Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Snowballs
Get ready to fall in love with white chocolate macadamia snowballs! These holiday cookies are a delightful twist on classic Mexican wedding cookies, with a melt-in-your-mouth texture and perfectly balanced sweetness. And they’re gluten-free with a simple 1:1 flour swap!
Delicious Details
- Cuisine Inspiration: Mexican, Russian, American
- Primary Cooking Method: Oven
- Dietary Info: Gluten-free option
- Skill Level: Easy
Not to blow the surprise or anything, but you’re about to discover your new favorite holiday cookie! If you love traditional snowball cookies (aka Mexican Wedding Cookies), you’ll adore this white chocolate macadamia spin. With the same irresistibly buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture and festive powdered-sugar coating, they’re everything you crave from the classic…just with macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips instead of walnuts.
Sweet but not too sweet, this recipe proves just how wonderfully versatile snowball cookies can be. Plus, they’re easily made gluten-free with a basic 1:1 flour blend, so that everyone can enjoy them. New cookie jar fave? I think so!
Why You’ll Love This Snowball Cookies Recipe
So, why this snowball cookies recipe? Here are just a few reasons I’m obsessed:
- Melt-in-your-mouth texture. These cookies are perfectly buttery and tender. They’re slightly crumbly at first bite before they melt in your mouth in a symphony of festive flavors.
- Perfectly balanced sweetness. While they may look like balls of sugar, these cookies aren’t overly sweet. The macadamia nuts and a hint of salt help balance out the powdered sugar coating.
- Super versatile. While this white chocolate macadamia version is absolutely fabulous, you can easily swap the mix-ins. Try toffee bits and almond flour, cranberries and pistachios, or go classic with just walnuts. The possibilities are endless. Check out the section below titled “Variation Ideas” for more.
What are Snowball Cookies?
These delightful treats, often called Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cookies, or Butterballs, are characterized by their rich, buttery flavor and tender, nutty texture that quite literally melts in your mouth. Their signature “snowy” coating (aka powdered sugar) makes them a staple on holiday cookie platters, especially around Christmas.
Traditionally, they’ve got walnuts mixed into the dough, but I decided to change things up here with some macadamia nuts and white chocolate because, why not?
Recipe Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements or click the arrow to jump straight there.
- Unsalted butter – The butter should be at room temperature. If it’s too cold (or melted), it won’t cream properly with the powdered sugar. You can use salted butter if that’s what you have on hand. Just leave the additional salt out of the dough.
- Powdered sugar – For the dough and the coating. Don’t try to use a different kind of sugar, as it won’t yield the same texture.
- Vanilla extract – To add a little warmth and depth to the flavor profile.
- Salt – A smidge of salt helps break up the sweetness of these cookies so your taste buds don’t get bored.
- Gluten-free 1:1 flour – I recommend King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure Flour. If you’re not worried about gluten, all-purpose flour is great.
- White chocolate chips – Because they go SO well with macadamia nuts. Be sure to use a brand that is gluten free, such as Nestle Toll House, and not Ghirardelli.
- Chopped macadamia nuts – Make sure you grab unsalted nuts. Always check labels on nuts for gluten cross-contamination.
Is Powdered Sugar Gluten Free?
Most powdered sugar brands include starch, like cornstarch, to prevent clumping. While cornstarch is gluten-free, it’s a good idea to verify the label just to be sure. If you’re also sensitive to corn, consider choosing a product that is both gluten-free and cornstarch-free, such as Wholesome Organic Powdered Sugar.
Alternatively, you can create your own powdered sugar by blending granulated sugar in a high-speed blender.
How to Make Snowball Cookies
Here’s a quick overview of how to make these easy snowball cookies. For more detailed instructions, scroll to the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- Cream. Cream together the butter and ½ cup powdered sugar on high speed until smooth. Mix in the vanilla and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients. On low speed, mix in the flour.
- Add the mix-ins. Gently fold in the white chocolate chips and macadamia nuts.
- Chill. Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for ~30 minutes or until firm.
- Bake. Form the dough into balls (~23g each). Place them on the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- Cool slightly. Allow your cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes.
- Roll. Gently roll the cookies in powdered sugar, then let them cool on a wire rack.
- Roll again. Once cool, roll the cookies in powdered sugar again.
Tips for Success
Get this snowball cookie recipe just right by following these pro tips. Happy baking!
- Use a good mixer. This cookie dough gets pretty stiff, so I recommend a strong hand mixer or the paddle attachment on your KitchenAid mixer.
- Room temperature butter. Let your butter come to room temperature before you begin. If it’s too cold, it won’t cream properly with the sugar (see my next point for more info).
- Don’t skimp on creaming time. When creaming the butter and powdered sugar together, do so until the mixture is smooth and has become a tad fluffy. This process incorporates air into the dough so your cookies don’t turn out overly dense.
- Get the chill right. You MUST chill this cookie dough. Otherwise, it will be super sticky, and the cookies won’t hold their shape. Don’t chill it for too long, though. If it’s too cold/firm, it will be hard to work with. I’d give it ~30 minutes in the fridge.
- Even-sized cookies. Use a cookie scoop to ensure your cookies are about the same size. This is very helpful for even baking.
- Roll gently. When rolling the cookies in the powdered sugar, be gentle, as the cookies are tender while still warm, and you don’t want them to lose their shape.
- Use quality baking pans. My favorite baking sheets for cookies are NordicWare Baking Sheets. They’re light, distribute heat evenly, and are great for everything from roasting veggies to baking cakes.
How to Store Snowball Cookies
- Countertop. Once cool, seal the snowballs in an airtight container. They’ll keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freezer. Let the cookies cool completely before loading them into a freezer bag. Then, place that freezer bag in an airtight container (to ensure they don’t get crushed). You can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Allow them to thaw at room temperature and then roll them in a bit more powdered sugar before serving.
Can I Make Snowball Cookies Ahead of Time?
Absolutely! Covered in plastic wrap, the dough will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days. You’ll want to let it soften a bit before you shape it into cookies, though.
If you need more time, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer bag. You can store it in the freezer for 6-12 months. Let it thaw in the fridge for a day or two, and then give it a little time to soften at room temperature before shaping and baking as normal!
Variation Ideas
This recipe is incredibly versatile. Here are just a few of my favorite mix-in combos:
- Toffee-almond bliss. Instead of macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips, try toffee bits and almonds. You can even change some of the flour for almond flour! See how it’s done in my Toffee Almond Snowball Cookies Recipe.
- Traditional Mexican Wedding Cookies. Swap the macadamia nuts out for walnuts or pecans, and omit the white chocolate. Boom! You’ve got yourself Gluten Free Mexican Wedding Cookies, a classic.
- Chocolate addition. Rather than macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips, consider semisweet or dark chocolate chips. You can also swap the powdered sugar coating for cocoa powder.
- Cranberries-pistachios snowballs. Instead of macadamia nuts and white chocolate chips, use dried cranberries and chopped pistachios. I love the red and green for Christmas.
- Pumpkin spice surprise. I’ll sometimes add a dash of pumpkin pie spice to these cookies (keep the white chocolate chips, but try pecans instead of macadamias), especially around Thanksgiving.
More Gluten-Free Cookie Recipes
Need more gluten-free cookies in your life? You’ve come to the right place:
Gluten-Free White Chocolate Macadamia Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (58 grams) powdered sugar plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 ¼ cups (260 grams) gluten-free 1:1 flour (recommended: King Arthur Flour Measure for Measure) or all-purpose flour
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- ½ cup macadamia nuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine 1 cup unsalted butter and ½ cup (58 grams) powdered sugar, and cream with a hand or stand mixer at high speed until smooth. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and ¼ teaspoon salt and mix until combined.
- Turn off the mixer and add 2 ¼ cups (260 grams) gluten-free 1:1 flour to the bowl. Mix at low speed until fully combined. The dough will look crumbly and then come together smoothly. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently mix in ½ cup white chocolate chips and ½ cup macadamia nuts until they are evenly combined with the cookie dough.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge until the dough is firm. If the dough is too warm when baked, the cookies can lose their round snowball shape, but it can be hard to work with if the dough is too cold. I recommend checking your dough after about 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Use a tablespoon to portion out your cookies or weigh your cookies to 23 grams and shape them into balls. Place them onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes, until just beginning to brown.
- Allow your cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before carefully rolling them in powdered sugar and placing them on a wire rack to finish cooling. Take care, as the cookies are tender while still warm.
- Once cooled, roll a second time in powdered sugar and enjoy!
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Just wow. These are truly one of the best cookies I have ever made. So buttery and flavorful. The recipe is simple and requires few ingredients. Yummmmmmmm
Love to hear it – thanks!
do you use egg? and i dont see where you put the vanilla and salt in the instructions
please let me know. thank you!
Oh silly me! I’ve made these a million times, so I don’t know how I forgot to write where to add those. But there is no egg in this recipe, so that part is correct. Thanks!
Your snowballs are a great way to blend old and new soon to be traditions!
White chocolate macadamia anything is yummy! These little cookies are the perfect treat.
I totally agree!
I LOVE your new version even though I am confident the old one was, equally, delicious. I can understand your mixed emotions about this year’s Christmas celebration but I am sure that you and your family will have an incredibly special and blessed holiday in your new home.
Thanks Betsy. I’m sur eit wil be great, I just always dread “different”. Except when I am making new and different recipes 🙂