Peppermint Snowball Cookies Recipe tastes like buttery shortbread kissed with cool mint and sweet powdered sugar, and it fits anyone who wants a festive cookie that feels fancy but stays easy. You mix, chill, bake, and roll in sugar in under an hour, so this recipe works great for busy holiday weeks. I baked a test batch at 10 p.m. once and still ate three straight off the pan, so you can trust these disappear fast.

Why Make This Peppermint Snowball Cookies Recipe at Home

You control the peppermint flavor at home, so the cookies never taste like toothpaste or plain sugar. Real butter, real vanilla, and crushed candy canes give these snowball cookies a soft crumb with tiny crunchy mint bits in every bite.

Homemade peppermint snowball cookies also travel well for cookie swaps and gifting. The powdered sugar coating hides any little cracks, so even beginner bakers pull off bakery-level results without stress.

“These Peppermint Snowball Cookies vanished from the cookie tray in under ten minutes, and everyone asked for the recipe. ★★★★★”

Ingredients You Need

Dry ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour
- Use a standard unbleached flour like King Arthur or Gold Medal.
- Spoon and level the flour so the cookies stay tender, not dense.
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Table salt works, but cut it to 1/4 teaspoon.
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- This sweetens the dough gently and keeps the texture soft.

Fats and flavor

1 cup unsalted butter, softened to cool room temperature
- Use real butter, not margarine, for the best crumb and flavor.
- I like a higher-fat European style butter when I feel fancy, but any good supermarket brand works.
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- I use Nielsen-Massey or Costco vanilla; both taste great here.
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
- Use a good quality extract like McCormick or Watkins.
- Peppermint tastes strong, so measure carefully and avoid extra.

Mix-ins and coating

3/4 cup finely crushed candy canes or peppermint candies
- Crush them in a zip-top bag with a rolling pin or a heavy pan.
- Aim for small bits, not dust, so you get crunch without sharp chunks.
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, for rolling
- You coat the warm cookies once, then again after they cool.
- Store extra in an airtight container and reuse for other cookies.

Optional add-ins

1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
- Stir these in with the crushed peppermint for a chocolate mint twist.
1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Add this with the flour if you want an extra melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Equipment

Large mixing bowl
Hand mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment
Rubber spatula
Measuring cups and spoons
Baking sheets
Parchment paper or silicone baking mats
Small cookie scoop (about 1 tablespoon size) or a spoon
Wire cooling racks
Shallow bowl for rolling cookies in powdered sugar

Tips & Mistakes

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes so the cookies hold their round shape and do not spread.
Measure the flour lightly and level it; too much flour makes dry, crumbly snowball cookies.
Soften the butter until it yields slightly to a press but still feels cool; fully melted butter leads to flat cookies.
Crush candy canes into small bits, not big shards, so they melt slightly and do not feel sharp in the cookie.
Use parchment or silicone mats so the cookies bake evenly and release easily.
Bake one test cookie to check timing in your oven, then adjust by a minute if it browns too fast or stays pale and doughy.
Roll the cookies in powdered sugar while still warm so the first layer clings well.
Let cookies cool fully before the second sugar roll so the coating stays fluffy and does not melt.
Store the cookies in a cool, dry place; humidity makes the powdered sugar clump and look patchy.
Avoid overbaking; pull the cookies when the bottoms just start to turn light golden and the tops stay pale.

How to Make Peppermint Snowball Cookies Recipe

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients

Add the flour and salt to a medium bowl. Whisk until the salt blends evenly into the flour. Set the bowl aside so you can reach it easily when you mix the dough.

Step 2: Cream butter and sugar

Place the softened butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes until the mixture looks creamy and slightly fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl once so everything mixes evenly.

Step 3: Add extracts

Pour in the vanilla extract and peppermint extract. Beat on low speed just until the mixture looks smooth and the extracts mix through. Taste a tiny bit of dough and adjust peppermint slightly if you want a stronger mint flavor, but keep it subtle.

Step 4: Add dry ingredients

Add the flour mixture in two additions. Mix on low speed until the dough just comes together and no dry streaks of flour remain. Scrape the bowl and finish folding with a spatula so you do not overmix.

Step 5: Fold in peppermint and extras

Sprinkle the crushed candy canes over the dough. Add mini chocolate chips if you use them. Fold gently with a spatula until the peppermint bits spread evenly through the dough.

Step 6: Chill the dough

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid. Chill the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. If you chill longer than 2 hours, let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes so it scoops more easily.

Step 7: Preheat and prep pans

Heat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set up a small cookie scoop or spoon so you can portion the dough evenly.

Step 8: Shape the snowballs

Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough for each cookie. Roll each portion between your palms to form a smooth ball. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets with about 1 1/2 inches between them.

Step 9: Bake

Place one sheet on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until the bottoms turn light golden and the tops look set but still pale. Rotate the pan halfway through if your oven heats unevenly.

Step 10: First sugar roll

Pour 1 cup powdered sugar into a shallow bowl while the cookies bake. Let the cookies cool on the pan for about 3 minutes after you pull them from the oven. While still warm but not scorching, roll each cookie gently in powdered sugar and place it on a wire rack to cool.

Step 11: Cool and second sugar roll

Let the cookies cool completely on the rack. Add more powdered sugar to the bowl if needed. Roll each cooled cookie again in powdered sugar to build a thick, snowy coating.

Step 12: Rest and enjoy

Let the finished peppermint snowball cookies sit for 15 minutes so the coating sets. Arrange them on a platter or pack them into tins with parchment between layers. Brew some hot cocoa or tea and taste test at least one before you share.

Variations I've Tried

I swap half the crushed candy canes for mini chocolate chips when I want a peppermint chocolate snowball cookie. I also tried orange extract with the peppermint once, and the citrus twist tasted bright and fun for winter brunch. Around Valentine season I roll the warm cookies in pink-tinted powdered sugar for a soft pastel look.

If you like extra crunch, use a mix of crushed hard peppermint candies and candy canes. I also tested a gluten free version with a 1:1 gluten free baking flour, and it worked nicely, though the cookies spread a tiny bit more and tasted slightly more delicate.

How to Serve Peppermint Snowball Cookies Recipe

Serve peppermint snowball cookies on a big platter with hot chocolate, coffee, or a mug of herbal tea. They pair nicely with vanilla ice cream or a simple bowl of fresh berries for a light dessert plate. I also tuck a few into lunchboxes as a sweet surprise and pack them into tins for neighbors and teachers. If you host a cookie bar, stack these in a tall glass jar so the powdered sugar and pink peppermint flecks stand out.

How to store

Store cooled peppermint snowball cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 4 to 5 days, with parchment between layers to protect the sugar coating.
Keep the container in a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight so the powdered sugar stays pretty and the peppermint flavor stays fresh.
Refrigerate the dough, tightly covered, for up to 3 days; let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before scooping and baking.
Freeze unbaked dough balls on a tray until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 2 months; bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
Freeze baked cookies in a single layer, then move them to a container for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature and roll again lightly in powdered sugar if needed.
Reheat cookies on a baking sheet in a 275°F oven for 5 to 7 minutes if you want them slightly warm, then cool a minute before serving so the sugar does not melt.