These Butterball Cookies (also known as Snowball Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes) are easy to make and taste amazing. A given for Christmas, they taste just as delicious year-round. This version has chopped hazelnuts for a crunchy touch!
Whatever You Call Them, They're Delicious!
Snowballs, Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies or Butterball Cookies... whichever name you know them by, if you've ever tried them, you know these little powdery cookies are just plain delicious.
They have always been one of my favorite Christmas cookies and I know they're a favorite for many. This recipe is based on a super old recipe, the same one my Mom has always used, but as usual I went in and did some small changes to make it even better.
My two favorite things with this specific version are the added salt and the added crunch. Both make them so much more interesting!
"Just made these for xmas. Fun easy recipe and turned out great!" - 5-star review from lindy
Just Common Ingredients - And Lots of Butter!
A Note on Ratios and Measuring
Ratios are important for this recipe - specifically, the ratio between flour and butter. I have had readers have trouble getting the dough to stick together, and that's usually because they've used the wrong ratio of butter vs flour.
It can also be because the butter is not fatty enough. You want the butter to have at least 80% fat content.
For best results, I recommend making sure the butter has the right fat content and weighing your ingredients. Weighing makes a huge difference, as 1 cup of flour can have very different weights depending on how you measure and how packed it is to start with.
Confectioner's Sugar vs Powdered Sugar
Confectioner's sugar is not the exact same as powdered sugar. The former usually has a little bit of added cornstarch to avoid caking, which powdered sugar usually does not. For this recipe you can use either, and you can even make your own powdered sugar.
How to Make the Best Snowballs
1. Butter + Sugar = Fluffy
Start by mixing the butter and powdered sugar really well. You want it to be smooth and fluffy. You will want to use a machine for this.
2. Flour, Vanilla & Salt
Next, mix together flour and vanilla (if using a powdered kind), and sift into the butter & sugar mixture. Sifting is important to make sure it can combine well with the butter. Then add the salt as well.
Mix as much as you can using the machine, then switch to using your hands instead. Make sure everything is very well mixed before moving on - but don't worry if it doesn't form a cohesive dough yet, we'll get to that.
3. Add Some Crunch
Now, add the nuts. Use your hands to mix them into the dough.
4. Make a Big Ball
Work the dough with your hands until you can form it into a cohesive ball. Then wrap in plastic foil and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
You can refrigerate for longer as well, and bake the cookies the next day.
5. Make Smaller Balls
After refrigerating, roll the dough into 40 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Space them out on a lined baking sheet. They should not spread out so you don't need too much space between them.
6. Bake & Roll
Bake for 10 minutes at 400°F (200°C), until just slightly browned. Then remove from the oven and let them sit for just 1-2 minutes to cool down slightly, but not too much. Roll them in the powdered sugar and place on a large plate to cool down completely. Once completely cool, roll them in powdered sugar again.
Pictured below is how they look after being rolled in the sugar for the first time. You can see how the sugar has melted into the cookies - this is what we want! After the second roll, they will get that cute snowball look.
Pro Tips for Best Results
Make sure the butter is soft. It really needs to be soft and nice to incorporate well with the other ingredients.
Chop the nuts. Yes, I know, it's annoying to chop nuts, and it's very tempting to just grind them instead. But please don't! This can make the balls dry, or even fall apart.
Choose your crunch size. You can keep the nut pieces quite big or make them smaller - or a mix, which is what I usually do.
If the dough does not want to come together or keeps falling apart: first of all, try working the dough a bit more. Second, add a bit more butter. Don't add too much extra, but a few tablespoons is usually fine.
Do roll the cookies twice in powdered sugar. The first layer melts, and the second layer sits on top giving them that cute snowball look
Cook time can vary with your oven. They can take anything from 8-12 minutes. When done, they should be slightly browned on the outside.
Storing, Freezing & Prepping Ahead
Storing: Store cookies in an airtight container in room temperature for up to 1 week. They are usually fine after as well, but will be a bit drier.
Freezing: Freeze cookies in air tight containers for up to 6 months. They are usually fine after that as well. Thaw in room temperature before eating.
Prepping Ahead: You can make the dough the day before you want to bake them and refrigerate over night. A few days in the refrigerator is usually fine as well.
More Easy Delicious Holiday Baking Recipes
- Lussekatter - Traditional Swedish Saffron Buns [Authentic Recipe]3 Hours
- No Bake Cookies without Peanut Butter45 Minutes
- Cinnamon Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Topping28 Minutes
- Cocoa Powder Cookies without Baking Powder1 Hours
- German Muffins with Raisins & Almonds28 Minutes
- Cinnamon Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar1 Hours 5 Minutes
- Candy Cane Cupcakes4 Hours 40 Minutes
- Peanut Butter Cookies Without Brown Sugar35 Minutes
Recipe
Butterball Cookies
Print RateIngredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened and cut in pieces
- ½ cup confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon vanilla sugar
- ½ teaspoon fine table salt
- ¾ cups hazelnuts chopped
After baking
- 1 cup confectioners sugar or powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the softened butter with the confectioners sugar. Mix well.1 cup salted butter, ½ cup confectioners sugar
- In another bowl, mix the vanilla sugar with the flour. Then sift this into the butter and sugar mixture. Add salt. Mix well, until everything is combined. You will need to use your hands for this.2 teaspoon vanilla sugar, 2 cups flour, ½ teaspoon fine table salt
- Add chopped hazelnuts. Mix, using your hands, until you can shape the whole dough into a large ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.¾ cups hazelnuts
- Preheat oven for 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring out the refrigerated dough, and roll into 40 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Place on the lined baking sheet and bake in the middle of the over for 10 minutes, until cooked through and just slightly browned. Cook time can vary with your oven, it usually takes anywhere from 8-12 minutes.
- Bring out the cookies from the oven and let them cool down for 1-2 minutes. As soon as they are cool enough to touch, roll them in confectioners sugar and set aside for now.1 cup confectioners sugar
- When the cookies have cooled down completely, roll them in confectioners sugar once again.1 cup confectioners sugar
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
- Plastic wrap
Video
Notes
A Note on Ratios and Measuring
Ratios are important for this recipe - specifically, the ratio between flour and butter. I have had readers have trouble getting the dough to stick together, and that's usually because they've used the wrong ratio of butter vs flour. It can also be because the butter is not fatty enough. You want the butter to have at least 80% fat content. For best results, I recommend making sure the butter has the right fat content and weighing your ingredients. Weighing makes a huge difference, as 1 cup of flour can have very different weights depending on how you measure and how packed it is to start with.What to Do if the Dough Does Not Want to Come Together or Keeps Falling Apart
First of all, try working the dough a bit more. Second, add a bit more butter. Don't add too much extra, but a few tablespoons is usually fine.Storing, Freezing & Prepping Ahead
Storing: Store cookies in an airtight container in room temperature for up to 1 week. Freezing: Freeze cookies in air tight containers for up to 6 months. Prepping Ahead: You can make the dough the day before you want to bake them and refrigerate over night. A few days in the refrigerator is usually fine as well.Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Recipe FAQ
If your Butterball Cookies turn out flat, this is due to the wrong butter/sugar/flour ratio. If you use too much butter or sugar, or too little flour, the cookies can end up flat. This can also happen if you use melted butter instead of softened butter.
Follow this recipe exactly and weight the ingredients and you should not have this problem.
If you have problems getting your dough to stick together, this is usually due to the wrong ratio of butter vs flour. To be certain you have the right ratio, you need to weight the ingredients.
It can also be due to using butter with too low fat content. Your butte r should have at least 80% fat.
First step to solve this, is to keep working the dough with your hands. It can take a while for everything to come together well. Second step is to add 1-2 tablespoons more of butter and see if that helps. Don't add too much though, or the cookies will end up flat.
There are multiple ways to soften butter for baking cookies, here are my top 3:
1. Keep it in room temperature until soft - cut in pieces first and it will be faster
2. Grate the butter or slice it thin using a cheese grater, and you will have softened butter immediately
3. Microwave it - but keep a close eye on it so it doesn't melt instead
Leanne
The temperature is a bit high for my oven. They didn’t get done all the way thru and are hard on the bottom. Try again in the morning. 🫤
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Leanne,
That sounds weird! Are you by any chance using a gas oven? Sounds like something is up with the heating, like the bottom heat is higher than the top?
/Emmeline
Rebecca
My cookie dough was so dry, that I couldn't shape into balls at all. I added more butter but then, of course, they flattened out in the oven. They tasted good but what could have been wrong with my dough?
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Rebecca, sorry to hear that! Did you measure the butter with a scale or using cups? If using cups it's often difficult to get the exact amount correct, and my guess would be that you added too little butter to start. I've also heard that there are quality issues with butter this year, a lot of people have trouble with doughs they have made succesfully for years - so this could also be a reason why. /Emmeline
Meg
I love that you included the ingredients in the instructions! So much easier than having scroll back and forth! Happy holidays!
lindy
Just made these for xmas. Fun easy recipe and turned out great!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Happy to hear that, Lindy! Merry Christmas!
Trisha
I'm going to make these asap and for the holidays ~
lora lee baker
I have a ? Can we use a cake box instead of flour
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi, do you mean a cake box mix? In that case, no, those include other ingredients than flour so it will mess up the ratios. /Emmeline
Pina
You forgot to provide the quantity of each ingredient what good as a recipe if you don’t give the quantities.. You cannot make snowball cookies without ingredients therefore where are you quantities in your recipe you do not list them at all
Emmeline Kemperyd
Hi Pina! All quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Just double checked and it shows up for me at least, please let know if you’re still not seeing it! /Emmeline