Grinch Snowball Cookies
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Last Updated on October 2, 2022 by Lisa Johnson
“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch! You really are a heel. You’re as cuddly as a cactus”…LOL, that always cracks me up! Well these Grinch Snowball Cookies are buttery, delicious, and packed full of chopped pistachios and cranberries for a holiday treat that everyone will love…even Mr. Grinch!!
Russian Teacakes are one of my all-time favorite cookies, so I decided a make a couple of changes and turn them into the perfect holiday Grinch Snowball Cookies.
What are snowball cookies?
Traditional snowball cookies are a round shortbread cookie, filled with chopped pecans, and rolled in powdered sugar. They are also known as Russian Teacakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies.
Most recipes for Grinch cookies use cake mix, but if you’re looking for Grinch cookies without cake mix that are extra special, then you need these Grinch Snowball cookies on your holiday cookie plate!
How to make Grinch Snowball Cookies:
Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla.
Add flour, salt, and food coloring {if using}. Mix in chopped pistachios until dough holds together.
Stir in the chopped cranberries.
Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until set but not brown.
Immediately remove from pan, one by one, and roll in powdered sugar.
Let cool completely. Roll cookies in powdered sugar one more time to thoroughly coat.
and serve to your eagerly waiting family and friends, lol
And after seeing all of the snowy pictures on facebook this weekend, I am still happy to make these my “only” snowballs this winter.
Recipe Notes & Tips:
- The only shelled pistachios that I could find were roasted & salted…so I omitted the sea salt when I made them. Trust me, those are salty enough!
- Pistachios are much harder to finely chop, so I recommend using a food processor!
- Yes, you will burn your fingertips a bit when rolling the hot out of the oven cookies in powdered sugar…but it is worth it. The sugar melts onto the cookies and make the glue that hold the second coating on and gives them their awesome, snowy appearance.
- I wanted mine to be green, but it is not mandatory if you are avoiding food coloring…it just makes them fun and different.
- These cookie do not spread, so you can put them closer together on your baking sheets…but I still end up using 3 pans.
- Placing the coated cookies on a wire rack keeps the bottoms from sticking and allows them to cool faster…so you can eat them faster!
I did not want to go overboard with the cranberries and risk adding to much moisture to these cookies, so I went with 1/3 of a cup. It is enough to add a slight citrus zing, without being over powering or chewy.
Additional Grinch recipes:
- Grinch Hot Chocolate
- Grinch Puppy Chow – for Max!
- Grinch Party Punch
- Grinch Popcorn
- These Cranberry Orange Pistachio Cookies are the perfect way to use up your extra ingredients…hint, hint…
If you love this recipe, please rate it five stars and help me share on facebook and to help other readers in our community!
Enjoy!!
Grinch Snowball Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 0.5 cup powdered sugar (plus more for rolling)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2.25 cup all-purpose flour
- .25 teaspoon fine sea salt **
- green gel food coloring (optional)
- .75 cup finely chopped pistachios
- .33 cup chopped, dried cranberries
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla.
- Add flour, salt, and food coloring {if using}.
- Mix in chopped pistachios until dough holds together.
- Stir in the chopped cranberries.
- Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until set but not brown.
- Remove from pan and roll in powdered sugar. Let cool completely.
- Roll cookies in powdered sugar one more time to thoroughly coat.
Notes
- The only shelled pistachios that I could find were roasted & salted…so I omitted the sea salt when I made them. Trust me, those are salty enough!
- Pistachios are much harder to finely chop, so I recommend using a food processor!
- Yes, you will burn your fingertips a bit when rolling the hot out of the oven cookies in powdered sugar…but it is worth it. The sugar melts onto the cookies and make the glue that hold the second coating on and gives them their awesome, snowy appearance.
- I wanted mine to be green, but it is not mandatory if you are avoiding food coloring…it just makes them fun and different. ?
- These cookie do not spread, so you can put them closer together on your baking sheets…but I still end up using 3 pans.
- Placing the coated cookies on a wire rack keeps the bottoms from sticking and allows them to cool faster…so you can eat them faster!
I have loved all your Grinch recipes this year Lisa!
Love this recipe -can they be frozen?
How to make snowball cookies better? Make them green, of course. I got pistachios today so I am going to make them tomorrow. I found some in with the baking nuts… but they were almost $10.00 a bag. That was at Walmart but I’m hoping they will, be cheaper on base at the commissary!
I love this!! Thanks for sharing at Our Mini Linky Party!
Pecans or Pistachios? Your ingredients say one thing and your directions say another????
It is pistachios Dee. Sorry about that, I copied the instructions from my Pecan Snowballs recipe and didn’t catch it. 😉