Amazing and Simple Keto Snowball Cookies
You will love these melt-in-your-mouth keto snowball cookies. At only 1.3g net carbs per cookie, this simple recipe is the perfect addition to your holiday cookie exchange!
Made with almond flour and keto-friendly powdered sweetener, these sugar free snowball cookies are a treat you can enjoy guilt-free!
You may have also heard these cookies referred to as Mexican wedding cakes, Mexican wedding cookies and Russian tea cakes. They’re frequently served for holidays or special occasions and are perfect for your holiday cookie tray!
This was inspired by my Buttery Keto Shortbread Cookies on this site, and pairs well with this Creamy Keto Eggnog Recipe.
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Ingredients
Keto snowball cookies are easy to make and only require a handful of simple ingredients. You probably already have them in your low-carb pantry.
This snowball cookie recipe will yield 24 cookies. You can adjust the number of servings by cutting this recipe in half or double the cookie dough to fit your needs.
- almond flour – this serves as the base of the recipe. Please make sure you use almond flour as you cannot substitute almond flour for coconut flour. Trust me on this one!
- softened butter – you can leave the stick of butter out on the counter for a few hours. Or, if you are in a hurry, use a cheese grater or small knife to cut up the butter into small pieces and it will be at room temperature in 30 minutes or so.
- powdered sweetener – this is the substitute for powdered sugar in this recipe. There are so many keto sweeteners you can use! I like monk fruit sweetener, but use what you have on hand.
- vanilla extract – use a good quality vanilla extract or vanilla essence for best results.
- chopped pecans – traditionally, this recipe calls for finely chopped pecans, and I encourage you to try it that way! However, you can also used other chopped nuts such as chopped walnuts if that’s what you have availabile.
- spices – you’ll need salt, cinnamon, and baking powder.
See the recipe card below for quantities.
Instructions
To make keto snowball cookies, you will want to start by mixing together your butter and powdered sweetener until smooth.
Then mix in the rest of the keto snowball ingredients.
Once your cookie dough is mixed, scoop the dough into 24 1-inch doubh balls and arrange them on a prepared cookie sheet.
Your cookies may seem small at first, but don’t worry, they will rise.
Bake your cookies on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven for 16-18 minutes. When the cookies are done baking, roll them in powdered sweetener while they are still warm.
Let your keto snowball cookies cool completely and then roll them in the powdered sweetener again or sift the sweetener over the top of the snowball cookies.
Hint: The heat and steam from the cookies will turn the first coat of powdered sweetener into a delicious glaze. This glaze will help the second coating of sweetener stick to the cookies.
Yum!
Substitutions
Want to make these keto snowball cookies, but not sure if you can switch out certain ingredients to meet your needs?
Below you find my recommendations for some common substitutions.
- Cinnamon – feel free to leave this out if you would like, or replace it with ginger or anise.
- Pecans – any chopped nuts will work in place of the chopped pecans in this cookie. See my carbs in nut explination to help you choose which nuts to use.
- Vegan – coconut oil can be used in place of the butter to make the cookies vegan. Do not melt the oil. If you oil melted or loose refrigetate the cookies for 10-15 minutes before baking. This keeps the keto snowball cookies from spreading too much while cooking on the baking sheet.
- Gluten free – thankfully all of the ingredients in this classic recipe are naturally gluten free!
Variations
Give your keto snowball cookies a tasty twist with our recommendations below.
I really love the idea of turning these snowballs into adorable snowman faces!
- Almond – use ½ teaspoon almond extract instead of vanilla.
- Chocolate – mix some sugar-free chocolate chips or unsweetened cocoa powder to the dough before baking.
- Kid friendly – use bits of chopped nuts or chocolate to make snowman faces on your snowball cookies!
- Spices – cardamom, fennel seeds or pumpkin pie spice.
- Nuts – chopped pecans, walnuts or macadamias.
See this Ultimate Low-Carb Sweeteners Guide on my website for help choosing the best sweetener for you!
Equipment
You don’t need a lot of equipment to make this snowball cookie recipe.
To mix the cookie dough you can use a silicone spatula or an electric hand mixer. I do not recommend using a whisk since the dough will get trapped in the whisk.
I like to use a metal baking sheet (or cookie sheet) for my cookies and bake them on the middle rack of the oven for even heat distribution.
Depending on how your oven heats you may choose to line your cookie sheet with a silicone mat or baking parchment paper to keep the bottom of the cookies from cooking too quickly.
Storage
Baked cookies can be stored on the counter in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Refrigerated cookies will stay good for up to 1 week.
Because the dough is egg-free, these keto snowball cookies can also be frozen baked, or unbaked for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Frozen keto snowball cookies should be thawed on the counter for 30 minutes to an hour before eating or baking uncooked dough.
Expert tip (how to use the powdered sweetener)
You can coat your cookies with powdered sweetener in a few ways. Choose the method that works best for you. Sometimes I will individually dip each of the snowball cookies in sweetener.
Other times I will put the sweetener in a container with a lid, place several cookies in the container, close the lid and gently turn the container to coat the cookie.
I have also sifted the powdered sweetener directly over the hot cookies and skipped the dipping altogether. Do whatever is easiest for you.
Enjoy – this will quickly become one of your favorite keto recipes! Making keto cookie recipes like this one is always my favourite part of my Christmas baking routine.
The keto version of this classic cookie is just as good, if not better, as the original!
Keto snowball cookies FAQ
Yes, you can easily make these yummy keto snowball cookie dough ahead of time. You can choose to bake them as directed, then refrigerate them for 1 week.
Or, you can make the dough as directed, then freeze them (baked or unbaked) for up to 3 months. Just make sure they come to room temperature for an hour or so before you eat or bake!
There are so many wonderful sweetener options these days! In fact, I wrote an entire post about sweeteners. Read the ultimate guide to low-carb sweeteners here!
If you have regular granulated sweetener (or granulated sugar replacement) place it in a coffee grinder or food processor and pulse to create your own powdered sweetener.
More keto Christmas recipes
There is no deprivation at a keto Christmas, just look at all the delicious Christmas recipes you can indulge in this festive season.
📖 Recipe
Keto Snowball Christmas Cookies
Please rate this recipe
Servings: 24 cookies
NET carbs: 1.3g
Keto Snowball Christmas cookies are the melt in your mouth cookie you look forward to each year. Made with almond flour, this cookie is keto friendly, low-carb, sugar-fee, and gluten-free.
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Adjust servings: 24 cookies
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Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 165°C/325°F. While the oven is preheating mix your softened butter and powdered sweetener together in a bowl until it is creamy and smooth.
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Next, mix in the rest of your ingredients for your dough. Your dough should be thick, slightly crumbly, and able to hold its shape when rolled or scooped into a ball. Form your dough into 24 1-inch balls and arrange them on a baking tray.
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Bake your cookies on the middle rack in your oven for 16-18 minutes or until your cookies no longer look wet and are firm to the touch.
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Remove the cookies from the oven and roll in powdered sweetener while still hot. Let the cookies cool and then roll in powdered sweetener once more or sift sweetener over the top of the cookies. Enjoy!
Nutrition Facts
Keto Snowball Christmas Cookies
Amount per Serving
% Daily Value*
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* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This article was originally published by ditchthecarbs.com. Read the original article here.
