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Sesame Snowball Cookies are soft and buttery, loaded with crunchy toasted sesame seeds, and coated in powdered sugar. A delightfully “snowy” holiday cookie! Vegan.
These Vegan Sesame Snowball Cookies put a nut-free twist on a classic holiday treat. Soft, buttery, and sweet, these 6-ingredient cookies are infused with cinnamon and toasted sesame seeds, then coated in powdered sugar for their signature “dipped in snow” look. Get ready for a snowball fight (that is, you fighting everyone for more cookies)!
Table of Contents
What are Snowball Cookies?
If you’re at a holiday party and see a dessert that looks suspiciously like a snowball, you’ll know that it’s a snowball cookie. These sweet, buttery, and powdered sugar-coated treats are popular all around the world. Just like Russian tea cakes, Mexican wedding cookies, and Greek Kourabiedes, they’re most often served during holiday celebrations.
The domed cookies are sweet and buttery, like shortbread cookies, but often add almonds or walnuts in the dough for crunch. My Toasted Sesame Snowball Cookies are similar, but swap the nuts for sesame seeds. They’re just as crunchy as the classic but have nutty aromas and just a pinch of cinnamon to bring out the warm depth of flavors. They’re actually inspired by my love for Chinese Sesame Balls, a popular dim sum dessert. This version is a lot less chewy, and much more of a melt-in-your mouth cookie texture, but still delicious all the same!
Ready to bake a batch? Try them out and surprise your friends and family this holiday season with something a little different! See the recipe notes for tips on making the dough ahead of time as well.
Ingredients for Vegan Sesame Snowball Cookies
These sweet and nutty cookies are some of my favorite treats to bake at the last minute because they only require 6 simple ingredients:
- Sesame Seeds: opt for untoasted white sesame seeds and toast them yourself. Store-bought pre-toasted sesame seeds tend to taste a little dry.
- Salted Vegan Butter: if you want to use unsalted butter as a substitute, add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to the dough in step 3.
- Powdered Sugar: AKA confectioners’ sugar. It’s used to both sweeten the dough and for coating the cookies to give them that “dipped in fresh powdery snow” look.
- Flour: all-purpose flour gives the cookies a chewy bite and the perfect structure.
- Spices: cinnamon infuses the cookies with a warm, festive flavor. A pinch of ground ginger or cardamom is optional but recommended!
How to Make Snowball Cookies with Toasted Sesame Seeds
- Toast the sesame seeds in a pan until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Cream the butter and powdered sugar in a large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Mix in the vanilla.
- Sift the flour, cinnamon, and ginger/cardamom into the bowl with the wet ingredients. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet until a thick batter forms.
- Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the fridge.
- Form the cookie dough balls and place them on a prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies until golden brown. While you wait, spread the powdered sugar onto a large bowl or plate.
- Carefully roll the freshly baked cookies in the powdered sugar, then set aside to cool.
- Dust the cooled cookies once more with powdered sugar to get an even coat. Serve and enjoy!
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- Always toast the sesame seeds yourself: This step is crucial for unlocking the sesame seeds’ full flavor potential! Here’s how to do it: Place your sesame seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat and, once it heats up, stir them continuously until they turn golden and are fragrant. Immediately transfer the toasted seeds to a plate to cool—and that’s it!
- Spoon and level the flour: If you can’t measure the flour with a kitchen scale (the most accurate method), spoon it into a measuring cup and scrape the excess off the top with the back of a knife. This way, you won’t accidentally add too much flour to the dough and end up with dry cookies.
- A powdered sugar coating that always sticks: Roll the cookies in the powdered sugar 5 minutes after they come out of the oven. Then, once they’ve cooled a little, coat them again for a beautiful snowy finish.
Serving Suggestions
Once you see fresh snowflakes start to tumble to the ground, you’ll know it’s your sign to bake a batch of vegan snowball cookies. So nutty and sweet, they’re delicious on their own but get even better when paired with a warm cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or a cold glass of non-dairy milk.
If you’re looking for more delicious vegan holiday cookie recipes, you’ll also love these Ube Sugar Cookies, these Hot Cocoa Cookies, and these Vegan Linzer Cookies!
How to Store Snowball Cookies
The leftover baked snowball cookies will keep for up to 5 days at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer. Store them in an airtight container to help them stay soft and buttery.
To store the unbaked sesame snowball cookie dough, either store the covered dough in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze the dough balls on a baking sheet until they’re solid. Transfer them to a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to bake the refrigerated dough, let it come down to room temperature before forming the cookies and baking them as normal. For the frozen cookie dough balls, bake them from frozen but add an extra 1 to 3 minutes to the bake time or bake until the cookies are golden and cooked through.
Substitutions and Variations
- Sesame Seed Substitute: If you’re a fan of classic snowball cookies, go ahead and substitute finely chopped almonds or pecans for the sesame seeds. The flavor will be different and the recipe will no longer be nut-free but the cookies will still taste amazing.
- Butter Substitute: Softened (not melted!) refined coconut oil will work well. Keep in mind that it may make the cookies more dry.
- Add-In Options: Add 1 teaspoon of lemon or orange zest to the dough for a touch of refreshing citrus.
Recipe FAQs
I haven’t tested this recipe with anything other than all-purpose flour, although a gluten-free flour blend with xanthan gum might work as a substitute.
Yes, you must chill the cookie dough for at least 30 minutes in the fridge before baking. This firms up the butter in the dough and helps the cookies stay round (like snowballs) while they bake.
Either the butter in the dough was too warm or the dough wasn’t chilled long enough.
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Toasted Sesame Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
For the Dough:
- 1/2 cup raw sesame seed*
- 1 cup salted butter softened (I used dairy-free)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger or cardamom optional
For the Coating:
- 1 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Toast the Sesame Seeds: (If your sesame seed is already toasted, skip this step). Add the sesame seeds to a saute pan over medium heat and set a medium plate off to the side. Stir the seeds with a spatula frequently to ensure even cooking; toast until they are golden brown. This will take between 5 to 14 minutes depending on your stovetop. Immediately transfer the sesame seeds to a plate to let them cool; set aside.
- Cream the Butter: Add the butter and powdered sugar to a large bowl and use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream them together until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla to the butter and cream again until combined.
- Dry Ingredients: Sift the flour, cinnamon, and ginger or cardamom (if using) over the bowl with the butter. Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the wet until a thick batter forms. Once the dry ingredients are mostly incorporated, add in the sesame seeds and fold them into the dough until everything is completely mixed.
- Chill: Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill. You can store the covered dough in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking the cookies, but if you store the dough for over 3 hours, let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes before proceeding.
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 350F and set a large baking sheet aside; line the sheet with parchment paper if it is not nonstick.
- Form the Cookies: Use a 1 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to form your cookie dough balls (my batch made 36). Use your hands to roll each ball into a smooth sphere, then place on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. I was able to fit 18 cookies on one sheet to cook these cookies in 2 batches.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the middle rack of the preheated oven for 15 to 17 minutes, until the bottoms of the cookies are golden brown and the tops are barely golden.
- Dust: While the cookies are baking, spread the powdered sugar onto a large bowl or plate. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then carefully roll each individual cookie in powdered sugar; place on a wire rack to let cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookies.
- Dust again: Some of the powdered sugar will melt into the cookies as they cool. Once the cookies are completely cool, roll them in powdered sugar one more time to get a nice even coat.
- Serve & Enjoy: Serve as desired; store any leftover cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- Sesame Seed: I recommend buying untoasted sesame seeds and toasting them yourself for the best texture and flavor. Pre-toasted sesame seeds can be a little dry when purchased from the store.
- Butter: If using unsalted butter add 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt to the dough in step 3. You can also make this recipe with softened refined coconut oil, but the cookies will be slightly more dry.
- Powdered Sugar: You can make your own powdered sugar by blending 2 cups of granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch together in a high-speed blender until smooth and fluffy.
- Make-Ahead: Follow the recipe up to step 4; tightly wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap or seal in a ziploc bag. You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days before proceeding with the recipe and baking the cookies. I recommend letting the dough sit at room temperature for around 30 minutes or so, to make it easier to scoop out your cookies.
Really easy and tasty! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
you’re so welcome!