so that I don't eat too many.
Tony Platz
I just like old fashioned sugar cookies the most .
ae minx
My favorites have always been Russian Teacakes. So yummy!
Jessica Walker
I like to make peanut butter cookies.
Kathy Persons
Peanut butter cookie with a candy kiss in the middle
Linda K
My favorite cookie to make is cutout sugar cookies. Fun to decorate with the family.
Jill H
My favorite Christmas cookie is Spritz.
Lindsey
My favorite cookie to bake are gingerbread cookies!
Caroline Bock
I love baking gingerbread cookies with my girls
Christina
Every year my family and I make Reindeer cookies. A fav for sure!
maria gentry
We love baking cookies during the holidays. Our favorite are sugar cookies with sprinkles!
al
Gingerbread
Thomas P
My favorite is my Grandma's recipe of a glazed gingerbread. The glaze is so much better than normal frostings.
K
Snickerdoodles!
Gina
Snowball cookies are always popular on my holiday tray. We also love baking big sugar cookies to decorate for Christmas.
Stephen Taylor
My favorite cookies are Jennifer Lindner’s chocolate ginger crinkle cookies from http://leitesculinaria.com .
Robin M
snickerdoodles
tiffany dayton
Sugar Cookies that are decorated for Christmas.
Julie Harris
My favorite cookie to make is lemon bar cookies, i only make them at Christmas but look forward to them all year long.
Carmen Clement
Looks delicious my favorite cookie to bake are no bake Oreo truffles I'm boring 😂
Ed
Spritz cookies ( with Mom! )
Alyce Poalillo
Pecan Crescent Cookies are a big hit here
Jason W
I like making Old fashioned sugar cookies
Robyn Dickerson
I love making oatmeal raisin cookies for the holiday
carol clark
sugar cookies
Carla Moschetti
gingerbread people
Casey Roche
I definitely need some new bakeware in time for the holidays!
Paul Gardner
sugar cookies are my favorite
Amamda K
I love making chocolate cherry shortbread thumbrint cookies.
Susan Christy
Frosted & decorated sugar cookies are my favorite.
Randi Cook
Candy Cane Cookies made with almond extract
Leslie S.
I always love to make gingerbread men using my grandmother's recipe since it doesn't use molasses.
DanV
My favorite cookie is chocolate chip.
McKim
I like to make date pinwheel cookies.
jennifer barr
sugar cookies
Jennifer Stewart
Snowball cookies are one of the must haves for Christmas. I love the addition of cinnamon in these.
Tara Darity
I like to bake sugar cookies!
Chris L
I am not the best cookie maker sio chocolate chip is my standard.
Jean Holland
Have bookmarked this recipe and will be making the cookies tomorrow. Such an easy recipe with just a few ingredients that I already have on hand.
Jean Holland
My favorite Christmas cookie is a pizzelle.
Breanne
I like making snickerdoodles.
AEKZ2
I love snickerdoodles.
Teb
The best cookies are the ones we make for Santa! (and they are usually elaborately decorated as well)
Tyler G
Sugar cookies. Usually in the shape of different Christmas shapes. It's a tradition.
Christie
I get powdered sugar everywhere. E.V.E.R.Y.W.H.E.R.E!! I shy away from making these, but not eating them. Might have to give in and make some. And then clean my mess up. LOL
Kristin
I just made these for the second time, and they were so delicious the first time that I made a triple batch this time. Helpful hint: If you make more than one batch, it's a good idea to break the dough into sections when you chill it. If you don't, and you put it in the fridge as one big hunk, it doesn't chill enough in one hour, so the cookies spread when you bake them and you get the most delicious disks instead of balls. Not that I know from experience, ahem. Lol. They still taste amazing either way, though! Thanks for the great recipe!
lisa
Glad you liked them!
MomofSix
Making a mere one dozen cookies is a waste of my -- & I would imagine, anyone's-- time.
lisa
If you want more cookies that is not a problem! This recipe can be doubled or tripled. Just wrap the dough in separate balls when refrigerating so it chills enough. Or you could do one bowl but lengthen the chilling time.