Green Christmas Snowball Cookies

Green snowball cookies are buttery Christmas cookies tinted a festive green, rolled in powdered sugar, and wrapped around a milk chocolate kiss candy. A tiny red heart sprinkle sits on top of each one. The dough is a classic snowball cookie dough that you chill, shape around the candy, bake, and coat twice in powdered sugar so the cookies look like little green snowballs.

Why You’ll Love These Green Snowball Cookies

• A hidden chocolate center: each cookie is wrapped around a milk chocolate kiss candy, so the chocolate stays inside until you take a bite.
• A bright Christmas tray: the green dough, the white powdered sugar, and the tiny red hearts make a festive plate without any extra icing work.
• Simple pantry dough: butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, flour, salt and gel green food coloring are all you need besides the candies and sprinkles.
• Easy to make ahead: you can chill the dough, then bake, roll, and top the cookies when you are ready for a tray.

What Are Green Snowball Cookies?

Green snowball cookies are a Christmas take on buttery powdered-sugar snowball cookies. The dough is tinted with gel green food coloring, formed around an unwrapped milk chocolate kiss candy, baked until set, and rolled in powdered sugar while warm and again once cool. A tiny red heart sprinkle is pressed on top of each cookie. These green cookies differ from mint chocolate chip snowball cookies and buttery pecan snowball cookies. Store cooled cookies in a covered container; see this FDA guide to storing food safely.

Ingredients for Green Snowball Cookies

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon gel green food coloring, as needed
• 36 unwrapped milk chocolate kiss candies
• About 1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling
• Tiny red heart sprinkles, for topping

Ingredient Notes

This is a classic snowball cookie version written around a green dough, a hidden chocolate candy, a powdered sugar coat, and a small red heart on top. All ingredients are generic, with no brand names.

• Butter: 1 cup, softened, so it beats smoothly with the powdered sugar. Soft butter should give slightly when pressed, but it should not be melted.
• Powdered sugar: 1/2 cup goes into the dough. You will also need about 1 cup more for rolling the warm cookies and then the cooled cookies.
• Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon flavors the short dough.
• Flour and salt: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt give the cookies their shape. Spoon and level the flour so the dough does not turn dry and crumbly.
• Gel green food coloring: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon, added a little at a time, until the dough is a bright, even green. Gel color tints the dough without loosening it the way a thin liquid color can.
• Milk chocolate kiss candies: 36 unwrapped candies, or a similar count of chocolate drops. Unwrap them before you shape the dough so you can work quickly once the sheets are ready.
• Red heart sprinkles: tiny red hearts, pressed on after the second roll of powdered sugar, while the coat still holds them in place.

How to Make Green Snowball Cookies

1. Make the dough: beat the softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt, and mix until a soft dough comes together.
2. Tint the dough: add the gel green food coloring a little at a time, mixing until the color is bright and even all the way through.
3. Chill: cover the dough and chill it for about 30 minutes, until it is firm enough to roll without sticking heavily to your hands.
4. Heat the oven: heat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets. Unwrap the milk chocolate kiss candies if you have not already done so.
5. Shape the cookies: scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and flatten it in your palm. Set one candy in the center, wrap the dough around it, and pinch the seams closed so no chocolate shows. Roll it into a smooth ball, and place it on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough and candies, leaving a little space between the balls.
6. Bake: bake 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are set. They should stay green and should not brown much. If a cookie has cracked, the sugar coat will cover most of it once you roll it.
7. Roll and finish: let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 2 to 3 minutes. Roll each one in powdered sugar while it is still warm. Cool the cookies completely, roll them in powdered sugar a second time, and press a tiny red heart sprinkle on top of each cookie.

Hands-on time is about 30 minutes, plus about 30 minutes of chilling and 12 to 14 minutes of baking per sheet. The recipe makes about 36 cookies.

Tips for the Best Green Snowball Cookies

• Seal the dough completely: if a little chocolate is left uncovered, it can seep out in the oven. Pinch the seams and roll the ball until the candy is fully enclosed.
• Chill the dough if it softens: warm hands can soften the dough as you shape it. If the balls start to flatten or feel sticky, chill the tray for a few minutes before baking.
• Roll the cookies twice: the first roll, while the cookies are warm, helps the sugar cling. The second roll, once they are cool, gives a thicker, snowy coat.
• Add the color slowly: gel color is strong. Start with a small amount and mix well before you add more, so the green stays even and does not streak.
• Press the hearts on at the end: add the red heart sprinkle after the second powdered sugar roll, while the coat is still able to hold it, so the heart sits on top instead of getting buried in sugar.

What to Serve With Green Snowball Cookies

Green snowball cookies sit well on a tray with Christmas candy cane cookies and Christmas gooey butter cookies, or a mug of hot cocoa. For a similar powdered-sugar ball, see these Mexican wedding cookies. Pile them high on a platter so the bright green, the white sugar, and the tiny red hearts show clearly.

Variations

• Plain green snowballs: skip the red heart sprinkles and leave the cookies as powdered-sugar snowballs with the chocolate still hidden inside.
• Chocolate drops: if you cannot find kiss-shaped candies, small chocolate drops of a similar size still work. Keep them unwrapped and sealed inside the dough.
• A lighter or deeper green: use less gel color for a pale green dough, or a little more for a deeper holiday green. Mix until the color is even before you chill the dough.
• Smaller batch: halve every ingredient and shape about 18 cookies. Start checking the first sheet a little early.

Storage

Let leftover green snowball cookies cool completely, then store them in a covered container. See the FDA storage guide linked above and this USDA guide to leftovers and food safety for general storage advice. If the sugar coat looks thin after a day in the container, you can roll the cookies in a little more powdered sugar before serving. Baked cookies and unbaked dough balls can be frozen; roll the baked cookies in powdered sugar again after they thaw, and add the hearts after that second coat. Do not leave the cookies out for long.

FAQ

What are green snowball cookies?

Green snowball cookies are buttery Christmas cookies made from a short powdered-sugar dough tinted green, wrapped around a milk chocolate kiss candy, baked, rolled in powdered sugar, and topped with a tiny red heart sprinkle.

Do I have to chill the dough for green snowball cookies?

Yes. A short chill, about 30 minutes, firms the dough so it is easier to wrap around the candy and keeps the balls from spreading too much in the oven. If your kitchen is warm, a longer chill is fine.

How do I keep the chocolate inside green snowball cookies?

Flatten a small piece of dough, set the unwrapped candy in the center, and wrap the dough around it. Pinch the seams closed and roll the cookie into a smooth ball so no chocolate is left showing before it goes in the oven.

Can I make green snowball cookies ahead of time?

Yes. You can mix and chill the dough, then shape and bake the cookies later. You can also bake them, cool them, and store them in a covered container, then roll them in a fresh coat of powdered sugar and add the hearts before you serve them.

How should I store leftover green snowball cookies?

Cool the cookies completely, then keep them in a covered container. If the sugar coat fades, roll them in powdered sugar again. Follow the FDA and USDA storage guidance linked above, and do not leave the cookies out for long.