Easy Cherry Snowball Cookies Recipe with Maraschino Cherries for Holiday Baking
Soft, buttery cherry snowball cookies studded with chopped maraschino cherries and rolled twice in powdered sugar for that classic snow-dusted look. Ready in about 40 minutes, makes 18 cookies, and the dough needs no stand mixer, just a bowl and a spoon.
There is something about a tray of snowball cookies that makes a holiday table feel finished. These ones have little flecks of pink and red running through the dough from chopped maraschino cherries, so they stand out next to the plain pecan kind.
I like that this recipe does not ask for much. No chilling the dough for hours, no piping bags, no fuss. Just cream the butter, fold in the cherries, roll into balls, and let the oven do the rest.
If you have never made snowball cookies before, think of a shortbread cookie that got dressed up for the holidays. Buttery, a little crumbly in the best way, and finished in a cloud of powdered sugar.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- No chilling required, so you can go from mixing bowl to oven in minutes
- Chopped maraschino cherries give every bite a little pop of color and flavor
- Rolled in powdered sugar twice for that classic snowball look
- Freezer-friendly, so you can make them weeks ahead
- Only one bowl needed, which means less cleanup
- A cheerful addition to any holiday cookie tray
Ingredients
- 1¼ cups powdered sugar, divided (¼ cup for the dough, 1 cup for rolling)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature but not melted or greasy — soft butter here is what keeps the cookies from spreading flat in the oven
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup instant oats
- ¼ cup sweetened coconut, finely chopped
- ¼ cup walnuts, finely chopped (or pecans)
- Pinch of salt
- 15 maraschino cherries, patted dry and finely chopped — the drying step matters, since wet cherries water down the dough
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Preheat and Prep
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Step 2: Cream the Butter and Sugar
In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with ¼ cup of the powdered sugar until smooth. The butter should look pale and fluffy, not shiny or soupy. If it looks greasy or has started to melt, pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes before moving on, since melted butter is the main reason these cookies spread instead of holding their round shape.
Step 3: Mix in the Dry Ingredients
Stir in the flour, oats, coconut, walnuts, and salt until just combined.
Step 4: Fold in the Cherries
Gently fold in the chopped cherries with a spatula, just until they are distributed through the dough. Overmixing at this stage crushes the cherries and turns the whole batch pink. The cookies will still taste great, but if you want to see distinct red flecks instead of an all-over blush, stop folding as soon as the cherries disappear into the dough.
Step 5: Check the Dough
The dough should hold together when you press a spoonful between your fingers, somewhat crumbly like a shortbread dough but not falling apart. If it feels dry and will not come together, work in softened butter one teaspoon at a time. If it feels sticky from the cherry juice, chill it for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.
Step 6: Roll and Bake
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Do not flatten them. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms just start to turn golden. Pull them before the tops brown, since a few extra minutes in the oven is what turns these from tender to sandy and dry.
Step 7: Coat in Powdered Sugar
Let the cookies cool for 2 to 3 minutes on the sheet, just until you can handle them without burning your fingers, then roll them in the remaining powdered sugar while they are still slightly warm. The warmth is what makes the sugar stick in a thick, even coat instead of sliding off.
Step 8: Second Coat
Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll them in powdered sugar a second time for that fully snow-covered look.
Cherry Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, cream the softened butter with 1/4 cup of the powdered sugar until smooth. The butter should look pale and fluffy, not shiny or soupy. If it looks greasy or has started to melt, pop the bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes before moving on, since melted butter is the main reason these cookies spread instead of holding their round shape.
- Stir in the flour, oats, coconut, walnuts, and salt until just combined.
- Gently fold in the chopped cherries with a spatula, just until they are distributed through the dough. Overmixing at this stage crushes the cherries and turns the whole batch pink. The cookies will still taste great, but if you want to see distinct red flecks instead of an all-over blush, stop folding as soon as the cherries disappear into the dough.
- The dough should hold together when you press a spoonful between your fingers, somewhat crumbly like a shortbread dough but not falling apart. If it feels dry and will not come together, work in softened butter one teaspoon at a time. If it feels sticky from the cherry juice, chill it for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Do not flatten them. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the bottoms just start to turn golden. Pull them before the tops brown, since a few extra minutes in the oven is what turns these from tender to sandy and dry.
- Let the cookies cool for 2 to 3 minutes on the sheet, just until you can handle them without burning your fingers, then roll them in the remaining powdered sugar while they are still slightly warm. The warmth is what makes the sugar stick in a thick, even coat instead of sliding off.
- Once the cookies have cooled completely, roll them in powdered sugar a second time for that fully snow-covered look.
Notes
- Pat the maraschino cherries dry before chopping. Wet cherries water down the dough and make it hard to shape.
- Fold the cherries in gently. Overmixing crushes them and turns the whole dough pink.
- Nutrition is an estimate calculated from the ingredients and will vary with brands and portion size.
Make These Cherry Snowball Cookies for Your Next Holiday Tray
These little cookies disappear fast once people spot the cherry inside, so I would not be shy about doubling the batch. They freeze well before the sugar coating goes on, so you can stash a bag in the freezer and finish them off whenever company is coming.
If you give these a try, I would love to hear how they turned out. Leave a star rating and a comment below, it helps other bakers know what to expect.
For more holiday cookie recipes you will love:
