Gingerbread Snowball Cookies Recipe makes tender, buttery bites scented with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, then covered in a thick snowy sugar coat. It suits spice fans, cookie box curators, and new bakers who want a low-fuss holiday cookie, with a total time of about 1 hour 15 minutes. I baked these with my kid after homework and we dusted the kitchen like a snow globe.
Easy Gingerbread Snowball Cookies Recipe
This Gingerbread Snowball Cookies Recipe is easy to make because the dough mixes in one bowl with pantry spices and zero eggs. The dough rolls cleanly, holds its shape, and bakes in under 15 minutes. You finish with a double sugar roll that hides any imperfections like a cozy sweater hides a snack belly.
You can scale the batch, freeze the dough balls, and bake straight from the freezer. The spices shine without fussy icing or chilling overnight. Your mixer does the heavy lifting while you line pans and sip cocoa.
Ingredients You Need
- Unsalted butter, softened to cool room temp: 1 cup or 226 g (I like Kerrygold for extra flavor)
- Powdered sugar: 1/2 cup or 60 g for the dough, plus 1 1/2 cups or 180 g for coating
- Dark brown sugar: 2 tablespoons or 25 g (adds chew and depth; skip if you want a drier bite)
- Unsulphured molasses: 1 tablespoon (Grandma’s Original works well; avoid blackstrap here)
- Pure vanilla extract: 2 teaspoons
- All-purpose flour: 2 1/4 cups or 270 g (King Arthur gives consistent results)
- Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons or 16 g (keeps the crumb tender)
- Ground ginger: 2 teaspoons
- Ground cinnamon: 1 teaspoon
- Ground cloves: 1/4 teaspoon
- Ground nutmeg: 1/4 teaspoon
- Fine sea salt: 1/2 teaspoon
- Finely chopped pecans or walnuts: 3/4 cup or 75 g, optional (toast for extra flavor; use pre-chopped to save time)
- For coating: 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Substitutions and notes:
- Nut-free: omit nuts and add 2 tablespoons flour to keep structure.
- Gluten-free: use a 1-to-1 baking flour and add 1 extra teaspoon cornstarch.
- Dairy-free: use a plant-based butter with at least 80 percent fat; chill the dough a bit longer.
- Spice tweak: add orange zest for brightness or bump ginger if you like extra warmth.
Equipment:
- Stand mixer or hand mixer, mixing bowls, rubber spatula
- Sheet pans, parchment paper or silicone mats
- 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, small bowl for sugar coating
- Wire cooling racks, airtight tins for storage
How to Make Gingerbread Snowball Cookies
- Prep: 20 minutes
- Cook: 12 minutes per batch
- Total: about 1 hour 15 minutes, including chill time
- Yield: about 34 to 36 cookies
- Toast the nuts, if using. Heat the oven to 350 F. Spread nuts on a pan and bake 6 to 8 minutes until fragrant. Cool, then chop very fine.
- Cream the butter and sugars. Beat softened butter with 1/2 cup powdered sugar on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Mix in brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla until combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a bowl, whisk flour, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry mix to the wet on low speed until the dough comes together and looks soft but not sticky. Fold in nuts, if using.
- Chill the dough. Cover the bowl and chill 30 minutes so the cookies hold a round shape.
- Prep the pans. Line two sheet pans with parchment. Scoop dough into 1 tablespoon portions and roll into neat balls. Space them 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake 11 to 13 minutes, until the bottoms turn light golden and the tops look matte with tiny hairline cracks. The centers should feel set but not hard.
- Coat while warm. Let cookies rest on the pan 5 minutes, then toss them in powdered sugar for the initial coat. Set on a rack to cool completely.
- Coat again. Roll cooled cookies in powdered sugar a second time for that snowy finish. Store extras in a tin and hide a few for yourself if you live with snack ninjas.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Weigh flour for best texture; if you use cups, spoon and level to avoid dry, crumbly dough.
- Use cool room temp butter; melted butter makes flat cookies.
- Mix only until the dough comes together; overmixing after adding flour toughens the crumb.
- Chill the dough for round, tidy cookies; skip the chill and you risk squat pucks.
- Bake until pale with light color on the bottoms; deep browning dries the centers.
- Roll in sugar while warm for the initial coat; finish with a second coat once cool.
- Keep nuts very fine; large chunks crack the cookies.
- Use unsulphured molasses; blackstrap tastes bitter here.
- If the dough feels sticky, chill 10 more minutes or add a teaspoon of flour.
- If the dough cracks while rolling, knead it once or twice in your hands to warm it slightly.
Variations I’ve Tried
- Orange spice: add 1 tablespoon orange zest to the dough and a pinch of cardamom.
- Maple pecan: swap molasses for 1 tablespoon maple syrup and use toasted pecans.
- Chocolate ginger: fold in 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips and skip nuts.
- Espresso kick: whisk 1 teaspoon instant espresso into the dry mix for mocha vibes.
- Sugar spice shell: mix 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons cinnamon and a pinch of ginger for the coating.
- Coconut snow: add 1/2 cup very fine unsweetened shredded coconut to the dough and reduce nuts by the same amount.
- Gluten-free trial: use a 1-to-1 baking flour, add 1 extra teaspoon cornstarch, and chill 45 minutes.
How to Serve Gingerbread Snowball Cookies
Pile the cookies on a platter and sift a little extra powdered sugar over the top right before serving. Pair them with hot cocoa, strong coffee, or a spicy chai to match the ginger. Add them to a cookie exchange box with peppermint bark and chocolate crinkle cookies for contrast. For a fun twist, serve with a small dish of cinnamon sugar and let guests roll their own final dusting.
Make-Ahead and Storage
- Store baked cookies in an airtight tin at cool room temp for up to 7 days. Layer with parchment so the coating stays neat. Re-roll in a little powdered sugar right before serving if the coating fades.
- Refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days. Let it sit on the counter 10 to 15 minutes so you can scoop without cracking.
- Freeze dough balls on a sheet pan until firm, then bag them for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen at 350 F and add 1 to 2 minutes.
- Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temp in a single layer, then give them a fresh sugar roll. To refresh texture, warm them on a sheet pan at 250 F for 5 minutes, cool, and dust again.
Nutrition Information
Per cookie, based on 36 cookies with nuts: about 140 calories; fat 8 g; saturated fat 4.5 g; carbs 15 g; sugar 6 g; protein 1.5 g; fiber 0.5 g; sodium 65 mg. I estimate these numbers using common grocery brands and standard tools. Your exact numbers will vary with ingredient brands and cookie size.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, cream together the softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until incorporated.
- In another bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined.
- Stir in chopped nuts, if using.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes, until cookies are set but not browned.
- Let cookies cool for a few minutes, then roll them in additional powdered sugar while still warm.
- Once completely cool, roll the cookies in powdered sugar again for a snowy finish.