Go Back
–+ servings
A closeup of vegan meltaway cookies on a plate.
Print

Vegan Snowballs Cookies

You'll love these easy vegan snowball cookies, also known as meltaways, to serve at holiday parties, birthday parties, or to give away as gifts. The recipe is easy to make and can be frozen leading up to a big event.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Diet Vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting time 2 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings 24 cookies
Calories 129kcal
Author Marly McMillen

Equipment

Ingredients

Shortbread Cookie

  • ¾ cup pecans
  • 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, separated
  • 1 cup vegan butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup powdered sugar plus more for topping
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
Cups - Metric

Instructions

Preparing Pecans

  • Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Place pecans on a baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the pecans cool, and then put them, along with 2 tablespoons (25 grams) of the flour from the recipe, into your food processor. Process until they are finely ground, but not powdery. Set aside until completely cooled.
    A hand holds a spoon, sprinkling flour into a food processor with toasted pecans.

For the Cookies:

  • Increase the oven heat to 400°F/200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Use a mixer to beat the butter, sugar, vanilla, and salt until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).
    A hand holds a bowl, pouring flour into a mixing bowl with whipped butter.
  • Add the flour and processed nut mixture. Mix on low speed just until combined.
    Processed nuts are being poured from a food processor bowl into a mixing bowl with cookie dough ingredients.
  • Form into slightly smaller than 1-inch balls. You can chill the dough balls or bake them directly by placing them 2 inches apart on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies start to brown. Remove from the oven and let them cool for a minute or two until they're not too hot to handle.
    A hand holds a pan lined with parchment paper with cookie dough balls.
  • Roll warm cookies in powdered sugar and place them on a wire rack to cool completely.
    A hand rolls cookies in a bowl with powdered sugar. There are cookies on a wire rack.
  • Store cookies in an airtight container. They can keep up to 5 days at room temperature, 10 days in the fridge, or 2 months in the freezer.

Notes

Use vegan butter that's prepared for baking (not tub margarine which has too much water content to be suitable for baking).

Flavor Variations

  • Lemon Snowball Cookies — Add a teaspoon of lemon zest to the batter.
  • Vanilla Snowball Cookies — Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract to the batter.
  • Almond Snowball Cookies — Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract to the batter.

Nutrition

Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 28mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 361IU | Vitamin C: 0.03mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg