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, lest I 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Not a fan of cardamom? Try some ground cinnamon instead. Use only ½ teaspoon as cinnamon is stronger than cardamom.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups almond flour
- 1 cup walnut pieces finely chopped (almost ground)
- 2 tablespoon coconut flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ - 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter softened
- ½ cup Swerve Sweetener (granular or)
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup powdered Swerve Sweetener
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.
Donna says
My family loves these!!…Question…could I possibly use this in a rolled/cut out version to make raspberry-filled “wreaths”?…or would the baking powder render this an impossibility??…I love the light, melting texture of these…the flavor is stunning …the walnut/cardamom marriage is truly heaven-sent.
Carolyn says
Hi Donna…not sure this would be the right recipe for cut outs. Have you seen my holiday cut out cookies?
Kali says
What’s the trick to get them to stay in ball form while cooking?
Carolyn says
There is no trick, they just stay round.
Laurie says
I bought almond meal at Trader Joe’s, will that work or do I need a finer almond flour? I volunteereed to make sugar free cookies for a nursing home.
Carolyn says
YOu can try it but it might not be fine enough. YOu may want to add a little more coconut flour to help it hold together.
Laurie says
Thanks! That is what I will do.
Ceebee says
While I am gluten free I do use regular sugar and was wondering if you think these would turn out ok using both regular granulated and powdered sugar?
Carolyn says
Yes, they would be just fine!
Lady Jennie says
I love these cookies. And yup – just what I thought they would be. I suppose (not being diabetic) I could use regular powdered sugar just for the coating, but do the rest with your recipe, since I can’t get sugar-free powdered sugar.
I hope your husband’s foot is all healed and that he’s walking.
Susan says
I was so uber excited when you posted this recipe. These are my FAVORITE Christmas cookies. I accepted the fact that since I am low-carb/gluten free, I would never get to eat these again. Well, I made them today & holy smokes, are they delicious! They taste just like the carb/gluten laden cookies of the past. Thanks so much for coming up with these. Looks like Santa is getting these little gems this year!
Carolyn says
Glad they lived up to the hype!
Crystal says
Thank you! Where did you buy the walnuts that you put in these cookies?
Carolyn says
I think I got them from Trader Joe’s. It never occurred to me that they might share facilities that use wheat. I am fortunate not to have a gluten intolerance though. I will keep my eye out for good sources of certified GF nuts!
Tessa says
Looks like another recipe I’ll have to try! One thing though – as I’ve been making all these recipes with Swerve, I’m looking for other people’s input. I’m getting to where I’m tempted to just use regular sugar – and that’s a big deal as I have been a sugar-phobe for about 8 years now. But the cooling effect with Swerve is ruining so many recipes for our family. We used to always use Zsweet and there’s no cooling effect with that, but the results when baking were less than stellar. Baking results with Swerve are great, but the cooling effect often ruins the eating enjoyment. I find that it’s worse with the powdered version. Does anyone else have this problem? I see you making all these recipes on here and just wonder why no one else seems bothered by this. Thanks for any feedback.
Carolyn says
Hi Tessa, I am fascinated that you feel the cooling effect with Swerve but not with ZSweet, as I am the EXACT opposite. It’s why I switched to swerve in the first place, because the moment I started using it, I found so much less of the cooling sensation. Most people find the same, but we all have different palates. I think these would be okay baked with ZSweet if that’s what you prefer.
Katharine says
I do notice the cooling sensation with swerve. But usually not until I take a sip of water after having a bite of a baked good w swerve – that’s when I can really feel it on my tongue. Certain recipes I don’t notice it much at all though (Carolyn’s lemon poppyseed cake, which I’m about to bake!). Powdered is worse for me too.
Carol M says
Tessa, Agreed. I get that cooling effect with Swerve as well. I now use Truvia baking blends which include some sugar. I prefer them as the cooling effect is gone but this will result in more sugar and carbs in your recipes. I still use powdered swerve as there is nothing else that is low carb and in a powdered form. HTH.
Elaine Markley says
I’ve experienced the same cooling effect with Swerve as well. But I’ve found a natural sweetener that does not have it! MonkSweet Plus by Steviva. It’s a blend of erythritol, stevia and monkfruit. It’s so good I can eat it on keto toast with butter and cinnamon! And I’m not affiliated with the company, but love this sweetener for all my cooking and baking!
Sonya Johnston says
thanks for the tip! i will check this out!
Teresa says
Not sure if this will help, but I have a friend who adds 1-3TBS of cream cheese to anything with swerve and find that cuts the cooling taste. However. You’d have to forego the roll in swerve. I kind of like the cooling in the powdered topping as it makes these cookies a bit like a melt away.
Kelly says
Thanks for this tip! I’ll try that instead of getting rid of the Swerve that I’ve been unwilling to use because of the cooling effect and weird aftertaste. As for powdered “sugar”… I’ve had luck putting granulated sweeteners in the food processor and making my own powdered version of them.
Caren Hay says
Sweve has ruined baking for me..I have tried so many different sugars and the best one I have tried Is Monkfruit Plus. It is great in baking and no cooling effects or tastes.
Carolyn says
Please keep in mind that everyone tastes sugar alternatives differently. I detest the aftertaste of monk fruit but experience no aftertaste with Swerve, nor any cooling affect. So everyone has to try them out for themselves.
Gabi says
When starting keto baking I also experienced the same let down feeling after too many recipes feeling ruined by that cooling effect. I buy Lakanto golden, granulated, and powder and have been pretty happy with the consistency and, of course, the baking results! I sometimes have granulated allulose around too. I agree that it really comes down to your taste buds, but don’t give up trying to see what works best for you!
Carolyn says
Excellent advice!
Toni | Boulder Locavore says
These sound fantastic Carolyn and I love the lead shot especially!
Crystal says
Sorry if I have already asked you this, but where do you buy your nuts? It is my understanding that most nuts are from facilities that also produce things with gluten containing ingredients. I have used nuts.com but that can get really expensive. Thanks for any help/ tips you can give!
Liz Wolf says
Sorry to butt in here – I order blanched almond flour from Honeyville. I am extremely sensitive to gluten and have never had any problems. They are having a 20% off sale starting tomorrow too! (Use code: GIFT)
Crystal says
Thank you!
Carolyn says
Thanks for responding, Liz. Crystal, I get all of my almond flour from Honeyville too!
Carolyn says
I see someone else answered you, but I too get my almond flour from Honeyville. I also recently tried this Wellbee almond flour from Amazon and it states that it is Gluten-Free as well. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CLLV1BS/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B00CLLV1BS&linkCode=as2&tag=aldaidrabfo05-20
Annette says
Can you make powdered swerve by coffee grinding the granulated form?
Lisa says
Yes, you can. I never buy the powdered sweetner, Just granulated and powder it myself.
Rebekkah says
I haven’t made these yet, and I am not generally one to comment on anything, but I thought I might take just a moment to tell you thank you for your work – for how fun you are to read and how much love and work you put into all your posts and all your recipes. You do a fantastic job and I love everything of yours I make. It is not always an easy lifestyle – but you actually go a long way toward making it not just doable, but truly enjoyable. On behalf of everyone who has or to chooses to eat this way – THANK YOU!
Carolyn says
Thank you so much for the kind words, Rebekkah.
Janet says
I totally agree with what Rebekkah says! Thank you Carolyn…love your recipes!
Liz Wolf says
These look great! I tried a different low carb recipe for them a few weeks ago that didn’t work well at all, so I’m excited to try this. One question though – all of my old recipes, even gluten free ones, call for 1/2 C of powdered sugar in the cookie dough. Yours calls for 1/2 C of granulated, which wouldn’t be nearly as sweet. Is this a typo or actually what you do? I have powdered Swerve, but not granulated, so I’m hoping.
Carolyn says
I used granulated but I think it would work fine with powdered. Go ahead and try that.
Liz Wolf says
I used 1/2 C of powdered Swerve and left out the stevia. Absolutely delicious! They held their shape and taste almost like “normal” Russian Teacakes. Thank you!
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Loretta says
Carolyn,
Happy Thanksgiving! Thank you for all your hard work and ingenuity. You are a prolific recipe maker! smile. Hope your husband is progressing nicely and will be up and around before you know it. Blessings to you.
Loretta M.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Loretta!
Jessica @ Desserts with Benefits says
These.
Look.
HEEEEAAVENLYYYY!
Jeanette says
These look just like the little snowball cookies my mom used to make. Love how you’ve adapted them to be low carb!
Victoria says
Quick question,
I don’t use anything but liquid splenda (EZ Sweets). How much, if any, would I use in this recipe?
Carolyn says
Swerve is as sweet as sugar so use EZSweetz to equal 1/2 cup sugar for the cookies. I don’t know how you’d do the powdered coating, though.
Kelli @ The Corner Kitchen says
Great cookies, Carolyn! I made pistachio cardamom snowballs last weekend! Snowballs of any kind are always a must in my holiday baking 🙂
Joann says
After 40-some years of making Snowballs I found the best way to make powdered sugar to stick to them is by freezing first, then shaking the cookies in a bag with the powdered sugar. This results in a HEAVY coating of “snow”. I also store them in a cool place to help the snow last. Going to try them with almond flour this year. Thanks for this recipe.
Carolyn says
Great tip, I will definitely try that next time!
Lexi says
Thanks! Yes this is one I love…we call them Butter Balls….just another name for a great cookie! Happy Christmas!!
Carolyn says
Oh wow, I’ve never heard that name…add it to the list!
Jo says
I love the carb sugar laden snowballs… my grandmas recipe. I never make them because they are weakness and don’t make me feel as good as they taste. I can’t wait to make these!