Chocolate Snowball Cookies
These chocolate snowball cookies are rich, buttery, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Made with chocolate shortbread dough packed full of mini chocolate chips, they’re rolled in powdered sugar for a soft, sweet finish. Perfect for cookie trays, holiday baking, or any time you’re craving a bite-sized chocolate treat!
Get ready to rock around the Christmas tree with these chocolate snowballs! If chocolatey, quick and simple is your vibe, crank the classic Christmas tunes and start preheating your oven.
The recipe only contains seven ingredients and comes together faster than Clark Griswold on a greased-up sled.
Dark cocoa powder and mini chocolate chips give these little snowballs a rich chocolate flavor and the powdered sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
One bite and you’ll be feeling “merry and bright” like Clark Griswold after plugging in the Christmas lights.
If you just can’t get enough shortbread cookie recipes, check out my pecan snowball cookies, almond shortbread cutout cookies, and cherry pistachio snowball cookies.
How to Make Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Step 1: Make the cookie dough. Cream the butter, powdered sugar, dark cocoa powder, vanilla extract, and salt. Add in the flour and mini chocolate chips and mix until the cookie dough comes together.
Step 2: Chill the cookie dough. Scoop the cookie dough using a medium cookie scoop. Chill the cookie dough balls for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Prep and preheat. Preheat the oven and prepare a baking sheet pan with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
Step 4: Bake the cookies. Place the chilled cookie dough balls on the baking pan and bake for 16 to 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes.
Step 5: Roll the cookies in powdered sugar. While the cookies are still warm, roll the cookies in powdered sugar. Cool the cookies to room temperature and then roll in powdered sugar again.
Courtney’s Expert Cookie Baking Tips
- Use a medium cookie scoop to portion the cookie dough for even, uniform cookies.
- Use dark cocoa powder or dutch-process cocoa powder for the richest and deepest chocolate flavor.
- Don’t skip chilling the cookie dough. Chilling prevents the cookies from spreading while baking in the oven and creates the perfect buttery shortbread texture.
- Roll the cookies in powdered sugar twice to evenly coat the baked cookies. Cool the cookies on the pan for about 5 to 10 minutes until slightly warm. Roll the cookies in powdered sugar and then cool the cookies completely. Once the cookies are cooled, roll them in powdered sugar again for the perfect sugar coating.
- The powdered sugar coating will easily show fingerprints. To prevent this, I recommend handling the cookies with gloves or moving the cookies around with a spatula.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use regular chocolate chips for this recipe. I love using mini chocolate chips because they more evenly distribute through the cookie dough so you have chocolate chips in every bite.
You don’t have to, but I highly recommend it. The first roll in the sugar with the warm cookies creates a sugary coating that almost turns into an icing. Once the cookies are completely cooled, a second powdered sugar roll coats the cookies evenly and gives them the signature snowball cookie look.
Yes, you can use regular cocoa powder if you prefer. The cookies will have a lighter color and chocolate flavor. If you have dark cocoa powder, I would recommend using it for this recipe.
Yes. You can use a small cookie scoop which is about 1 tablespoon of cookie dough. The baking time will be about 12 to 14 minutes.
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Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) vanilla extract
- ½ tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (22 g) dark cocoa powder
- ¾ cup (180 g) mini semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 ½ cups (180 g) powdered sugar (for coating the cookies)
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl with an electric hand mixer, cream the unsalted butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on medium speed until smooth. Add in the all-purpose flour and dark cocoa powder and mix on low speed until the dough becomes crumbly. Add the mini chocolate chips and continue to mix until the dough comes together.
- Portion the cookie dough using a medium cookie scoop. and place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet pan. Chill the cookie dough balls for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (177℃). Line a baking sheet pan with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Place the chilled cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet pan and bake the cookies for 16 to 18 minutes. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Gently roll the warm cookies in powdered sugar and transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Once the cookies have reached room temperature, roll them in the powdered sugar again.
Notes
- Room temperature: Store the cookies in an airtight container or in a resealable storage bag at room temperature for up to 4 days.
- Refrigerator: Store the portioned cookie dough balls in an airtight container or resealable storage bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Bake as directed.
- Freezer: Store the portioned cookie dough balls in an airtight container or resealable storage bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookie dough for 1 hour and then bake as directed. Store the baked cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
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About Courtney
Baker | 80s Lover | Cookbook Author
Courtney is a self-taught home baker and cookbook author of “Girls Just Wanna Bake Cupcakes”. She loves to create new and unique recipes while simultaneously listening to 80s music.
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