Chocolate Hazelnut Snowball Cookies are buttery and chocolatey with amazing toasty, nutty flavor. These will be the sleeper hit of your next cookie assortment!
If you have a cookie exchange or a holiday party to go to this year – I HIGHLY recommend these chocolate hazelnut snowball cookies. They combine the familiarity of classic snowball cookies with a little twist of chocolate-hazelnut to keep things interesting. They have minimal ingredients, and one batch makes quite a few little “snow” dusted cookies.
what are snowball cookies?
Snowball cookies are a classic cookie related to Russian Tea Cakes and Mexican Wedding Cookies ~ they have a rich, globe-trotting history! These buttery, nut-filled cookies are in the shortbread family, but instead of slicing or rolling out the dough it’s formed into little balls that bake up into bite sized domes that are then coated in powdered sugar “snow.” The snowball cookie is a mid century American version of this old world tradition and is now a modern Christmas classic.
related: Lemon Snowball Cookies
a chocolate hazelnut snowball cookie twist
If you’re anything like me, you can’t get enough of chocolate-hazelnut anything. It’s a sophisticated but delicious combo that works well in cookies, truffles, and pies. A little good quality cocoa powder and finely crushed toasted hazelnuts transforms an everyday holiday cookie into a company-worth dessert.
tips for baking chocolate hazelnut snowball cookies
- Toasting the hazelnuts before adding them to the dough really helps bring out their flavor, so I highly recommend taking the little bit of extra time to toast them.
- To toast hazelnuts, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
- Know that your dough may seem a little bit crumbly if you’ve never made this style of cookie before – it’s not like a traditional chocolate chip cookie dough. Make sure you incorporate all of your dry ingredients into the butter.
- For the roundest shape, you want your cookies to be chilled before baking.
- I always bake a “test cookie” or two before committing to baking the whole batch.
- If you’re cookies are flattening out in the oven more than you want, lightly wrap the unbaked, formed cookies (right on the baking sheet is fine) and chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes to an hour before baking.
- These cookies will be very soft and delicate when you remove them from the oven. Give them a chance to cool a bit on the pan before attempting to move them.
- Double roll: I like to roll my snowball cookies once while they are still a bit warm after baking, and then again once they’ve cooled. This creates a nice coating of powdered sugar that sticks pretty well to the cookie, but still expect them to be a bit messy!
looking for a perfectly balanced holiday cookie assortment?
It’s all about texture, color, and shape! Use these chocolate hazelnut snowball cookies as your jumping off point for an enviable holiday cookie platter or unforgettable cookie gift box.
- Variety of Flavors: Include a mix of classic and bold flavors—think chocolate, spices (like gingerbread or snickerdoodles), nuts, citrus, and a hint of peppermint.
- Texture Balance: Combine cookies with different textures—soft and chewy (like thumbprints), crisp (shortbread or biscotti), and crumbly (snowball cookies).
- Color and Visual Appeal: Add cookies with festive colors (red velvet cookies, sprinkled spritz)
- Shapes like stars, trees, or reindeer! Introduce lots of shapes with minimal effort with Spritz cookies.
- Something Nostalgic: Include a classic that evokes tradition—like gingerbread, sugar cookies, or Russian Tea Cakes.
- A Showstopper: Feature at least one standout cookie with wow-factor—think a glazed gingerbread cookie or decorated sugar cookies, or something dipped in chocolate.
- Include Familiar Favorites: Everyone loves a familiar treat like chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies, so add a timeless favorite to the mix.
- Prep Ahead: Choose cookie recipes that can be made in advance or frozen to keep things stress-free.
- Ease of Transport: Choose cookies that hold up well, especially if gifting. Avoid overly delicate ones that might crumble.
Chocolate Hazelnut Snowball Cookies
These snow-dusted cookies are simple, easy, and delicious with rich chocolate and toasted hazelnut flavor!
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar, plus more for coating
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup toasted hazelnuts, finely chopped, I do this in a small food processor.
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for a couple minutes until light and fluffy.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and briefly mix in the salt and vanilla extract.
- Turn the mixer on low, and slowly the flour and cocoa powder. I do this in about 3 parts.
- When the dough is almost mixed but not quite, add the chopped hazelnuts. Fold just until everything is evenly incorporated. Your dough may still look a little crumbly.
- Chill the dough for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Take about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball in your hands. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat until you have used all the dough. The chilled dough will be a little stiff, so you may need to bring the dough together a little bit in your hands as you roll the balls. You should get somewhere around 24-28 cookies.
- Bake for about 10-12 minutes. The cookies should flatten slightly on the bottom but retain their domed shape.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool partially on the baking sheet. The cookies will be very soft when they come out of the oven but will harden as they cool.
- While still a bit warm, roll each cookie in powdered sugar and set aside to fully cool. You may wish to give them a second coating of powdered sugar when they are cool.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie · Calories: 154 kcal · Carbohydrates: 13 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 11 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 4 g · Trans Fat: 0.3 g · Cholesterol: 20 mg · Sodium: 26 mg · Potassium: 60 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 5 g · Vitamin A: 237 IU · Vitamin C: 0.3 mg · Calcium: 11 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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