Looking for a fun, easy, tasty, and festive cookie for the holidays? Then you need to make these Holiday Snowball Cookies! Minimal ingredients and time help these become a Christmas favorite.
Holiday Snowball Cookies, a yummy, soft, and chewy cream cheese cookie loaded with mini chocolate chips, holiday M&Ms, and coated in powdered sugar.
Santa is going to LOVE these! Or you are, because I know I do! I think I eat more of these cookies than I should, no shame at all in that!
These cream cheese cookies have a little twist to them that makes them really pop! I love cream cheese cookies, but these are even better.
Traditional Cream Cheese Cookies are just rolled in powdered sugar and baked, but the addition of chocolate to this recipe makes these stand out!
Plus adding some holiday-themed M&M’s and you have a festive cookie that everyone will be grabbing at the dessert table! You’ll find me there for sure.
Some of my other favorite cookies we have on our site include Christmas Tree Cookies, Candy Cane Red Velvet Blossom Cookies and Chocolate Peppermint Sandwich Cookies!
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Minimal ingredients help this cookie recipe come together fast.
- These are done from start to finish in 30 minutes!
- You can easily double the batch to make for more people!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Unsalted butter
Cream cheese
Powdered sugar
Egg
Baking powder
Vanilla bean paste or extract
Kosher salt
All-purpose flour
Mini chocolate chips
Holiday m&ms
HOW TO MAKE HOLIDAY SNOWBALL COOKIES:
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In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth.
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Slowly add 1 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar until combined.
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Add egg, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix to combine.
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Add flour in slowly until fully incorporated, scraping the sides as needed.
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Fold in the chocolate chips and m&ms by hand. Place in fridge for one hour to rest.
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Preheat oven to 375°F degrees.
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Roll dough into 1 inch sized balls, about 2 teaspoons worth of dough. Roll in the remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
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Slightly press down the tops of the cookies so they are flattened.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just set. Do not overbake, it is hard to tell when these cookies are ready, they will puff up but won’t get golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes.
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Roll warm cookies in leftover powdered sugar, or use more if needed.
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Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
WHAT ARE CREAM CHEESE COOKIES?
If you’ve never had a Cream Cheese Cookie before, they are tender, slightly chewy, and as you can imagine, addictive!
They contain your normal baking ingredients but with the addition of cream cheese which adds some texture and creaminess to the cookie itself!
HOW LONG DO THESE NEED TO CHILL?
The cookie dough for this cookie recipe needs to chill for at least 1 hour. This will help stop the spread of your cookies and make them keep their shape.
They will remain nice and fluffy without spreading flat because chilling the dough solidifies the fats in the cookies making them slower to melt while baking.
CAN I ADD OTHER THINGS TO THESE COOKIES?
Absolutely! One thing that we love adding when we aren’t making these holiday-themed are chopped pecans! That is one of my other favorites.
You can also add toffee bits, mini mint chips, cinnamon chips, crushed candy canes and so much more! This recipe is very forgiving and tastes good with so many things.
HOW TO STORE:
To store these Holiday Snowball Cookies place in a ziptop bag or in an airtight container and they can last for up to 2 days at room temperature.
Any longer than that, you will need to place these in the refrigerator and they should keep for a few days longer.
You can also freeze Snowball Cookies for up to three months in an airtight container or freezer bag.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- These need to be refrigerated before baking, do not forget that step!
- Easily double or halve this recipe depending on how many people you are serving.
- You can freeze these cookies, see my tips above on how to store them.
- You can substitute vanilla bean paste 1:1 with vanilla extract.
- Make sure you cream your butter and cream cheese together really well to prevent any lumps.
If you want a deliciously easy and tasty holiday cookie recipe then you need to make these Holiday Snowball Cookies, you won’t regret it!
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried these HOLIDAY SNOWBALL COOKIES let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Holiday Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
- 3 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 3/4 cup powdered sugar divided
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup holiday m&ms
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth. Slowly add 1 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar until combined. Add egg, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Mix to combine. Add flour in slowly until fully incorporated, scraping the sides as needed. Fold in the chocolate chips and m&ms by hand. Place in fridge for one hour to rest.
- Preheat oven to 375°F degrees. Roll dough into 1 inch sized balls, about 2 teaspoons worth of dough. Roll in the remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar. Place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Slightly press down the tops of the cookies so they are flattened.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until just set. Do not overbake, it is hard to tell when these cookies are ready, they will puff up but won't get golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Roll warm cookies in leftover powdered sugar, or use more if needed.
- Transfer cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
Notes
- These need to be refrigerated before baking, do not forget that step!
- Easily double of halve this recipe depending on how many people you are serving.
- You can freeze these cookies, see my tips above on how to store.
- You can substitute vanilla bean paste 1:1 with vanilla extract.
- Make sure you cream your butter and cream cheese together really well to prevent any lumps.
Nutrition
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Love that you added M&M’s to these! I already love snowball cookies, but with the extra chocolate I think I could get my husband to try a few as well 😀
These cookies are SO cute, my entire family would love these!
Snowball cookies are such a classic, can’t wait to try this version for the holidays!
Look and sound wonderful. The recipe indicates “serving”. Is one cookie equal to one serving? I’m baking for a cookie exchange and need to know the quantity. Thank you.
Hi, Sandy, the recipe says 28 servings, so one cookie per serving, this recipe makes 28 cookies, thanks!