These molasses spice snowball cookies are such a fun and delicious twist on the holiday classic! With a tender, buttery texture and plenty of chopped nuts, and dusted in a snowy layer of powdered sugar. 

bowl of molasses spice sugar cookie with bite taken out of one

Snowball cookies (also sometimes known as Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cakes or pecan balls) are one of my must-bake recipes during the holiday season. They’re simple and humble, but perfect. If you’ve enjoyed them before, then you know what I’m talking about!

These molasses snowball cookies are kind of like shortbread cookies, made with a high amount of butter so they’re soft and tender, and almost melt in your mouth. This variation is flavored with molasses, cinnamon, ginger and cloves for a gingerbread twist, and filled with either pecans or walnuts.

snowballs covered with powdered sugar on sheet pan
molasses snowball cookie ingredients measured out

Ingredients you’ll need

Let’s bake a batch, shall we? Here’s everything you need for these simple cookies (find the full recipe at the bottom of this article):

  • Salted butter
  • Powdered sugar
  • Molasses
  • All-purpose flour
  • Salt
  • Ground cinnamon, ginger and cloves
  • Pecans or walnuts

How to make molasses snowball cookies

  1. Prepare the cookie dough. Beat powdered sugar and butter together, then add molasses and vanilla, followed by the dry ingredients and chopped nuts.mixed molasses snowball cookie dough in bowl
  2. Portion and roll dough. A small cookie scoop is your best friend here, and rolling them into balls keeps them round like snowballs!scooped cookie dough on sheet pan
  3. Bake. Bake just until cookies appear slightly puffed and dry on top, and bottoms are lightly browned. (Note: snowball cookies aren’t meant to spread much at all in the oven)
  4. Roll cookies in powdered sugar. Let the baked cookies cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheet pan, then roll them once in the cinnamon-powdered sugar mixture.rolling baked snowballs in powdered sugar
  5. Cool and roll in powdered sugar again. Let the cookies cool completely, then roll them one more time in the powdered sugar.

baking tip:The best way to measure flour

Too much flour can cause problems in your baked goods, causing them to be dry, crumbly or simply have the wrong texture. And since flour has a tendency to compact over time as it sits in the supermarket and in your pantry, if you simply dip your measuring cup into the flour and scoop it out, you’ll end up with more than you should. For best results, use a kitchen scale. Or use the “spoon and sweep” method:
  1. Fluff the flour in the bag or container with a spoon.
  2. Spoon flour into measuring cup until it’s overflowing.
  3. Sweep a flat edge like your knife or finger across the top of the measuring cup, sweeping away the excess.
More detailed info can be found in my full tutorial How to Measure Flour.
More Baking Tips »

Tips for this recipe

  • Use pecans or walnuts. Either will be delicious in these cookies. Please note that I have not tested a nut-free version of this recipe.
  • The dough may appear dry, but will hold together just fine when scooped and rolled.
  • Don’t overbake! These molasses snowball cookies are done when the bottoms are just barely golden brown, and waiting till the tops are also browned will result in dry crumbly cookies.
  • Roll in powdered sugar once or twice. I like to roll my snowballs twice, once when they’re warm so the sugar melts slightly and binds to the cookie, then a second time after they’ve cooled so they are generously coated (and look more like snowballs!). Feel free to skip the second rolling if you’d like.
  • How to store these cookies: They’re actually better the next day! And will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. They also freeze well, store them in a ziplock bag for a month or more.
bowl of molasses snowball cookies
bowl of molasses snowball cookies

Molasses Spice Snowball Cookies

Servings: 48 cookies
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Cool Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
These molasses spice snowball cookies are such a fun and delicious twist on the holiday classic! With a tender, buttery texture, plenty of chopped nuts, and dusted in a snowy layer of powdered sugar. 
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • ½ cup (56 grams) powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup (85 grams) molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 ½ cup (180 grams) pecans or walnuts , finely chopped

For rolling:

  • 1 cup (113 grams) powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Equipment

medium cookie scoop
Small Cookie Scoop
Sheet pans
Baking sheet pan
a box of pre cut parchment paper baking sheets
Parchment baking sheets

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar together on medium high speed until light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes. Add the molasses and vanilla extract, mixing after each, and scraping down the bowl as needed.
    1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, ½ cup (56 grams) powdered sugar, ¼ cup (85 grams) molasses, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Add the flour, salt and spices and mix until dough starts to come together. Add nuts and mix until just combined. (Dough will seem dry and crumbly, but should hold together when pressed.)
    2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, 1 ½ cup (180 grams) pecans or walnuts
  • Portion the dough into tablespoons (a small cookie scoop is the perfect size) and roll into a ball, then place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies just begin to turn golden brown on the bottom, about 9-10 minutes.
  • Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Let cookies sit on the pan to cool for about 10 minutes, then roll in the powdered sugar mixture. Let them cool completely and then roll in mixture again, if desired.
    1 cup (113 grams) powdered sugar,1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Video

Notes

  • I like to bake small tablespoon-sized cookies for a more pop-able experience, but you can also bake into medium 1½ tablespoon-sized cookies. Yields about 30 cookies, adjust baking time to 14-16 minutes.
Calories: 94kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 10mg, Sodium: 26mg, Potassium: 46mg, Fiber: 0.5g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 120IU, Vitamin C: 0.04mg, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Author: Annalise Sandberg
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