Loading component...
Loading component...
Loading component...
Family-friendly meals made easy!
Make everyday family moments count, with easy recipes that everyone will love. Join our email community to receive tested recipes and tips.
Make everyday family moments count, with easy recipes that everyone will love. Join our email community to receive tested recipes and tips.
These shortcut coconut Snowball Cookies start with Pillsbury™ Sugar Cookie Dough for an easy take on the classic holiday cookie. Buttery and slightly sandy in texture, these snowball cookies are filled with crunchy pecans and sweet coconut for a flavor that feels both nostalgic and unique. Finished with the traditional powdered sugar coating, these easy coconut pecan Snowball Cookies are perfect for holiday cookie tins, Christmas baking, or anytime you want a simple homemade dessert.
Ready to make these Snowball Cookies part of your holiday? Here’s what you’ll need.
Refrigerated Pillsbury™ Sugar Cookie Dough: The ready-to-go dough base that makes these cookies so quick to make.
Butter: A little butter in the dough gives these snowball cookies a rich, tender texture and a melt-in-your-mouth crumb.
All-Purpose Flour: Adding flour to the dough helps the cookies keep their shape during baking and gives a slightly sandy texture once cooled.
Pecans: The buttery flavor and subtle nubbly texture of pecans is perfect in these snowballs. Finely chop pecans for the best texture.
Sweetened Flaked Coconut: The type of coconut is important here to add chewy texture and coconut flavor—don’t substitute with unsweetened. You’ll find this in a bag in the baking aisle.
Vanilla and Coconut Extracts: These are flavor boosters! Don’t skip but be careful not to add any extra coconut extract—it can become overpowering.
Powdered Sugar: A must-have coating for that sweet snowball finish!
These Snowball Cookies come together in a snap—here’s how! Follow the recipe for details.
Mix the butter into the dough first, then mix in the flour, nuts, coconut, and flavorings.
Roll the dough into 24 small balls, then pop them in the freezer to help them keep their round shape in the oven.
Add the frozen dough to baking sheets and bake until just set.
Chop the rest of the coconut and add to the powdered sugar. Then, coat the warm cookies in the mixture. Enjoy!
Want to save some Snowball Cookies for later? Here’s how to store them.
Keep Snowball Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
You can store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For even longer storage, keep cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw on the countertop before enjoying at room temperature.
In a large bowl, break up cookie dough. Add butter and gently mix the butter into the dough until fully incorporated.
Add flour, pecans, 1/2 cup coconut, vanilla extract, and coconut extract. (DO NOT EAT RAW COOKIE DOUGH AFTER COMBINING WITH FLOUR.) Mix just until the ingredients are evenly incorporated through the dough.
Roll the dough into 24 equal balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Freeze the dough balls for at least 1 hour.
Adjust oven racks so two shelves are positioned near the center of the oven, leaving enough space between them for air to circulate evenly around both baking sheets. Heat oven to 325°F (or 300°F for nonstick baking sheets). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Evenly space the frozen cookie dough on prepared baking sheets. Bake cookies 18 to 20 minutes, until just barely golden around the edges.
Roughly chop remaining 1/2 cup coconut and add to a medium bowl. Add the powdered sugar and mix to combine. Set aside.
Remove cookies from the oven and let cool 3 to 5 minutes. While still very warm, toss the cookies generously in the sugar and coconut mixture, pressing gently to adhere the coconut. If desired, roll the cookies a second time in the mixture for a thicker coating. Enjoy warm or at room temperature.
For a deeper vanilla flavor, consider using vanilla paste instead of vanilla extract. Pure vanilla extract is made by steeping whole vanilla pods in liquid (typically alcohol) while vanilla paste is a thick syrup containing vanilla seeds (what’s inside the pod), offering a more complex flavor. You can find vanilla paste in most grocery stores alongside extracts, and use it in equal amounts.
If you don’t feel like chopping pecans by hand, a food processor makes easy work of chopping nuts. Just pulse the pecans until finely chopped.
This recipe was developed and tested with both baking sheets in the oven at the same time, and in most ovens, they should bake evenly without needing to rotate the pans. However, if your oven tends to bake unevenly or has noticeable hot spots, you can rotate the sheets halfway through baking by switching the top and bottom pans and turning each sheet 180 degrees to promote more even browning and baking.
