Walnut Snowball Cookies
Easy Walnut Snowball Cookies, or “Mexican Wedding Cookies”, are a delicious nutty holiday dessert recipe for a crowd! These are the perfect Christmas cookie exchange idea!
Can you say “addictive”!? Get into the holiday spirit and bake some Walnut Snowball Cookies with me! This tradition goes way back and I’m so excited to share it with you today.
This is my great-grandmother’s recipe and was my all-time favorite Christmas cookie when I was growing up. It is an absolute staple in my world at this time of year.
I grew up baking these, along with my famous Cut-Out Sugar Cookies, every year with my mom. Now that I’m a big girl I have kept the tradition going! We always made these cookies with walnuts, but pecans are also customary. Use whatever nut you prefer! You have got to love a good tradition.
I know everyone is busy around the holidays so I’m going to keep this short and sweet and just let you get your bake on! Be sure to try these cookies because they are sure to become a regular on the traditional ol’ holiday baking list.
“Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind.
To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy,
is to have the real spirit of Christmas.” ~Calvin Coolidge
Walnut Snowball Cookies
Author: Ashley
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: about 3 dozen
Easy Walnut Snowball Cookies, or "Mexican Wedding Cookies", are a delicious nutty holiday dessert recipe for a crowd! These are the perfect Christmas cookie exchange idea!
Ingredients
If you have a big crowd to feed, double the recipe!
- 1 cup shortening
- ½ cup confectioners sugar
- 2¼ cup sifted flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¾ cup chopped walnuts (OR pecans, hazelnuts, etc.)
Instructions
- Cream shortening and confectioners sugar.
- Stir in the remaining ingredients.
- Roll into 1 inch balls and bake on lightly greased cookie sheet (or use non-stick baking mat or parchment paper)
- Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.
- Roll immediately in confectioners sugar. Cool cookies on wire rack. Roll again in confectioners sugar, if desired.
- Enjoy!
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I know I would love these… I have some butter-flavored Crisco… But I have a question… Why shortening instead of butter? Thank you!
It’s just how my mom always made them! 🙂
How many from “one” batch?
Thanks for sharing a wonderful OLD recipe — amazing how such simple ingredients were used back then.
I only met my maternal grandma and she was a wonderful cook/baker – famous for noodles and applesauce pie along with pumpkin pies – sure do miss her [passed in ’92 at age 88].
I can’t remember how many it makes! I’ll have to look it up 🙂
Thanks for answering quickly – I won’t make until weekend. 🙂
Wishing I was half the woman my grandma was – we always had Christmas Day dinner at her house – she lived by herself until she passed. 🙁
I have written down that it makes approximately 40 cookies, depending on size!!
That’s so sad 🙁
p.s. what a wonderful memory of your grandma 🙂
Could you use butter instead of shortening?
I’ve never tried it like that before so I can’t say for sure! I wonder if they would get too crumbly, but you can always try it!
You can make snowball cookies with butter or shortening-there are recipes showing both.
I have made these cookies for many years and will continue to do so! They have always been a big hit with
everybody! I give them as gifts, and serve for holiday partys and gatherings! They are very simple to make , and
this recipe has very few ingredients! They have also been called butter ball cookies! They melt in your mouth, they are delicious!