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Coconut Snowball Cookies

Heidi Larsenby Updated: Nov 11, 2025

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Delicate, buttery coconut cookies are dunked in white chocolate and sprinkled with coconut to make the most adorable little snowballs. These coconut snowball cookies are the perfect addition to any holiday cookie box or dessert table!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“I made these … for a cookie exchange at our church. I won 1st place. These are some delicious cookies. My BFF in NJ asked me for a good recipe because she’s in a cookie exchange coming up. Of course I recommended this recipe!!” -Kathy, FoodieCrush reader

Coconut Snowball Cookies || FoodieCrush

The Cutest Little Snowball Cookies I Ever Did See

Photo of Heidi from FoodieCrush

There isn’t much I like more than lighting the fire, sitting in my living room and watching my front yard get absolutely buried in snow.

Like, you can’t leave your house type of snow. Like, you may never see your car again snow. Like, don’t let the chihuahua out, we may never be able to find her snow.

Since I live on the benches of the mountain and on a get-your-glute-burn-on steep kind of hill, it’s not so far fetched when old man winter cooperates. And today I’m sitting in my living room, the fireplace is lit, and I’m working away and watching it snow. Big, deep, drifts of snow. Ah, yes.

To revel in my enchantment of Utah’s best snow on earth, I’m going to make these coconut snowball cookies again this weekend. They’re tender, buttery coconut cookies dipped in white chocolate and sprinkled with shredded coconut to give them that snowy effect.

See? Isn’t snow great?

Enjoy!

Heidi

Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success

Use powdered sugar for an ultra tender cookie. If you’ve ever eaten Russian tea cakes or Mexican wedding cookies, the tender, soft, almost crumbly texture of these coconut snowballs is similar.

Spike the cookie dough with coconut extract for more coconut flavor. I didn’t want anyone to be left guessing what these snowballs are supposed to taste like. 2 teaspoons coconut extract gives the cookies a pure coconut flavor without making them taste like suntan lotion.

A white chocolate bar will melt more smoothly than white chocolate chips. You can technically melt white chocolate chips for dipping the snowballs into, but chocolate chips are more temperamental and tend to seize up as they cool.

What’s in This Recipe?

The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.

  • Unsalted butter — You’ll need 1 cup, aka 2 sticks.
  • Sugar — Using a blend of granulated sugar and powdered sugar gives the cookies a buttery, tender, almost crumbly texture.
  • Coconut extract — Don’t add more than the recipe calls for or else your cookies will taste overwhelmingly of coconut.
  • Flour — Regular all-purpose is just fine.
  • White chocolate — A bar of chocolate will melt more smoothly than chocolate chips.
  • Sweetened shredded coconut — Don’t sub in unsweetened coconut flakes, which are much drier and far less sweet.

How to Make Coconut Snowballs

  1. Make the cookie dough. You know the drill: combine the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry in another before combining.
  2. Scoop the dough into balls, then chill. Once shaped into balls, the cookie dough needs to chill for about 30 minutes to firm up the butter. (This prevents the cookies from spreading and keeps them perfect little snowballs.)
  3. Bake at 400ºF. The cookies won’t develop much color, so just trust the process and pull them out at the 8- to 10-minute mark.
  4. Dunk in melted white chocolate and sprinkle with coconut. Wait to transfer the snowballs to a storage container until the chocolate has fully hardened.
Coconut Snowball Cookies || FoodieCrush

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.

4.25 from 113 votes

Coconut Snowballs Recipe

Delicate, buttery coconut cookies are dunked in white chocolate and sprinkled with coconut to make the most adorable little snowballs.
Print
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword coconut snowballs, snowball cookies
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 22 cookies

Ingredients 

  • 1 cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
  • ¾ cup powdered sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons coconut extract
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 8 ounces white chocolate bar , chopped
  • 3 cups sweetened shredded coconut

Instructions

  • In large bowl, mix butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add coconut extract and mix.
  • In separate bowl, mix flour and salt together. Add to butter/sugar mixture and mix just to combine.
  • Prepare baking sheet with parchment paper. With 2-inch cookie scoop, shape dough balls, flatten dough in palm of your hand to bring dough together and then reshape into ball.
  • Place on baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate formed cookies for 30 minutes prior to baking.
  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool on cooling rack.
  • Fill small saucepan ¼ of the way with water and top with small glass or metal bowl; choose bowl that will sit above the water level. Bring water to low boil over medium-high heat and add white chocolate and melt, stirring often with a wooden spoon or spatula.
  • Remove chocolate from heat and roll cookies one at a time in chocolate, and then roll in coconut, coating well. Or, dip tops of cookies in white chocolate and sprinkle with coconut. If melted chocolate begins to harden, heat over saucepan again for 1 or 2 minutes until melted. Allow cookies to dry on cooling rack for at least 20 minutes or until chocolate has hardened. Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.

Storage Tips

These Christmas snowball cookies will last up to 4 days on the counter if stored airtight.

More Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes

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Hi! I’m Heidi and I cook real good, real food I hope you’ll love to make, too.

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  2. Meskerem Abera

    5 stars
    My 8 year old daughter followed your guidance and successfully crafted coconut snowball cookies, just as you outlined in your blog post.

    Reply

  4. David editor

    The Snowball cookies look so tasty! Was this shoot done with a regular camera or a macro lens? They look incredibly clean and professional.

    Reply

  15. kathy ramirez

    5 stars
    I made these in December, 2017 for a cookie exchange at our church. I won 1st place. These are some delicious cookies. My BFF in NJ asked me for a good recipe because she’s in a cookie exchange coming up. Of course I recommended this recipe!!

    Reply

    • Ashley @ Foodie Crush

      That is so awesome that you won, Kathy! Thank you for sharing this recipe with your friend. I hope you make them again this year.

      Reply

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