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Grinch Snowball Cookies

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“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!!

Four snowball cookies in red and white striped paper liners and two without surrounded by dried cranberries and pistachios.

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.

Five snowball cookies in red and white striped paper liners sitting in front of a Grinch doll with a lit tree behind it.

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!

Powdered sugar coated snowball cookies on a wire rack.

How to make Grinch Snowball Cookies:

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugar, and vanilla.

Butter, sugar, and vanilla beaten in a large glass bowl.

Add flour, salt, and food coloring {if using}. Mix in chopped pistachios until dough holds together.

Flour, salt, chopped pistachios, and green food coloring mixed together in a glass bowl.

Stir in the chopped cranberries.

Chopped, dry cranberries on top of the green cookie dough mixture.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place on ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 – 12 minutes, until set but not brown.

A tray of baked, green snowball cookies on a baking sheet.

Immediately remove from pan, one by one,  and roll in powdered sugar.

Green snowball cookies rolled in powdered sugar sitting on a wire cooling rack.

Let cool completely. Roll cookies in powdered sugar one more time to thoroughly coat.

A green snowball cookie in a bowl filled with powdered sugar.

and serve to your eagerly waiting family and friends, lol

A close-up image of the inside of a green ball cookie filled with chopped pistachios and cranberries rolled in powdered sugar.

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:

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Enjoy!!

These Grinch Snowball Cookies are sure to become your new holiday favorite | cookingwithcurls.com

Grinch Snowball Cookies

Everyone’s favorite Russian Teacakes got a makeover! These Grinch Snowball Cookies are packed with flavor and ready to party!
5 from 2 votes
Print Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: green snowball cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 48 Cookies
Calories: 73kcal
Author: Lisa Johnson

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!
**if using Roasted & Salted Pistachios, omit the salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 27mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 125IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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6 Comments

  1. 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!

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