Chestnut Snowball Cookies

The recipe, step by step

These chestnut snowball cookies are wonderfully tender, buttery and incredibly easy to make. Finely ground chestnuts give the centres a soft texture and delicate nutty flavour, while a generous coating of icing sugar gives them their unmistakable snowy finish.

They make a lovely Christmas biscuit, particularly because the dough is so straightforward. You can prepare it traditionally in a mixing bowl or make things even easier with a food processor.

I like to give the cooled cookies a second coating of icing sugar before serving. It gives them that proper snowball appearance and creates a lovely contrast with the soft, buttery centre.

Traditional snowball cookies are often made with almonds, pecans or walnuts, but chestnuts give this version its own distinctive flavour. If you enjoy this style of festive biscuit, try my Walnut Crescent Biscuits, Viennese Biscuits, Cinnamon Biscuits or Strawberry Linzer Biscuits.

Recipe Highlights

• Ease: Very easy, particularly if you use a food processor.
• Taste: Rich and buttery with a delicate chestnut and vanilla flavour.
• Texture: Tender, soft centres surrounded by a generous coating of icing sugar.
• Serving: Delicious on their own or alongside a cup of tea or coffee.
• Quantity: 14 cookies.
• Preparation: 5 minutes.
• Baking: 14 minutes
• Chilling: 1 hour.
• Total: 1 hour 20 minutes.

Why You’ll Love These Chestnut Snowball Cookies

There is very little fuss involved in making these biscuits. The dough uses only a handful of ingredients, and you can choose between a traditional mixing method and an even quicker food processor method.

Chestnuts make them a little different from more traditional snowball cookies. Their mild, slightly sweet flavour works beautifully with butter and vanilla without overpowering either.

Chilling the dough for an hour firms it up, making it much easier to shape into neat little balls.

Then comes the best part: the icing sugar. Each cookie is coated before baking and then rolled in icing sugar again once completely cool, creating that lovely snowy Christmas finish.

They are also excellent for making ahead because both the dough and the baked cookies can be frozen.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Butter: Use 125 g butter. It gives the biscuits their rich flavour and tender texture. For the traditional mixing method, the butter should be soft enough to beat smoothly with the sugar.
• Granulated sugar: Use 100 g granulated sugar.
• Egg: Use 1 medium egg, approximately 50 g out of the shell. It helps bind the dough together.
• Vanilla: Use 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or ¼ teaspoon vanilla paste.
• Plain flour: Use 200 g plain flour, also known as all-purpose flour.
• Chestnuts: Use 100 g ready-to-eat chestnuts. If they are whole rather than already ground, process them until finely ground before adding them to the dough.
• Baking powder: Use 1 teaspoon baking powder to give the biscuits a little lift.
• Icing sugar: Use 50 g icing sugar, also known as powdered sugar, for coating the cookies before and after baking.

How to Make Chestnut Snowball Cookies

There are two ways to prepare the dough. Use either the food processor method or the traditional mixing method, then continue with shaping, chilling and baking.

Food Processor Method

1. Make the dough: Place the butter, granulated sugar, egg, vanilla, plain flour, chestnuts and baking powder into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture develops a crumbly texture.

2. Bring the dough together: Tip the mixture onto a clean work surface and gently bring it together by hand to form a smooth dough ball.

3. Chill: Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Traditional Method

1. Cream the butter and sugar: Place the butter and granulated sugar in a medium mixing bowl and beat together until light and fluffy.

2. Add the egg and vanilla: Add the egg and vanilla extract or vanilla paste, then mix until well combined.

3. Grind the chestnuts: If your ready-to-eat chestnuts are whole, grind them finely in a food processor.

4. Finish the dough: Add the ground chestnuts, plain flour and baking powder to the butter mixture and mix thoroughly until a smooth, creamy dough forms.

Shape and Chill the Cookies

5. Divide the dough: Divide the dough into 14 equal pieces and roll each one into a small ball.

6. Chill: Place the dough balls on a tray or plate that will fit into your refrigerator and chill them for 1 hour.

Coat and Bake

7. Preheat the oven: Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4. Line a baking tray with baking parchment or a silicone baking mat.

8. Coat with icing sugar: Remove the chilled dough balls from the refrigerator and roll each one in the icing sugar. Arrange them on the prepared baking tray, leaving a little space between each cookie.

9. Bake: Place the tray in the centre of the oven and bake for 14–16 minutes, or until the cookies are a pale golden brown.

10. Cool: Transfer the cookies to a wire cooling rack and leave them to cool completely.

11. Coat again: Once completely cool, roll the cookies in icing sugar for a second time so they are generously and evenly coated before serving.

Variations

Change the Nuts

Chestnuts give these snowball cookies their distinctive character, but the original article also suggests experimenting with other nuts.

Try:

• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Macadamia nuts
• Hazelnuts

Add Citrus

Finely grated orange or lemon zest can be added to the dough for a fresh citrus note.

Add Warm Spices

A little cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom works particularly well with the buttery nut filling.

Almond Snowball Cookies

If you make the biscuits with almonds, almond extract can intensify their flavour.

Nigel’s Recipe Tips

Use Room-Temperature Ingredients

For the traditional method, room-temperature butter and egg are easier to combine smoothly and evenly.

Don’t Add Extra Flour

The dough should remain a little sticky before chilling.

Avoid adding extra flour simply to make it easier to handle. The 1-hour refrigeration time will firm the dough sufficiently for rolling.

Chill the Dough Properly

Do not skip the chilling stage.

Cold dough is much easier to shape and is less likely to spread excessively during baking.

Keep the Cookies the Same Size

Divide the dough into 14 similar-sized pieces so the cookies bake at approximately the same rate.

Using digital kitchen scales makes this particularly easy.

Coat Them Before Baking

Roll each chilled dough ball in icing sugar before placing it on the baking tray.

This begins creating the characteristic white snowball coating.

Watch Them Towards the End

These cookies should remain relatively pale.

Begin checking them towards the end of the baking time and remove them once they are pale golden brown. Overbaking can make the centres dry rather than tender.

Coat Them Again Once Cool

The first layer of icing sugar will partially melt into the cookies as they bake.

Once they are completely cool, roll them in icing sugar again for a thicker, snowy white finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Are They Called Snowball Cookies?

The rounded shape and generous coating of white icing sugar give the finished biscuits their snowball appearance.

Can I Make Chestnut Snowball Cookies in a Food Processor?

Yes. WPRM provides both a food processor method and a traditional mixing method.

The food processor method is particularly quick: pulse the dough ingredients until crumbly, finish bringing the dough together by hand, then chill it.

Do I Need to Cook the Chestnuts First?

The recipe uses 100 g ready-to-eat chestnuts, so use chestnuts that are already cooked and ready to eat.

Do I Need Ground Chestnuts?

Not necessarily.

If you buy whole ready-to-eat chestnuts, simply grind them in a food processor before adding them to the dough.

Why Is the Dough Sticky?

A slightly sticky dough is normal for this recipe.

Avoid compensating by adding unnecessary flour. Once chilled for an hour, the dough becomes much easier to handle.

Why Are My Snowball Cookies Dry?

Overbaking is one possible cause.

The cookies should be removed from the oven once they are only pale golden brown.

Why Coat Them in Icing Sugar Twice?

The first coating is applied before baking. Some of that sugar is absorbed as the cookies bake.

Rolling them again once completely cool creates the thick, white snowy finish.

Can I Make Them With Other Nuts?

Yes. The original recipe suggests almonds, walnuts, macadamias and hazelnuts as alternatives.

Can I Freeze the Dough?

Yes. The original recipe specifically includes instructions for freezing the unbaked dough.

Tools You’ll Need

• Food processor, optional
• Medium mixing bowl
• Electric hand whisk or wooden spoon
• Digital kitchen scales
• Baking tray
• Baking parchment or silicone baking mat
• Wire cooling rack
• Cling film
• Plate or tray that fits inside the refrigerator

Storage and Freezing

Storing

Once completely cool and coated in icing sugar, store the chestnut snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 5–7 days.

Freezing the Cookie Dough

Shape the dough into balls and arrange them on a baking tray or plate lined with baking parchment.

Freeze for approximately 30 minutes, or until solid, then transfer the frozen dough balls to a freezer-safe airtight container.

They can be frozen for up to 3 months.

Bake them from frozen following the recipe, adding approximately 1 additional minute to the baking time.

Freezing Baked Cookies

Bake the cookies, coat them in icing sugar and allow them to cool completely.

Arrange them on a lined baking tray and freeze for approximately 30 minutes, until solid. Transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.

Allow the cookies to return completely to room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: One chestnut snowball cookie.

Nutrition information is provided as an estimate and may vary depending on the ingredients and portion size used.

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