Easy Gingerbread Snowball Cookies Recipe for Cozy Holiday Baking and Cookie Trays

Buttery gingerbread snowball cookies packed with warm cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and molasses, rolled twice in powdered sugar for a snowy holiday finish. Ready in about 30 minutes, makes 48 cookies, and the dough needs no chilling.

There’s something about a tin of gingerbread snowball cookies that makes a kitchen feel like Christmas. The smell of molasses and warm spices hits the second they go in the oven, and by the time they’re cooled and rolled in powdered sugar, you’ve got a cookie that looks like it fell straight out of a snow globe.

These are a cousin to the classic Mexican wedding cookie, but with a cozy gingerbread twist. No chilling, no rolling pin, no cookie cutters. Just a handful of pantry spices and one bowl.

They’re sturdy enough to survive a cookie tray trip across town, which makes them one of my go-to picks for holiday gifting.

Why You’ll Love This Gingerbread Snowball Cookies Recipe

• Warm gingerbread spice in every single bite
• No chilling required, ready start to finish in about 30 minutes
• Makes a big batch, 48 cookies for trays, parties, and gifting
• Rolled twice in powdered sugar for that snowy, bakery look
• Just one bowl and an electric mixer, nothing fancy needed
• Freezer-friendly, both the raw dough and the baked cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened but still slightly firm (not greasy)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp molasses
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

Ingredient Notes

Butter: softened but still slightly firm is the sweet spot. Butter that’s gone greasy or melty is the most common reason these cookies spread flat in the oven instead of holding their round shape.

Flour: spoon it into the measuring cup and level it off, don’t scoop straight from the bag. Packed flour throws the whole ratio off and leaves the dough dry and crumbly even after a full mix.

Molasses: this is what gives the cookies their deep gingerbread color and flavor. Don’t leave it out or swap it for more sugar, it changes the whole character of the cookie.

Step 1: Preheat and Prep Your Pans

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Having both pans ready means you can bake back-to-back batches without waiting.

Step 2: Cream the Butter

Beat the softened butter with an electric mixer until it’s light and fluffy, about 20 seconds. It should look pale and smooth, not greasy or melted looking.

Step 3: Mix in the Sugar, Spices, and Molasses

Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and molasses. Mix until everything is smooth and evenly combined, with no streaks of molasses left.

Step 4: Add the Flour

Add the flour and mix until a dough forms. This is the step that trips people up most. The mixture will look dry and crumbly for a while, almost like it’s not coming together at all. Keep mixing. A stand mixer gets there fastest, a hand mixer takes a little longer, but it will turn into a soft, cohesive dough. If it still looks dry after a full minute of mixing, your flour was likely packed into the cup rather than spooned, so add a teaspoon of softened butter to bring it back together.

Step 5: Scoop the Dough

Scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and place it on your prepared cookie sheet, spacing the balls about an inch apart. You don’t need to roll them perfectly round, a rough ball shape is fine, they’ll smooth out as they bake.

Step 6: Bake the Cookies

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the bottoms are just slightly browned. The tops will still look pale and a little soft, that’s normal. Pull them as soon as the bottoms turn golden. They firm up completely as they cool, and leaving them in even a couple extra minutes past that point dries them out fast.

Step 7: Roll in Powdered Sugar

Let the cookies cool for about a minute on the pan, just until you can handle them without burning your fingers. Roll each one in powdered sugar while it’s still warm, the sugar melts slightly into the surface and helps the second coat stick later. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 8: Roll Again Once Cooled

Once the cookies are fully cooled, roll them in powdered sugar a second time. This is what gives them that thick, snowy coating instead of a thin dusting that disappears by the next day.

Tips for the Best Results

• A stand mixer makes quick work of the crumbly-to-dough stage. With a hand mixer or by hand, just be patient, it will come together.
• Double-rolling in sugar, once warm and once cooled, is what keeps these looking freshly snowed on even a day or two later.
• Adjust the spice mix to your taste. More ginger gives a sharper bite, more cinnamon makes them mellower and sweeter.

Add These to Your Christmas Cookie Platter

These gingerbread snowball cookies are one of those recipes that disappears fastest off a holiday cookie tray. They travel well, they look festive without any decorating skills required, and the spice blend makes the whole house smell like Christmas while they bake.

Pack a few into a gift box for neighbors or teachers, or keep a batch in the freezer so you’ve always got something ready when guests drop by. Either way, this is a cookie worth making every December.

If you give these a try, I’d love for you to leave a star rating and a comment below, it helps so much and other readers love seeing how yours turned out.

For more holiday recipes you will love:

• Sweet Potato Pie Recipe
• Sweet Potato Soufflé
• Holiday Pretzel Bark
• Pretzel Bites with Cheese Dip
• Pretzel M&M Treats