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These Gluten-Free Vegan Snowball Cookies bring back so many memories! With a crisp, buttery pecan cookie rolled into a powdery sugar, these cookies will make your mouth water. These are refined sugar-free and keto-optional!

Whether you called them Mexican Wedding Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Pecan Sandies, or Snowballs, you’ve probably had these powdered sugar-dusted cookies before. They’ve been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, when I would drag out my mom’s big blue baking book, turn to the powdered sugar-covered page, and make a BOATLOAD of snowball cookies – always managing to cover the kitchen in powdered sugar in the process.

There’s something about the crisp, sandy, buttery texture of these melt-in-your-mouth cookies that just gets me. They’re studded with pecans and covered in a few layers of powdered sugar, but somehow manage to never be too sweet. I could always eat a whole plate of them by myself…and can still manage to do that with this new and improved version.

What’s in these Snowball Cookies?

Let’s get into our ingredients list here! It’s a short and simple one – we love to see it!

Coconut Sugar: we’re going to blend the coconut sugar with the tapioca flour for this recipe to make it superfine + mimic powdered sugar.
Tapioca Flour/Starch: you can use arrowroot starch or cornstarch here instead.
Coconut Oil or Vegan Butter: both work well. They need to be at a soft, softened-butter consistency.
Salt: I use ¼ teaspoon salt in this recipe – it adds a little salty bite that’s barely noticeable but cuts through the sweetness quite well.
Vanilla Extract: for delicious, warm flavor!
Almond Flour: paired with the tapioca flour, this makes for a super tender cookie!
Chopped Pecans: pecans are classic in this cookie! You could sub them out for another nut if preferred though.

That’s all! More details on the Keto version of these snowball cookies below, but first let’s run through how to make them!

How to make Snowball Cookies:

Blend the coconut sugar with the tapioca flour, ideally in a small spice or coffee grinder, until superfine. If you don’t have a coffee grinder or small blender, you can skip this step.
Whip the coconut oil or vegan butter with the tapioca flour/coconut sugar mixture, vanilla, and salt until combined.
Add in the almond flour and pecans and stir until it’s all mixed up.
Scoop the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Roll between your hands to form a ball shape and place on a lined baking sheet.
Bake at 350F for about 10 to 12 minutes, until just barely golden and firm to the touch.
Let cool slightly, and then roll in “powdered sugar” – details below!

How do I get a refined sugar free “snowy” coating?!

You make one! To make the “snow” for these snowball cookies, I used a coffee or spice grinder to blend together a 1:1 mix of coconut sugar and tapioca flour. This creates a super-fine, refined sugar-free powdered sugar. It works great! You could also use a small blender, but a regular size blender won’t work very well because there’s not enough volume.

You can also use regular powdered sugar if you’re less concerned with refined sugars, or you can use a Keto powdered sugar. If you use a Keto powdered sugar, I recommend cutting it 1:1 with tapioca flour as well so it’s not overwhelmingly sweet when it hits your tongue.

Can I make these Keto?

Yes, absolutely! I tested a Keto version of this recipe and it worked well. The texture of the snowball cookies is a little lighter and doesn’t have the coconut sugar flavor, but it totally works and tastes good. I do prefer the coconut sugar version but I wanted to make sure this option is also a winner for those who want to make a Keto-friendly cookie this holiday season. The changes to make the recipe Keto are noted in the Notes below the recipe.

These Snowball Cookies are great for sharing with your friends and family, because my family can attest that if you leave them on your counter too long…”they just disappear.”

These Snowball Cookies are:

So crisp and tender
Melt-in-your-mouth good
Quick and easy to make!
Done in about 30 minutes!
Perfect to make with the kiddos :)
Gluten-free, vegan, refined sugar-free!
And they have a Keto option

I hope you enjoy them as much as we’ve been loving them! They’re the perfect sweet treat alongside your tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. Enjoy :D

If you enjoy these snowballs, try these!