Keto Snowball Cookies (2024)

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These Keto Snowball Cookies are sure to make your holidays merry and bright! With crushed walnuts and a hint of cardamom or cinnamon, they are the perfect sugar-free holiday cookies for you and all of your loved ones.

This recipe for Keto Snowball Cookies was originally posted in 2013. Seven years ago! It was time to give this classic recipe a much needed update. Now they are even more tender and sweet, with fewer carbs and with a new how-to recipe video. You won’t believe how easy they are to make.

I got a very early jump on my Christmas baking this year. I seem to start a little earlier every year, because keto Christmas cookies are one of my favorite things in the world to bake.

I used to make myself wait until after Thanksgiving, lestI get sick of all Christmas baking before the big day rolls around. It’s my favorite holiday by far, and I never want to risk being bored by it all before Santa and his reindeer have a chance to fire up the sleigh and take off from the North Pole. Now that would be a real tragedy.

But on the other hand, why deny myself the pleasure of such an enjoyable pastime? Cookies like these keto snowballs do so well in the freezer, and then I have a wonderful assortment to give away to friends and family.

Keto Snowball Cookies or Russian Tea Cakes?

Or… Mexican wedding cakes? What do you call these tasty ball-shaped cookies rolled in powdered sweetener? I do love the name snowballs, since that’s exactly what they look like when they’re finished.

I received so many requests for Keto Snowball Cookies, being a standard holiday favourite for many families. Some people call them Russian Tea Cakes, others know them as Mexican Wedding Cakes.

Whatever you call them, they amount to the same thing…a tender, shortbread-like cookie in a round ball, sprinkled with copious amounts of powdered sugar.

Since I managed to nail a low carb version of my father’s favorite cookie, the Keto Pecan Crescent Cookies, I knew that making low carb snowballs would be a cinch. And I added some chopped walnuts and some cardamom for a burst of flavor.

Updated Low Carb Snowballs Recipe

I know that this is a much loved recipe and some of you are probably fearful hearing that I changed things up a bit. Never fear, my sweet keto friends! The recipe is much the same, with a few minor changes.

For one thing I reduced the almond flour a touch to make them more tender and melt-in-your-mouth. I also ditched the stevia extract, as many people prefer not to use it and my son appears to have a mild reaction to it.

When I first made these keto snowball cookies 7 years ago, I had a little difficulty getting them to roll properly in the powdered sweetener. It simply didn’t stick to the cookies as much as I had hoped. But somewhere over the years, Swerve changed their formula a bit and it’s much more like real powdered sugar.

So now they look and taste just like the snowball cookies your mum/grandma/cousin/aunt used to make!

How to make keto snowball cookies

These might just be some of the easiest keto Christmas cookies you will ever make. Here are my tips for the most tender, tastiest keto snowball cookies:

  1. Use a good fine almond flour like Bob’s Red Mill. That’s my top choice but some others like Wellbee and Honeyville are good too. I recently had a disappointing experience with the 365 brand from Whole Foods, as my dough for some other cookies came out very grainy.
  2. The walnuts should be quite finely chopped for a more cohesive dough. I recommend pulsing them in a food processor until they resemble coarse crumbs with a few bigger bits and pieces. You could also do pecans if you prefer.
  3. Don’t leave out the coconut flour, as it helps give these snowballs a good consistency so that they don’t lose their ball shape during baking.
  4. Not a fan of cardamom? Try some ground cinnamon instead. Use only ½ teaspoon as cinnamon is stronger than cardamom.
  5. Make sure that butter is well softened! You need to cream it well with the sweetener and you can’t do that with hard butter.
  6. Roll the dough as round as you can between your palms. The cookies will rise a tiny bit during baking so any lumps or bumps will even out.
  7. Let them cool completely and then roll them in powdered sweetener such as Swerve Confectioners. You can use other sweeteners but I am not sure how well those will coat and stick.

Can you make Keto Snowball Cookies ahead?

You sure can and in fact, I have some in my freezer at this very moment. You can roll them in sweetener first and then freeze or wait to roll them after they thaw.

As with all keto cookie recipes, you want to store them carefully in an airtight container. These are pretty sturdy cookies, though, so once frozen, they won’t crumble or break apart. And they can last up to two months.

To thaw, take them out of the container and spread them out so that they don’t touch each other. This helps keep the cookies from getting soggy.

More delicious keto walnut recipes

  • Keto Maple Walnut Biscotti
  • Keto Cinnamon Walnut Coffee Cake
  • Keto Chocolate Walnut Torte
  • Keto Maple Walnut Ice Cream
  • Keto Walnut Fudge
  • Keto Walnut Pie Crust

Keto Snowball Cookies (5)

Keto Snowball Cookies

These Keto Snowball Cookies are sure to make your holidays merry and bright! With crushed walnuts and a hint of cardamom or cinnamon, they are the perfect sugar-free holiday cookies for you and all of your loved ones.

4.53 from 87 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: keto snowball cookies, snowball cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 18 minutes minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes minutes

Servings: 15 servings (about 30 cookies)

Calories: 194kcal

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • For the cookies, preheat oven to 325F and line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or parchment paper.

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, chopped walnuts, coconut flour, cardamom, baking powder and salt.

  • In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sweetener until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, and vanilla extract. Beat in the almond flour mixture until the dough comes together.

  • Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and place on baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Bake 16 to 18 minutes, or until just lightly golden brown. Remove and let cool on the pan.

  • Place the powdered sweetener in a small shallow bowl. Roll each cookie until completely coated in the powdered sweetener.

Nutrition Facts

Keto Snowball Cookies

Amount Per Serving (2 cookies)

Calories 194Calories from Fat 156

% Daily Value*

Fat 17.3g27%

Carbohydrates 4.4g1%

Fiber 2.3g9%

Protein 5.4g11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keto Snowball Cookies (2024)

FAQs

Can I eat one cookie on keto? ›

Cookies may be the perfect serving size and convenient to boot, but a single chocolate chip cookie still has around 10 carbs per serving. This is why keto cookies exist. With just a few ingredient substitutions, you can have cookies that you can enjoy without worrying about counting carbs.

Why are my snowball cookies spreading? ›

Snowball Cookie Tips

An oven temperature that's too low can result in your cookies spreading out more. Butter that's too soft or melted can also lead to flat cookies. If your butter is overly soft when you whip the cookies, pop the dough in the refrigerator for an extra 1 to 2 hours to firm up before baking.

How many keto cookies can I eat in a day? ›

We recommend one serving (two cookies) per day as your daily snack — although we won't judge if you find yourself reaching for more.

What happens if you accidentally eat sugar on keto? ›

Your blood sugar will spike, making an abundance of quick energy available and causing your body to switch back to glucose as a source of fuel. Ketone production will stop. A majority of the sugars you eat will likely be used to replenish glycogen stores. This may cause a temporary gain in water weight.

Why didn't my snowball cookies stay round? ›

You want the cookies to roll into a ball nicely and hold their shape while baking. If you found your cookies to spread too much in the oven, there are a host of things that can cause this. Your butter could be too warm. You may have improperly measured the flour or the sugar (use that scoop and level method!).

How long can you store snowball cookies? ›

Set coated cookies back on the lined baking sheets to cool. Once cool, roll the snowball cookies in the confectioners' sugar a second time. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Why is my snowball cookie dough crumbly? ›

Try using a different type of flour, or sifting your flour before you add it to the wet ingredients. If your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly, it might not have enough fat. This is a common problem with recipes that use all-purpose flour. To fix this, you can add more fat to the dough.

Will one chip ruin ketosis? ›

As with bread and pasta, those starchy corn and potato chips we love are terrible for keto. Your body will break them down for energy and pull you out of ketosis, so don't even think about it. There is no real easy way to incorporate potatoes or corn into your diet while on keto.

Will one dessert ruin ketosis? ›

Yes, even just one carb-rich meal can quickly get you out of ketosis. The carbs eaten on a cheat day will halt the production of ketones immediately until they are all metabolized by the body. It's not that complicated to achieve ketosis, but it does take time and effort.

Will one cookie ruin my diet? ›

One cookie doesn't change your diet plan all that much.” “So can you maintain your weight or lose weight even if you eat a cookie every day? Of course, you can. Moderation and balance is key.”

What happens if I cheat one meal on keto? ›

While many dieters think of cheat day as a well-deserved reward, nutritionists say there are downsides to it. Some disadvantages of having a cheat day on keto include getting knocked out of ketosis and hindering further weight loss.

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